Summary. Gladiolus clivorum and G. exalatus are new species of this large African and Eurasian genus of Iridaceae subfamily Crocoideae, both from Tanzania. These additions bring the total in the genus in tropical Africa to 84 species and the entire genus to 270 species. Moraea niassensis (subg. Grandiflorae Goldblatt) is a new, montane species of northern Niassa Province, Mozambique. The Africa and western Eurasian Moraea now includes some 225 species, 25 of which occur in tropical Africa. An identification key to the large-flowered species of subg. Grandiflorae in East Africa and Mozambique is provided. The new species are documented with a map, photographs and a conservation assessment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Congdon, T. C. E. & Bayliss, J. L. (2012). Butterflies of Mt Mecula and Mt Yao, Niassa Province, northern Mozambique. Metamorphosis 23: 26 – 34.
Geerinck, D. (2001). Les variations infraspécifiques de Moraea ventricosa Baker (Iridaceae d’Afrique centrale). Taxonomania 4: 4, 5.
____ (2003). Une nouvelle espèce pour la famille des Iridaceae au Congo-Kinshasa: Moraea schaijesorum Geerinck. Taxonomania 10: 11.
____ (2005). Iridaceae. In: D. Geerinck, C. Schaijes & M. Schaijes, Flore d’Afrique Centrale. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.
Goldblatt, P. (1977). Systematics of Moraea (Iridaceae) in tropical Africa. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 64: 243 – 295.
____ (1989). Systematics of Gladiolus L. (Iridaceae – Ixioideae) in Madagascar. Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., 4 sér., sect. B, Adansonia 11: 235 – 255.
____ (1996a). Iridaceae. In: R. M. Polhill (ed.), Flora of tropical East Africa. Balkema, Rotterdam.
____ (1996b). Gladiolus in tropical Africa: systematics, biology and evolution. Timber Press, Portland.
____ & Manning, J. C. (1998). Gladiolus in southern Africa. Fernwood Press, Cape Town.
____ & ____ (2008a). The Iris family: natural history and classification. Timber Press, Portland.
____ & ____ (2008b). Additions to Gladiolus (Iridaceae) in the Flora Zambesiaca region: the new species G. metallicola and the reinstatement of G. mosambicensis. Novon 18: 164 – 167.
____ & ____ (2012). Iridaceae. Taxonomic notes on Moraea (Iridaceae: Irideae) in Congo and adjacent countries. Bothalia 42: 49 – 51.
____ & ____ (2013). Eight new species of Moraea (Iridaceae) from southern Africa with morphological notes and range extensions in the genus. Bothalia 43: 153 – 165.
____ & ____ (2014). Taxonomy of the Moraea saxicola complex (Iridaceae: Iridoideae) in arid, western southern Africa with the new species, M. acocksii, M. geminifolia, M. quartzicola and M. teretifolia. S. African J. Bot. 91: 75 – 83.
____, ____ & Schnitzler, J. (2013). A revised infrageneric classification and synopsis of the Afro-Eurasian genus Moraea Mill. (Iridaceae: Irideae). Bothalia 43: 29 – 41.
____, ____ & Demissew, S. (in prep.). Two new species of Zygotritonia Mildbr. (Iridaceae: Crocoideae) from eastern tropical Africa.
Manning, J. C. & Goldblatt, P. (2009). Three new species of Gladiolus (Iridaceae) from South Africa and taxonomic notes on the genus in southern and tropical Africa. Bothalia 39: 37 – 45.
____ , ____, Winter, P. J. D. (1999). Two new species of Gladiolus (Iridaceae: Ixioideae) from South Africa and notes on long-proboscid fly pollination in the genus. Bothalia 29: 217 – 223.
____, ____ & Mannheimer, C. (2011). Here today, gone tomorrow: Gladiolus halophilus (Iridaceae: Crocoideae), a remarkable new species from southern Namibia facing imminent extinction. S. African J. Bot. 77: 790 – 794.
Shorthouse, D. P. (2010). SimpleMappr, an online tool to produce publication-quality point maps. [Retrieved from http://www.simplemappr.net. Accessed 11 September 2013].
Acknowledgements
We thank Colin Congdon, African Butterfly Institute, Nairobi, Kenya, for details of his collections of Gladiolus clivorum and Moraea niassensis. Field work in Niassa Province, Mozambique was supported by National Geographic Society grant W229-12. We are also grateful to Roy Gereau, Missouri Botanical Garden, for his help transporting and sorting specimens of Gladiolus exalatus. Thanks also to Steven Bachman for his advice on the conservation assessments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldblatt, P., Manning, J.C., von Blittersdorff, R. et al. New species of Gladiolus L. and Moraea Mill. (Iridaceae) from Tanzania and Mozambique. Kew Bull 69, 9496 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-014-9496-y
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-014-9496-y