Barleria (Balkwill & Balkwill, 1997) Dominique Champluvier, 2011

Dominique Champluvier, 2011, New and overlooked Acanthaceae taxa from D. R. Congo, Rwanda and Burundi: (1) the genus Barleria, Plant Ecology and Evolution 144 (1), pp. 82-95 : 94

7. An overlooked species of sect. Somalia – The following

species has hitherto been overlooked for the area of “Flore d’Afrique centrale’; it was described from D.R.Congo, Katanga, but has been only known from the holotype, kept in BM; there is no isotype in BR, nor any other specimen identified as B. kaessneri in K or BR. Several specimens of that species were although found in the unidentified material of Acanthaceae in both Herbaria.

B. kaessneri belongs to sect. Somalia, characterized i.a. by leaves of a distinct blue-green colour and beaked capsules. Close allies like B. benguellensis and B. calophylla are placed in that section by Balkwill & Balkwill (1997), which were unable to get sufficient material of B. kaessneri to place it satisfactorily in their classification ( Balkwill & Balkwill 1997: 571).