Spermacoce bequaertii subsp. brevituba, Dessein, 2023

1. Mature flowers small: corolla tube 0.5–0.7 mm long, glabrous inside; corolla lobes 1–1.5 mm long; filaments 0.7–1.5 mm long; style 2–3 mm long........... b. subsp. brevituba a. subsp. bequaertii View in CoL — Fig. 1a, b View Fig ; Map 1 View Map 1

Inflorescences 1–1.5 cm diam. Corolla: tube funnel-shaped at the upper part, 2–3 mm long (often much shorter in young flowers), c. 0.3 mm broad at the base, c. 1 mm wide at the throat; lobes 2– 3 mm long, with a ring of hairs inside at 2/3 of the base. Anthers ellipsoid, c. 1–1.2 mm long; filaments 3 – 5 mm long. Style 6–10 mm long.

Distribution — Native to Gabon ( Haut-Ogooué province), Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo (near Léopoldville (= Kinshasa)).

Habitat & Ecology — Grassland, woodlands, roadsides and in wastelands. In Gabon it is known to grow at about 500 m altitude. Flowering: May, August to November; young fruits: October to November.

Representative specimens. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, Lower Congo, Achten 361 A&B (BR), Léopoldville [= Kinshasa],région Luebo-Kasai; Achten 451 (BR), Léopoldville [= Kinshasa], région Luebo-Kasai; Carlier 294 (BR, WAG), Léopoldville [= Kinshasa], Lemba; Jespersen s.n. (BR-S.P. 819209), Kasangula; Muambi 47 (BR), Stanley-pool-route Kenge. – GABON, de Wilde et al. 10020 (K, WAG), Haut-Ogooué, Plateau Batéké, 7 km S of Leconi.