Taxonomic novelties in African Dracaena (Dracaenaceae) Author Damen, T. H. J. Independent scholar, Generaal Foulkesweg 94, 6703 DS Wageningen, The Netherlands; Author Burg, W. J. van der Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P. O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Author Wiland-Szymańska, J. Department of Plant Taxonomy, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Umultowska 89, 61 - 614 Poznań, Poland. Author Sosef, M. S. M. Meise Botanic Garden, Nieuwelaan 38, B- 1860 Meise, Belgium. text Blumea 2018 2018-05-15 63 1 31 53 https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.01.05 journal article 10.3767/blumea.2018.63.01.05 2212-1676 16898045 5. Dracaena bushii Damen , sp. nov . — Fig. 1; Plate 1 ; Map 5 Dracaena bushii is similar to Dracaena phrynioides Hook. , both having capi- tate inflorescences and leaves with long pseudopetioles. Dracaena bushii is easily distinguished from that species by its flowers which are twice as long and the presence of a distinct stem up to 50 cm long, and an equitant (with overlapping leaf bases) leaf arrangement,where D. phrynioides is subacaulous with its leaves arranged in a rosette. — Type : van Setten 988 (holo WAG [WAG.1152725 (sheet 1), WAG.1152726 (sheet 2), WAG0108898 (spirit), WAG0116789 (spirit)]), culta at Wageningen, The Netherlands , 3 Aug. 1988 (ex Breteler 2438 , Cameroon , East Province, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49' , alt. 750 m , 2 Oct. 1962 ). Etymology . Dracaena bushii honours J.J. Bos (the Dutch word ‘bos’ translates to ‘bush’ in English) who has been a great inspiration of the first author, and at the same time credits Burgers Bush in Arnhem, The Netherlands , where the largest collection of living Dracaena in the world is being maintained, including a few specimens of D. bushii . Plate 1 Dracaena bushii Damen , habit and two seedlings with SJ van de Kerke; culta Burgers Bush nº 20120214025. — Photo: THJ Damen. Shrub to 2.5 m tall, with a single stem arising from a woody rhizome; stem to c. 5 cm diam, up to 50 cm long, yellowish grey, marked by dark green annular scars of fallen leaves, occasionally forming aerial roots. Leaves alternate, equitant; pseudopetiole bluish dark green, longer than the lamina, to 80 cm long, sulcate along its upper surface, gradually extending into a sheathing base, clasping the stem for distinctly more than its circumference; lamina ovate, up to 65 by 20 cm , corrugated lengthwise, shiny dark green above, dull pale green beneath, midrib paler, variegated with scattered transversely orientated oval pale green dots, each dot with a yellow centre, coriaceous, leaf base rounded, leaf tip acuminate, mucro to 2 cm long. Inflorescence terminal, usually erect; peduncle up to 8 cm long, smooth, terminating in a bracteate capitulum of up to 13 cm diam; bracts enveloping the capitulum, broadly ovate, c. 5 by 3 cm , scarious, dark brown; flowers in fascicles of 2 or 3, each fascicle closely enveloped by 3.5–4 cm long light brown bracts. Flower : pedicel 0–1 mm long; perianth white, 45–50 mm long, lobes 15 by 2 mm , spreading, each with a single central distinct costa; stamens inserted near the throat, up to 2 mm shorter than the lobes, filaments white, terete, inflated, with subulate tips, anthers pale yellow, 3 by 1 mm ; ovary oblong, up to 3 by 2 mm ; style filiform, to 1 mm exserted, white, stigma