Schistostephium crataegifolium (Compositae: Anthemideae), a new generic record for Angola

Abstract

Background: The African genus Schistostephium has eight species in southern and south tropical Africa. The most widely distributed species, Schistostephium crataegifolium, occurs in upland or montane areas towards the eastern side of the continent.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to document a new geographic distribution record of this species from the Bié Plateau of central Angola.

Method: Specimens of S. crataegifolium were collected near Chitembo, Bié Province, during fieldwork for the Future Okavango Project grant 01LL0912A, task SP05, a project aimed at providing scientific support for sustainable land and resource management of the Okavango basin of Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The specimen was identified at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.

Results: The collection represents a new generic record for Angola, which is disjunct from the nearest population in Katanga by approximately 1000 km.

Conclusion: New generic records such as this underline the need for basic botanical inventories in the large, ecologically diverse but poorly documented country of Angola.