Coleus esculentus var. kolweziensis Meerts & A. J. Paton, 2024

Meerts, Pierre J. & Paton, Alan J., 2024, The genus Coleus (Lamiaceae) in Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi), with the description of 15 new species, PhytoKeys 246, pp. 71-178 : 71-178

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.246.129476
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13629793
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0AFC2799-8339-54CD-A12E-FA64A538A1D5
treatment provided by	PhytoKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Coleus esculentus var. kolweziensis Meerts & A. J. Paton
status	var. nov.

Treatment

Coleus esculentus var. kolweziensis Meerts & A. J. Paton var. nov.

Fig. 4 A – C View Figure 4

Type.

DR. Congo, Haut-Katanga, Piste Nzilo-Kyamasumba , 10 ° 30 ' 29 " S, 25 ° 26 ' 12 " E, 1435 m elev., 1 Mar 1987, M. Schaijes 3354 ( BR [ BR 0000021718298 ], photos) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Differs from the type in the following combination of traits: thyrses borne on pairs of ascending branches, at the 2–5 upper nodes of the stem, forming a panicle; bracts broadly ovate-elliptic, ca. 5 × 3 mm, 5 - veined; rhizome creeping; stem leafy at flowering; leaves narrowly obovate, < 15 mm wide, pubescent on veins beneath, very shortly pubescent above.

Etymology.

All collections of this variety originate from the region of Kolwezi in western Upper Katanga.

Distribution.

Endemic to SE DR. Congo ( Haut-Katanga).

Habitat and ecology.

Steppic savannah, dry woodland, rocky slopes; 1300–1475 m elev.

Additional specimens.

DR. Congo, Haut-Katanga, Env. de Sakabinda, sources de la Kengere, 9 Apr 1971, S. Lisowski 23304 ( POZG); Env. Kolwezi, près du village Muilu, 8 Apr 1971, S. Lisowski 23703 ( POZG); without locality, 1937, Salésiens 1264 ( BR); 19 km SSE of Kolwezi, 13 Mar 1983, M. Schaijes 1873 ( BR); Piste Kolwezi-Musokantanda (Plateau de la Manika), 10 ° 48 ' 42 " S, 25 ° 15 ' 59 " E, 19 Feb 1989, M. Schaijes 4305 ( BR);

Note.

This new variety has a restricted distribution range in the region of Kolwezi.