- United Kingdom
- I am a botanist and business person interested in plants, insects, life’s journey, nature, conservation, landscapes, ... moreI am a botanist and business person interested in plants, insects, life’s journey, nature, conservation, landscapes, agriculture, gardening, rare breeds, arts, poetry, history, philosophy, anthropology, comparative religion, cultures, and futures thinking. I am interested in the evolution, biology, systematics and biogeography of the plant family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) with special interests in Southern Africa and Southedit
Molecular phylogenetic studies focused on the early-branching papilionoid legumes have revealed many new clades and supported several generic realignments, yet the monophyly of some of the constituent genera has remained unassessed. This... more
Molecular phylogenetic studies focused on the early-branching papilionoid legumes have revealed many new clades and supported several generic realignments, yet the monophyly of some of the constituent genera has remained unassessed. This is the case for the Amazonian genus Clathrotropis of the tribe Ormosieae. The genus, as traditionally circumscribed, comprises seven species of trees, including some of the most ecologically hyper dominant taxa across the Amazonian terra firme and seasonally flooded forests. Here we employed a Bayesian analysis of densely sampled nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8S and plastid matK and trnL intron DNA sequences to evaluate the monophyly of Clathrotropis. All individual and concatenated analyses concurred in showing the non-monophyletic nature of Clathrotropis, whose species fall into three distantly related lineages: one, comprised of C. brachypetala, C. brunnea, C. glaucophylla and the ecologically dominant C. macrocarpa, is circumscribed here as the new ge...
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The species Rubus ludwigii EckI, Zeyh. is re-examined and a key is provided to the subspecies recognized, A new subspecies spatiosus C. H. Stirton is described. R. rigidus Sm. var. longepedicellatus C. E. Gust, is raised to specific rank,... more
The species Rubus ludwigii EckI, Zeyh. is re-examined and a key is provided to the subspecies recognized, A new subspecies spatiosus C. H. Stirton is described. R. rigidus Sm. var. longepedicellatus C. E. Gust, is raised to specific rank, viz R. longepedicellatus (C. E. Gust.) C. H. Stirton.
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THE CORRECT NAME FOR PLANTS CALLED AGRIMONIA ODORATA IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
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THE IDENTITY OF BOERHAAVIA PTEROCARPA IN SOUTH AFRICA
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Eriosema comprises c. 150 species and has a pantropical distribution and two centres of diversity, Africa and America. The species occur in tropical savannas and grasslands, including the cerrado in Brazil. They have adapted to these... more
Eriosema comprises c. 150 species and has a pantropical distribution and two centres of diversity, Africa and America. The species occur in tropical savannas and grasslands, including the cerrado in Brazil. They have adapted to these environments by developing specialized underground organs, and an abundance of trichomes. Here we present the first comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of Eriosema, including species from its entire distribution range and generating 391 new DNA sequences. We sampled 140 species from nine genera of Cajaninae, of which 94 (60% of the genus) were Eriosema. Our analyses were based on the nuclear ITS and plastid rpl32 and trnQ regions, and used maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of individual and combined data sets. In all analyses, Eriosema was resolved as monophyletic, but its interspecific relationships are not well resolved. Rhynchosia is not monophyletic, and some African Rhynchosia spp. emerged together as sister to Eriosem...
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Background. Feirana quadranus and Feirana taihangnica, two species of frogs inhabiting in waterbodies in the Tsinling Mountains, China, are believed to be sister species that diverged 46,000 years ago. In their sympatric area,... more
Background. Feirana quadranus and Feirana taihangnica, two species of frogs inhabiting in waterbodies in the Tsinling Mountains, China, are believed to be sister species that diverged 46,000 years ago. In their sympatric area, morphological variations found between the two species imply that the two species had inter-bred. Additionally, F. taihangnica’s polyandrous breeding behavior, without amplexus, would not hinder the potential hybridization. Methods. To verify the hybridization, 117 specimens of F. quadranus and F. taihangnica were collected from eight sampling sites in their sympatric area, and 110 of the specimens were classified morphologically into VV, vw&wv, and ww, representing the putative parental and suspected hybrid types. Their maternal bloodlines were identified using a phylogenetic tree based on a region of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. In total, 34 morphometric indices were selected to analyze the morphological variation between 16S-types or among morphotypes. ...
