Notes on Justicia sect. Monechma (Acanthaceae) in Angola, including two new species Author Darbyshire, I. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW 9 3 AB, United King- dom; corresponding author e-mail: i. darbyshire @ kew. org. i.darbyshire@kew.org Author Goyder, D. J. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW 9 3 AB, United King- dom; corresponding author e-mail: i. darbyshire @ kew. org. & National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, Wild Bird Trust, South Africa. i.darbyshire@kew.org text Blumea 2019 2019-05-03 64 2 97 107 https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2019.64.02.01 journal article 10.3767/blumea.2019.64.02.01 2212-1676 16898137 8. Justicia monechmoides S.Moore Justicia monechmoides S. Moore (1880) 311. — Monechma monechmoides (S.Moore) Hutch. (1946) 524. — Type : Welwitsch 5140 (lecto BM, chosen by Vollesen 2015: 214 ; isolecto K, LISU* [LISU223491, LISU223493], P* [P00434925]), Angola , Luanda , Imbondeiro dos Lobos, fl. & fr., Mar. 1858 [date fide Hiern 1900 ]. Monechma welwitschii C.B. Clarke (1900) 216, nom.illegit; Hiern (1900) 822; Moore (1930) 137; Benoist (1950) 29. — Syntypes : Welwitsch 5065 (BM, K), Welwitsch 5123 (BM), Welwitsch 5140 (BM, K, LISU*), Welwitsch 5184 (K), Angola , Loanda, fl. & fr., Mar. 1858 [date fide Hiern 1900 ] – see note. Monechma tettense C.B. Clarke (1900) 216. — Type : Kirk s.n. (lecto K [K000378730], chosen by Vollesen 2015: 214 ), Lower Zambesi , opposite Tete , Kaimba Is., 1860. Monechma debile sensu auct., non (Forssk.) Nees: Meyer (1968) 45 p. p.; Munday (1995) 59 p. p.; Makholela (2008) 23 p. p. Distribution & Ecology — Justicia monechmoides is widespread in southern Africa, occurring in Angola , Botswana , Malawi , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Zambia and Zimbabwe . In Angola , it is recorded from Cuando Cubango, Cunene , Huíla , Luanda and Namibe provinces. It is an annual herb of a variety of woodland, bushland and grassland habitats, often favouring disturbed areas where it can be a weed. Additional Angolan specimens seen . Welwitsch 5065 (BM,K), 5123 (BM), 5184 (K), Luanda [Loanda], Imbondeiro dos Lobos ,fl. & fr., Mar .1858 [precise locality and date fide Hiern 1900 ]; Gossweiler 306 ( BM , K ) , 306B (BM), 307 (BM, K), Luanda [ Loanda ], fl. & fr., 1903; Pearson 2684 ( K ) , Huíla , between Chibia and Quihila , fl. & fr., 13 May 1909 ; Pearson 2221 ( K ) , between Qui- hila - Jambos , 3–18 miles , fl. & fr., 14 May 1909 ; Exell & Mendonça 2403 ( BM ) , 2413 (BM), Namibe , Moçâmedes , Tampa , fl. & fr., 1 June 1937 ; Exell & Mendonça 2958 ( BM ) , Huíla , near Leba , fl. & fr., 20 June 1937 ; Gossweiler 14268 ( BM ) , Luanda , Catete ,fr., July 1949 ; Pritchard 357 ( BM ) , Huíla , Tchivinguiro ,fl. & fr., 3 Aug.1954 ; Barbosa & Gouveia 10692 p.p. ( BM ) , Huíla , Gambos , Chimbolelo , fl. & fr., 24 Aug. 1963 ; Borges 227 ( LISC *) , Huíla , Lubango , aos 600 m da picada para a missão do Munhino , fl. & fr., 11 May 1971 ; Santos 2910 ( LISC *) , Cunene , Cuvelai , fl. & fr., 21 July 1971 ; Harris & Murray-Hudson 828 ( K ) , Cuando Cubango , Rápidos M’Pupo , Cuito R. , between Dingo and Lumeta , fl. & fr., 17 Apr. 2013 ; Harris & Murray-Hudson 1028 ( K ) , Cuando Cubango , 20 km SE of Sianga on SW edge of R. Cuando floodplain near Benorio , fl. & fr., 28 Apr. 2013 . Notes — This species is sometimes treated as conspecific with J. bracteata (under the name Monechma debile – see note under J. bracteata above) and the two are certainly close but are usually readily separated by the characters listed in the key. The five Welwitsch syntypes listed for Clarke’s (1900) Monechma welwitschii are the same as those of Moore’s (1880) Justicia monechmoides ; Vollesen (2015) selected Welwitsch 5140 as the lectotype of J. monechmoides and noted under M. welwitschii (p. 214): “type: as for Justicia monechmoides ”, but he did not formally lectotypify this name.