Lithospermum sylvestre J.Cohen & J.C.Manning, sp. nov. Type: South Africa, Eastern Cape, Willowmore (3323): Baviaanskloof, entrance to Uitspan Kloof (–DA), 850 m, 24 December 2017, D. Euston-Brown 5322 (NBG, holo.).

Bushy, perennial herb, 100–300 (–400) mm tall, stems erect or suberect, rod-like, 1.5–4.0 mm diameter, strigose, well-branched with rather weak branches. Leaves cauline, sessile, spreading or weakly deflexed, blades elliptic to lanceolate, (12–)40–100(–120) mm × (2–)6–10(–20) mm, obtuse to subacute, base attenuate, margins entire, planar, abaxially and adaxially thinly strigose, midrib raised adaxially and more densely strigose, hairs not bulbous-based, hair base surrounded by cystoliths, eucamptodromous. Inflorescence a terminal scorpioid cyme, sometimes with additional axillary monochasial cymes, elongating to 200 mm long in fruit; bracts spreading or weakly deflexed, sessile, lanceolate to linear lanceolate, 8–20(–35) mm × 2–10 mm, subacute, base cuneate, margins entire, planar, abaxially and adaxially stigose, hyphodromous; pedicels ± 2 mm long. Flowers homostylous, chasmogamous. Sepals linear, subequal or slightly unequal, 2.5–3.0 mm × 0.5 mm in flower, accrescent to 6–8 mm × 0.8 mm in fruit and then spreading, acute, abaxially hispid, more densely so basally with longer hairs, adaxially strigillose. Corolla salver-shaped, pure white to creamy white, with pale greenish-yellow throat and tube, abaxially glabrous in basal half and puberulous in distal half, more densely so distally, tube 7–8 mm × 2–3 mm, adaxially sparsely pubescent at mouth and on base of lobes, lobes orbicular to elliptic, 3 mm × 2–3 mm, spreading, obtuse, gland-tipped hairs present within tube at stamen insertion and decurrent for ± 1.5 mm below filament insertion, faucal appendages present, partially obstructing throat, pouched, ± 1 mm diameter, hispidulous with mix of acute and scattered gland-tipped hairs, annulus a ring of 10 minute fleshy proturberances at base of tube. Stamens included, filaments subulate, 0.50–0.75 mm long, attached 6–7 mm above corolla base, anthers oblong, 1.50–1.75 mm × 0.50 mm; pollen ellipsoid to slightly ovoid, 9–13 µm × 6–11 µm. Style filiform, 7–8 mm long, shortly included; stigmas terminal to sub-terminal, biparted. Nutlets erect, 3.0–3.5 mm × 2.0–2.5 mm, obliquely ovoid, weakly keeled distally on outer face and shortly crested on inner face, apex acute, base truncate, smooth or irregularly pitted, glossy white to silvery grey, sometimes partially tan. Flowering time: October to February (Figures 1 and 2).

Distribution and habitat: Lithospermum sylvestre is evidently endemic to the western Baviaanskloof Mountains in Eastern Cape, South Africa, where it has been collected from a few sites on the southern side of the mountain range (Figure 3). The species is restricted to narrow gorges at 650 m to 850 m elevation as a component of the understory of the riparian forest. Plants are scattered in small, localised populations in rocky sandstone scree and talus, where they are subject to periodic disturbance when the rivers come down in spate. Associated species are typical forest and thicket elements of the region, including the trees Ficus sur Forssk. (Moraceae), Ilex mitis (L.) Radl. (Aquifoliaceae), Kiggelaria africana L. (Achariaceae) and Smelophyllum capense (Sond.) Radl. (Sapindaceae), and the shrubs Pelargonium zonale (L.) L’Hér. (Geraniaceae) and Plumbago auriculata Lam. (Plumbaginaceae).

Diagnosis: Lithospermum sylvestre is distinguished from other South African species of the genus by its well-branched stems with adpressed-scabrid pubescence, relatively large, spreading leaves with plane blades mostly 40–100(–120) mm × 6–10(–20) mm, flowers with the corolla tube ± 1.5× longer than the calyx and glabrous below, with the style ± as long as the corolla tube and only shortly included, and pollen that is ellipsoid to slightly ovoid and 9–13 µm × 6–11 µm, the smallest of any known South African species. In its adpressed pubescence and spreading foliage leaves, it resembles the widespread L. afromontanum, but that species is characterised by acute to acuminate leaves with prominent veins beneath, and a corolla tube ± as long as the calyx. Other superficially similar species such as L. affine, L. hirsutum and L. scabrum are immediately distinguished from L. sylvestre by the patent or spreading hairs on the stems, at least below (Wright 1904), whereas L. diversifolium DC. has smaller leaves with revolute margins (Wright 1904). The two remaining species recorded from southern Africa are very different: L. papillosum Thunb. is a resprouting subshrub with mostly simple, erect stems with narrow, erect leaves with revolute margins; and L. cinereum DC. has small, narrowly oblong leaves up to 25 mm long densely covered with greyish pubescence.

Lithospermum sylvestre is most similar to L. afromontanum in gross morphology, but its pollen most closely resembles that of L. scabrum. This mix of character states is characteristic of species in Lithospermum (Cohen 2011, 2018).

Conservation notes: Lithospermum sylvestre is a local endemic known from four localities approximately 22 km distant from one another, with an area of occupancy less than 20 km². Although only one of the localities falls within a formal conservation area, the others are located adjacent to protected catchment sites in relatively inaccessible places that are not currently under threat and that are unsuitable for agriculture or urbanisation.

South Africa. EASTERN CAPE. 3323 (Willowmore): Baviaanskloof Mountains, Uitspan Kloof, near entrance to narrow kloof at Uitspan (–DA), 820 m, 19 February 2016, D. Euston-Brown 4608 (NBG); Baviaanskloof, Bo-Kloof, in dry streambed of Waterkloof (–DB), 839 m, 9 October 2016, D. Euston-Brown 5042 (NBG); Baviaanskloof, dry streambed of Kasey Kloof (–DB), 814 m, 26 December 2017, D. Euston-Brown 5323 (NBG); Baviaanskloof, Dam se Kloof just before first chain ladder (–DB), 649 m, 27 April 2018, D. Euston-Brown 5884 (NBG).