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ABSTRACT To examine relationships and test previous sectional delimitations within Fuchsia, this study used parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses with nuclear ITS and chloroplast trnL-F and rpl16 sequence data for 37 taxa representing... more
ABSTRACT To examine relationships and test previous sectional delimitations within Fuchsia, this study used parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses with nuclear ITS and chloroplast trnL-F and rpl16 sequence data for 37 taxa representing all sections of Fuchsia and four outgroup taxa. Results support previous sectional delimitations, except for F. verrucosa, which is related to a Central American clade rather than to section Fuchsia and is described here as a new section Verrucosa. The basal relationships within Fuchsia are poorly resolved, suggesting an initial rapid diversification of the genus. Among the species sampled, there is strong support for a single South Pacific lineage, a southern South American/southern Brazilian lineage, a tropical Andean lineage, and one or two Central American and Mexican lineages. There is no clear support for an austral origin of the genus, as previously proposed, which is more consistent with Fuchsia's sister group relationship with the boreal Circaea. An ultrametric molecular clock analysis (all minimal dates) places the split between Fuchsia and Circaea at 41 million years ago (mya), with the diversification of the modern-day lineages of Fuchsia beginning at 31 mya. The South Pacific Fuchsia lineage branches off around 30 mya, consistent with fossil records from Australia and New Zealand. The large Andean section Fuchsia began to diversify around 22 mya, preceded by the divergence of the Caribbean F. triphylla at 25 mya. The Brazilian members of section Quelusia separated from the southern Andean F. magellanica around 13 mya, and the ancestor of the Tahitian F. cyrtandroides split off from the New Zealand species of section Skinnera approximately 8 mya.
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The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) is a global consensus view of all known vascular plant species (flowering plants, conifers, ferns, clubmosses and firmosses). The Fabaceae subset contains names that have been peer reviewed by... more
The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) is a global consensus view of all known vascular plant species (flowering plants, conifers, ferns, clubmosses and firmosses). The Fabaceae subset contains names that have been peer reviewed by external experts from the Legume Phylogeny Working Group's (LPWG) and internal experts, as well as names that are in the process of being edited and reviewed. WCVP aims to represent a global consensus view of current plant taxonomy by reflecting the latest published taxonomies while incorporating the opinions of taxonomists based around the world. WCVP is built on the nomenclatural data provided by the International Plant Names Index (IPNI), which is the product of a collaboration between The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Harvard University Herbaria, and the Australian National Herbarium, combined with the taxonomic data provided by an international collaborative programme with a large number of contributors from around the world. Our thanks ...
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Background and Aims The idea that genome (size) evolution in eukaryotes could be driven by environmental factors is still vigorously debated. In extant plants, genome size correlates positively with stomatal size, leading to the idea that... more
Background and Aims The idea that genome (size) evolution in eukaryotes could be driven by environmental factors is still vigorously debated. In extant plants, genome size correlates positively with stomatal size, leading to the idea that conditions enabling the existence of large stomata in fossil plants also supported growth of their genome size. We test this inductive assumption in drought-adapted, prostrate-leaved Cape (South Africa) geophytes where, compared with their upright-leaved geophytic ancestors, stomata develop in a favourably humid microclimate formed underneath their leaves. Methods Stomatal parameters (leaf cuticle imprints) and genome size (flow cytometry) were measured in 16 closely related geophytic species pairs from seven plant families. In each pair, representing a different genus, we contrasted a prostrate-leaved species with its upright-leaved phylogenetic relative, the latter whose stomata are exposed to the ambient arid climate. Key Results Except for one,...
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ABSTRACT The genus Psoralea L., comprising about 70 species, has its centre of diversity and endemism in the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Species delimitation and identification in the genus are difficult. Many putative... more
ABSTRACT The genus Psoralea L., comprising about 70 species, has its centre of diversity and endemism in the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Species delimitation and identification in the genus are difficult. Many putative species are unpublished or known only by manuscript names. As a first step to address this problem this study reports on the taxonomy of the Psoralea aphylla complex — a distinct group of species characterised by either a complete absence of leaves, a reduction of the leaves into scales, or the occurrence of small filiform leaflets. Plants may be suffrutices, small to large shrubs, or trees. Morphological and ecological analyses of herbarium specimens and recent field collections distinguished ten species within the complex. Three species (P. aphylla L., P. filifolia Eckl. & Zeyh. and P. peratica C.H.Stirt.) are already published, while the seven other taxa have been known by manuscript names and are formalised in this paper (P. congesta C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; P. fleta C.H.Stirt.; P. gigantea Dludlu, Muasya & C.H.Stirt.; P. pullata C.H.Stirt.; P. ramulosa C.H.Stirt.; P. rigidula C.H.Stirt.; and P. usitata C.H.Stirt.). We provide a key for the identification of all ten species along with full descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps and some notes on the conservation statuses of the species.
