Trachyandra carnifolia (Asphodelaceae: Asphodeloideae), a new cliff-dwelling species from the Greater Midlands Centre of Endemism in eastern South Africa

Abstract

Fieldwork in southern Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, enabled the discovery of a succulent-leaved, cremnophytic Trachyandra (Asphodelaceae: Asphodeloideae) species that shows a distinct syndrome of morphological characters not previously reported in the genus, especially in respect of defining vegetative characters. The new species, T. carnifolia, is assigned to T. sect. Liriothamnus, based on a combination of floral and fruiting characters, and is evidently closely related to T. reflexipilosa, another component of savanna vegetation in Zululand. We provide a complete morphological description and illustrations of T. carnifolia, as well as data on its ecology and distribution.