Pauridia gracilipes (Schltr.) Snijman & Kocyan, 2013

Snijman, Deirdre A. & Kocyan, Alexander, 2013, The genus Pauridia (Hypoxidaceae) amplified to include Hypoxis sect. Ianthe, Saniella and Spiloxene, with revised nomenclature and typification, Phytotaxa 116 (1), pp. 19-33 : 27

Pauridia gracilipes (Schltr.) Snijman & Kocyan , comb. nov.

Ξ Spiloxene gracilipes (Schltr.) Garside (1936: 268)

Bas.:— Hypoxis gracilipes Schlechter (1900: 88) Ξ Ianthe gracilipes (Schltr.) Williams (1901: 292) . Type (lectotype designated here):— SOUTH AFRICA. [Western Cape], Piqueniers Kloof, 2000 ft [610 m], 29 June 1896, R. Schlechter 7957 (BOL!, isolectotypes E, K! No. K000255996 [image], COI! [image], GRA!, LISC! [image], PRE!, S! [image]). R. Schlechter 7957, the only collection given in the protologue, is not associated with any particular herbarium. As lectotype we designate the numbered specimen in K since it shows the characteristic inflorescence described in the protologue, namely the slender scape that is devoid of all but the most minute bract.

= Ianthe cuspidata Nel (1914: 294) Ξ Spiloxene cuspidata (Nel) Garside (1936: 268) Ξ Hypoxis cuspidata (Nel) Geerinck (1969: 78) , syn. nov. Type (holotype):— SOUTH AFRICA, [Western Cape], Brakfontein, Ecklon & Zeyher [Hypoxid 19] (B! No. 100089225 [image], isotype W). Nel’s protologue mentions a single pair of numbered specimens, one in B and the other in W ( Nel 1914). The holotype, which is annotated by Nel as the “original”, is in B.

Note:— Spiloxene gracilipes was informally treated as part of the S. ovata (Linnaeus f. 1782: 197) Garside (1936: 268) complex in Goldblatt & Manning (2000: 110). Further studies have resolved several differences between the two species (D. Snijman in prep.). The yellow-flowered Pauridia gracilipes is widespread in the western part of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, unlike P. ovata (L.f.) Snijman & Kocyan, which has white flowers and is restricted to the Overberg in the southern part of the Cape Region.

Plants of Pauridia gracilipes vary considerably in size and the most diminutive forms of the species, found in the Olifants River Valley, Western Cape, resemble the type of S. cuspidata . As did Hilliard & Burtt (1978), we disagree with some of the statements made by Nel (1914), who regarded S. cuspidata as having two filiform bracts on the scape, whereas only one is evident on the type specimen.