capitate, shallowly trilobed, c. 1 mm diam. Fruits depressed globose, shallowly 1–3-lobed, c. 14 by 9 mm , bright orange to bright red, with 2 or 3 seeds, receptacle of up to 4 mm long. Seeds smooth, ellipsoid, up to c. 10 by 7 mm , flattened where pressed against adjacent seeds. Distribution — Cameroon , Equatorial Guinea , Gabon . Ecology — Understory of secondary forest, forest edges, humid places, on sandy soil and clayish river banks; at 100– 1500 m altitude. Flowering in June (fide Letouzey 13823 ). Other specimens examined . CAMEROON , Centre , Nkolukie dans le massif du Mbam-Minkom 18 km nord-ouest Yaoundé, c. N3°59' E11°23' , 28 Sept. 1984 , Achoundong , G 622 (P); East , 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49' , alt. 750 m , 8 Jan. 1962 , Breteler , FJ 2438 (WAG); 500 m NW of Koundi, 22 km N of Bertoua, N4°44' E13°36' ,alt. 670 m , 29 Dec.1977 , Van den Burg , HC 16 (WAG); 1.5 km S of Yanda I, between Ber- toua and Diang, N4°34' E13°25' , alt. 720 m , 16 May 1978 , Van den Burg , HC 40 (WAG); culta,in greenhouse botanical gardens Wageningen,The Nether- lands, (seedling from Breteler et al. 2438 collected in Cameroon, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49' ,alt. 750 m ), 2 Oct. 1962 , Breteler , FJ 3043 (WAG);culta in The Bush, Burgers’ Zoo,Antoon van Hooffplein 1, Arnhem, The Netherlands, gift from WAG, No. 1969PT00479, (ex Breteler 2438 , Cameroon, East Province, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49' , alt. 750 m , 2 Oct. 1962 ), 24 Nov. 2011 , Damen , THJ 463 (WAG); ibid., 7 Apr. 2013 , Roos , JR de 11 (WAG); South , colline Mbok, 5 km à l’est de Meyo Centre, 40 km SSW d’Ebolowa,c. N2°34' E11°04' , 24 Mar. 1970 , Letouzey , R 10228 (P); South-West , colline au SE d’Okororoba, 20 km NE Ngati, c. N5°26' E9°17' , alt. 772 m , 13 June Map 5 Distribution of Dracaena bushii Damen. 1975, Letouzey , R 13823 (P, WAG-spirit); Mt Kupe, Nyasoso, along Max’s trail, N4°50' E9°42' , alt. 1100 m , 2 Dec. 2004 , Richardson , JE 250 (WAG); Mt Kupe,Ngomboku,path to the east, N4°55.6' E9°43.7' , alt. 1100 m , 3 Dec. 2004 , Richardson , JE 261 (WAG); Meme, N4°49' E9°42' , alt. 1200–1500 m , 1 Dec. 1985 , Thomas , DW 5098 (WAG). – EQUATORIAL GUINEA , Litoral , Bata-Senge, Estrada km 38, entrada maderera hacia el monte Bibogo, c. N1°40' E9°55' , alt. 650 m , 13 May 1997 , Carvalho , MF de 6324 (BRLU,MA); SE Bata, c. 50 km Oborobiko, Bata to Rio Benito, c. N1°28' E9°52' , 25 Feb. 1969 , Sanford , WW 6027 (K); Wele Nzas , région d’Anisok,env.de Temelon, près du village Ayene, c. N1°56' E10°38' , 10 Sept. 1997 , Lisowski , S M614 (BRLU). – GABON , Estuaire , Andem, Kougouleu-Kango c. 10 km , 2 km N, N0°22' E9°57' , 9 Oct. 1985 , Louis , AM 1859 (LBV, WAG); Ogooué-Ivindo , Parc National de l’Ivindo,chutes de Djidji, N0°08.9' E12°44.6' , alt. 335 m , 28 Mar. 2004 , Moungazi , A 1475 (LBV, WAG). – UNKNOWN , culta, Plantentuin, Rijksuniversiteit Gent, Belgium, 15 Nov. 1984 , Laan , FM van der 830 (WAG, WAG-spirit);Botanic Garden Meise,Belgium,No.19073927,origin unknown, 17 Oct. 2017 , Caekenberghe , F van 52 (BR-spirit). Note — The description of Dracaena sp. aff. phrynoides Hook in Cheek et al. (2004) matches the new species D. bushii . Unfortunately, the herbarium at Kew could not locate the three specimens cited in this publication during a recent visit of the first author, and so this could not be checked.