Researchers report 15 new species of Coleus (Lamiaceae) and revised 95 taxa in Central Africa

NEWS - Researchers revised the genus Coleus (Lamiaceae) in DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi based on herbarium taxonomy. Pierre Meerts of the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels and Alan Paton of the Herbarium Royal Botanic Gardens in Richmond reported 95 taxa consisting of 89 species, 1 subspecies and 5 varieties.

The report includes 15 new species and one new variety: Coleus duvigneaudii, C. hildei, C. kaminaensis, C. kundelunguensis, C. linarioides, C. lisowskii, C. marunguensis, C. minusculus, C. mitwabaensis, C. mystax, C. pengbelensis, C. piscatorum, C. pseudoschizophyllus, C. ruziziensis, C. zigzag and C. esculentus var. kolweziensis.

The specimens comprise 14 new species recorded in DR Congo and 2 new species recorded in Burundi. The report also makes 4 new combinations: Coleus betonicifolius var. kasomenensis, C. esculentus var. densus, C. esculentus var. primulinus and C. parvifolius. The lectotype includes 10 names and the neotype includes 1 name.

The researchers also report 13 new synonyms. Special attention is paid to the Coleus bojeri complex. The report also makes 3 names to accommodate the wide variation pattern in Central Africa consisting of C. chevalieri, C. collinus and C. heterotrichus. Meanwhile, the endemic species of DR. Congo, Rwanda and Burundi include 15 taxa.

The genus Coleus (Lour) was first formally described by the Portuguese botanist João de Loureiro (1717-1791) in 1790 in Fl. Cochinch.: 372. The large genus includes more than 300 species, dozens of synonyms and most occur naturally in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Original research

Meerts PJ, Paton AJ (2024). The genus Coleus (Lamiaceae) in Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi), with the description of 15 new species. PhytoKeys 246: 71-178, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.246.129476

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Tanglehead (Heteropogon contortus)

Tanglehead ( Heteropogon contortus ) is a species of Poaceae, an erect grass, up to 65 cm tall, with leaves up to 13 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. The inflorescence is at the top and hairy. The tip is black. This plant forms dense colonies in forests, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas. TAXON : Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Subfamily: Panicoideae Tribe: Andropogoneae Subtribe: Anthistiriinae Genus: Heteropogon Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 533 (1807) Species: Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv. in J.J.Roemer & J.A.Schultes, Syst. Veg., ed. 15[bis]. 2: 836 (1817) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS : Andropogon contortus L. in Sp. Pl.: 1045 (1753) Heteropogon contortus var. hirtus Hack. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 2(3): 267 (1883) Heteropogon hirtus Pers. (1807) Holcus contortus (L.) Stuck. in Anales Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, ser. 3, 4: 48 (1904) Sorghum contortum (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. ...

Cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli)

Velvet coral tree or cockspur coral tree ( Erythrina crista-galli ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is a small tree, 5-8 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of about 50 cm, irregular branches, light wood, and fissured, soft, and light brown bark. The taproot is white. The leaves are ovate, with three strands, dark green and glossy on the upper surface, and pale green on the underside. The central lobe is up to 17 cm long and up to 11 cm wide. The left and right lobes are up to 15 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. The flowers are red, arranged in racemes, at the apex, pentameric, complete, and bilaterally symmetrical. The flowers are up to 6 cm long and 4 cm wide. The pods are long, containing about 8 seeds, green when young and turning brown as they mature. The seeds are ovate, flat, and brown. It grows well in lowlands up to an elevation of 1,500 meters, with an annual rainfall of 800-1,500 mm/year, and a temperature of 20-32°C. It thrives in well-drained soils, but...

Dlium