Personal Thoughts on Leonotis (Lamiaceae) in Southern Africa

My personal thoughts on the genus Leonotis (Lamiaceae) in Southern Africa, posted as comments 4/4
More information here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/40872072

Posted on 23 June, 2021 09:45 by jeremygilmore jeremygilmore

Comments

1/4 Background:

These are purely my own thoughts, most of which are based on the unpublished Vos, W.T. (1995) 'A systematic study of Leonotis (Pers.) R. Br. (Lamiaceae) in southern Africa'.

There has generally been a lot of disagreement over the taxonomy of the genus Leonotis (Lamiaceae). My thoughts below are those which make the most sense to me; in helping me to understand the genus based on what has been given so far. We currently have no infraspecific name for the Cape form of L. ocymifolia on iNaturalist.

Posted by jeremygilmore almost 3 years ago

2/4 The current system used by iNaturalist (2021):

L. leonurus - locality: South Africa

L. nepetifolia - locality: cosmopolitan
var. nepetifolia - locality: dark-flowered cosmopolitan
var. africana - locality: pale-flowered pan-tropical

L. ocymifolia - locality: S. Africa
var. ocymifolia - locality: KwaZulu-Natal province
var. raineriana - locality: Mthatha to Mpumalanga province
var. schinzii - locality: Gauteng province and Namibia

L. decadonta - locality: all tropics
var. decadonta - locality: SW. Tanzania to E. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)
var. porotoensis - locality: SW. Tanzania (incl. Lake Malawi)
var. vestita - locality: all tropics

L. goetzei - locality: SW. Tanzania

L. grandis - locality: S. Tanzania to NE. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)

L. myricifolia - locality: SW. Tanzania to E. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)

L. myrothamnifolia - locality: Malawi to Zambia (Mafinga Hills)

L. pole-evansii - locality: N. & C. Zambia

Posted by jeremygilmore almost 3 years ago

3/4 The morphology of Southern African species & their infraspecifics:

L. leonurus is the most well-known one. It is a re-sprouting perennial shrub with multiple soft clumps of calyces up the inflorescence stem. The leaves are long and distinctly narrow.

L. nepetifolia is a tall, single-stemmed annual or biennial weed. The distinctly spikey calyces occur in neat balls up the inflorescence stem, each of which has a distinct pair of smaller, narrow floral leaves below. The leaves are large and heart-shaped.

L. ocymifolia is the most variable. The balls of calyces up the inflorescence stems of all L. ocymifolia forms are neither as soft as those of L. leonurus nor as spikey as those of L. nepetifolia. They lack floral leaves. Some forms of this species can resemble L. nepetifolia.

var. ocymifolia (nominotypical) is currently used on iNaturalist to refer to the forest form. Vos calls this forest form L. dubia. It is a loose/lax/weak perennial with large, broad leaves. Vos uses the nominotypical name to refer to the Cape form of this species instead. This form has smaller, rounder leaves. There is currently there is no infraspecific name for it on iNaturalist - perhaps some authors view it as synonymous with the forest form; L. dubia.

var. raineriana is the re-spouting perennial form, similar to L. nepetifolia, with large leaves and a less spikey balls of calyces up the inflorescence stems. Vos calls this L. intermedia.

var. schinzii refers to what Vos distinguished as L. randii, L. schinzii, and L. ocymifolia subsp. transvaalensis. All three of these forms resemble the Cape form, but the leaves are generally more elongated; less rounded. As per Vos, L. randii occurs around Gauteng, L. schinzii in Namibia, and subsp. transvaalensis in the Transvaal province of South Africa.

Posted by jeremygilmore almost 3 years ago

4/4 What would be left (the groups in bold are the only ones with a change):

L. leonurus: South Africa

L. nepetifolia - locality: Cosmopolitan
var. nepetifolia - locality: dark-flowered cosmopolitan
var. africana - locality: pale-flowered pan-tropical

L. ocymifolia - locality: S. Africa
subsp. ocymifolia - locality: Western Cape province
Notes: var. ocymifolia currently used for Vos' L. dubia
subsp. raineriana - locality: Mthatha to Mpumalanga province
Notes: previously L. intermedia, as per Vos
subsp. schinzii - locality: C. Namibia
Notes: currently sunk into var. schinzii
subsp. transvaalensis - locality: N. Transvaal province
Notes: currently sunk into var. *schinzii
*

L. randii - locality: Gauteng province
Notes: currently sunk into L. ocymifolia var. *schinzii
*

L. dubia - locality: KwaZulu-Natal to N. Eastern Cape province
Notes: currently used as L. ocymifolia var. *ocymifolia
*

L. decadonta - locality: all tropics
var. decadonta - locality: SW. Tanzania to E. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)
var. porotoensis - locality: SW. Tanzania (incl. Lake Malawi)
var. vestita - locality: all tropics

L. goetzei - locality: SW. Tanzania

L. grandis - locality: S. Tanzania to NE. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)

L. myricifolia - locality: SW. Tanzania to E. Zambia (incl. Lake Malawi)

L. myrothamnifolia - locality: Malawi to Zambia (Mafinga Hills)

L. pole-evansii - locality: N. & C. Zambia

Posted by jeremygilmore almost 3 years ago

Submit a new revision Jeremy! Good work!

Posted by troos almost 3 years ago

Thanks Troos! Such a complicated issue...

Posted by jeremygilmore almost 3 years ago

We make it complicated, you made it simple!

Posted by troos almost 3 years ago

So to come back here to this topic, we only have L ocymifolia raineriana and L nepetifolia for us in the Lowveld, L intermedia is also now sunk into L o raineriana? We busy with an App for the Wildflowers of the Lowveld ( below 600 m)

Posted by troos over 2 years ago

Basically, yes. The study by Wayne Thomas Vos (1995) recognised L. intermedia, but his work never seems to have been validly published, so it remains a synonym of L. ocymifolia var. raineriana. Vos also recognised L. ocymifolia subsp. transvaalensis, which would also occur in the lowveld. Unfortunately this is apparently still synonymous with L. ocymifolia var. schinzii (never validly published). Vos' treatment of his specific concept places "L. schinzii" in central Namibia. It's important to note that Vos' L. randii (Gauteng) is now in L. ocymifolia var. schinzii too - yet they are so distinct. Vos' L. ocymifolia subsp. transvaalensis, L. randii, and L. schinzii are all in L. ocymifolia var. schinzii now. A real gemors.

Lowveld:
L nepetifolia
L. ocyimifolia var. raineriana (=L. intermedia)
L. ocymifolia var. schinzii (= Vos' L. ocymifolia subsp. transvaalensis!)

Good luck with the app!

Posted by jeremygilmore over 2 years ago

Thank you Jeremy, yes it is a huge job. I need to lock myself up and finish it! a year or 2 lots of work.

Posted by troos over 2 years ago

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