A New Species of Cytinus (Cytinaceae) from South Africa and Swaziland, with a Key to the Southern African Species

Abstract

A new species of Cytinus L., C. visseri Burgoyne, a root holoparasite from Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa and from Swaziland is described. Morphological and phenological differences separate it from the two existing South African species. The distributional range of C. visseri is also highly disjunct compared to that of the other two species, and the species is considered vulnerable (VU D2). Fruit morphology is described in detail for the new species; this is a first for the genus, as previous descriptions were based on flowering material only, and therefore fruit comparisons to the other South African species are not yet possible. A key to all known southern African species is given.