Oxalis magnifolia var. reduplicata Dreyer, Roets & Oberlander, 2017

Dreyer, Léanne L., Roets, Francois & Oberlander, Kenneth C., 2017, Two new Oxalis (Oxalidaceae) species, including 5 varieties, from the Richtersveld of South Africa, Phytotaxa 314 (2), pp. 231-240 : 239

Oxalis magnifolia var. reduplicata Dreyer, Roets & Oberlander var. nov.

Plants differ from the typical variety in their vertically orientated leaves and leaflets, with the leaflet margins curled towards the abaxial surface to form a hollow cylinder such that only the adaxial surface is exposed. This leaflet cylinder is up to 33 × 15 mm. All known populations of this variety are white-flowered, and the rhizome is short (up to 80 mm long) and lacks a sheath.

Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. Northern Cape Province, Richtersveld Conservancy, 11 km NNW of Eksteenfontein, 740 m, 17 June 2012, Oberlander, Dreyer & Roets 2012/06-48 (holotype NBG!)

Etymology:— The name of this variety refers to the reduplicate, cylindrical leaflets—a character not known from any other South African Oxalis species.

Additional material studied (paratypes):— SOUTH AFRICA. Northern Cape Province, Richtersveld Conservancy, 12 km NNW of Eksteenfontein, 740 m, 17 July 2012, Oberlander, Roets & Dreyer 2012/06-49 (STEU!).

Remarks:— The reduplicate character of the leaflets is maintained in cultivation. The function of this remarkable reshaping of the leaflet is unknown; we initially considered a role in controlling water loss via abaxially-located stomata, but this species is epistomatous.