Coleus esculentus var. densus (N. E. Br.) Meerts & A. J. Paton, 2024

Meerts, Pierre J. & Paton, Alan J., 2024, The genus Coleus (Lamiaceae) in Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi), with the description of 15 new species, PhytoKeys 246, pp. 71-178 : 71-178

Coleus esculentus var. densus (N. E. Br.) Meerts & A. J. Paton , comb. et stat. nov.

Plectranthus densus N. E. Brown in Bull. Misc. Inform., Kew 1894 (85): 12. 1894. Type: Tanzania, N of Lake Malawi (Nyassa), Oct 1880, Thomson s. n. (holotype K [ K 000431965 ]). (Basionym)

≡ Coleus densus (N. E. Br.) A. J. Paton , Phytokeys 129: 39. 2019 .

= Plectranthus dekindtianus De Wild. Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot., sér. 4, 2: 135. 1913. Type: DR. Congo, Bugege (?), Sep 1911. A. Hock s. n. (holotype BR [ BR 0000009824928 ]), syn. nov.

Description.

Paton et al. (2009: 292), Paton et al. (2013: 241), as Plectranthus densus N. E. Br. , restricted to specimens with inflorescence lax.

Distribution.

SW Tanzania to S Tropical Africa.

Habitat and ecology.

Dry woodlands, savannah, 1300–2000 m elev.

Additional specimens.

DR. Congo, Kasaï, Kahemba, route vers l’Angola, 31 May 1948, P. Duvigneaud 955 ( BRLU); Haut-Katanga, Kambove, 17 Aug 1979, H. Breyne 3735 (BR); Lubumbashi, Kasapa, 15 Sep 1972, J. Bulaimu 533 (BR); Upemba, piste vers Mitwaba, 12 Apr 1947, G. F. de Witte 2488 (BR); 10 km W of Mindingi, 21 Jul 1956, P. Duvigneaud & J. Timperman 2067 ( BRLU); Upemba, entre Masombwe et Lusinga, 21 Sep 1948, J. Lebrun 3644 (BR); Luiswishi, 2 Oct 1974, F. Malaisse 7965 (BR); Katanga, s. l., 21 Sep 58, J. Plancke 119 / 1734 ( BRLU); Upemba, 25 Aug 1949, L. van Meel in G. F. de Witte 7555 (BR).

Burundi. Bururi, 21 Sep 1974, J. Rammeloo 4690 ( BR).

Note.

Plectranthus dekindtianus De Wild. was synonymised with Plectranthus tetragonus Gürke by Paton et al. (2009); however, the type specimen lacks bristles on the stem and is better placed here