A new species of Pavetta (Rubiaceae) from South Africa

Abstract

Pavetta glaucophylla Retief, S. J. Siebert & A. E. van Wyk, a new species of the Rubiaceae (Ixoroideae) from South Africa, is described and illustrated. A member of Pavetta L. subg. Pavetta, it has a restricted range and is near endemic to the Sekhukhuneland Centre of Endemism. Hitherto P. glaucophylla has mainly been confused with P. zeyheri Sond., from which it differs in being a taller plant with larger, blue-green leaves in living condition instead of dark green to gray-green leaves and flowers in which the calyx lobes are 0.5–0.75 mm long and triangular-ovate, and 1.25–2 mm long and not triangular-lanceolate, as in P. zeyheri.