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Research Interests: Taxonomy, Biology, Medicine, South Africa, New Species, and 5 moreLeguminosae, Endemic, Fabaceae, Plantae, and Fabales
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In this study, Indigofera wenholdiae, a new species of Fabaceae from the Agulhas Plain Region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, is described. A composite photographic plate is included along with a distribution map, description... more
In this study, Indigofera wenholdiae, a new species of Fabaceae from the Agulhas Plain Region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, is described. A composite photographic plate is included along with a distribution map, description of habitat and ecology and proposed IUCN conservation status. Indigofera wenholdiae is unique in the I. brachystachya group by having digitately compound (vs. pinnately compound) leaves, white and unscented flowers (vs. pink and sweetly scented flowers) and grows on sandstone hillsides (vs. coastal limestone plains and outcrops).
Otholobium outrampsii (Psoraleeae, Fabaceae) – a new species from the Western Cape Province, South Africa is described and illustrated.
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A taxonomic revision of the South American genus Amburana comprised of three species is presented, including the new species A. erythrosperma which is described and illustrated. Amburana cearensis occurs widely in Argentina, Bolivia,... more
A taxonomic revision of the South American genus Amburana comprised of three species is presented, including the new species A. erythrosperma which is described and illustrated. Amburana cearensis occurs widely in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Amburana acreana occurs in the Bolivian, Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon. Amburana erythrosperma is endemic to the southern Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. The species are distinguished by the color of the stem, the number per leaf and shape of leaflets, the size of inflorescence, color and size of the standard petal, fruit with endocarp developed to form a papery wing surrounding the seed or this lacking, and color of seed. A key to the species is provided together with descriptions, taxonomic comments, geographical distribution maps and illustrations for each. Lectotypes for A. acreana and A. cearensis are designated.
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Abstract Seven species of Aspalathus from South Africa are described as new. Two of the species are from the KwaZulu-Natal Province ( Aspalathus dahlgrenii C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; A. spinifera C.H.Stirt. & Muasya), two are from the... more
Abstract Seven species of Aspalathus from South Africa are described as new. Two of the species are from the KwaZulu-Natal Province ( Aspalathus dahlgrenii C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; A. spinifera C.H.Stirt. & Muasya), two are from the Eastern Cape Province ( A. modesta C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; A. usnoides C.H.Stirt. & Muasya), and the other three from the Western Cape Province ( A. eriocephaloides C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; A. eustonbrownii C.H.Stirt. & Muasya; A. nickhelmei C.H.Stirt. & Muasya). An identification key is provided to all of the species found in KwaZulu-Natal Province. New distribution records are added for, and conservation statuses re-assessed of the rare and little known species, Aspalathus macrocarpa Eckl. & Zeyh. and A. barbigera R. Dahlgren.
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Six new species of Thesium endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa are described and illustrated. These are Thesium aspermontanum, T. dmmagiae, T. neoprostratum, T. nigroperianthum, T. rhizomatum, and T.... more
Six new species of Thesium endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa are described and illustrated. These are Thesium aspermontanum, T. dmmagiae, T. neoprostratum, T. nigroperianthum, T. rhizomatum, and T. stirtonii. In addition, Thesium assimile var. pallidum is elevated to species rank as T. sawae. Morphological and ecological differences of each species, along with their putative affinities, preliminary conservation status, phenology, etymology, and distributional maps are presented.
Background: The loss of biodiversity in Nigeria is escalating alarmingly. However, there is generally a paucity of information as to what taxa are endangered because of a dearth of functioning conservation agencies in... more
Background: The loss of biodiversity in Nigeria is escalating alarmingly. However, there is generally a paucity of information as to what taxa are endangered because of a dearth of functioning conservation agencies in Nigeria.Objectives: The aim of this research is to record the endangered medicinal and other economic plant species in the Sudan Savanna vegetation in Katsina and to provide an assessment of the various threats faced by these plants.Method: Medicinal plants were identified through oral interviews with traditional medical practitioners within the study area. Conservation statuses were assessed using a bespoke data collection and assessment form; the data were then evaluated using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List categories and criteria.Results: A total of 169 species belonging to 62 families were recorded. Of these, 43 taxa were reported to be used for ethnomedicinal practices. It was found that more than half (108) of the 169 species were...
C.H.Stirt., A.Bello & Muasya is a new species of Psoraleeae, Fabaceae. is endemic to the Swartberg Mountains and is a tall densely branched re-sprouting shrub up to 2.5 m, with bluish-green stems and with most parts covered in small... more
C.H.Stirt., A.Bello & Muasya is a new species of Psoraleeae, Fabaceae. is endemic to the Swartberg Mountains and is a tall densely branched re-sprouting shrub up to 2.5 m, with bluish-green stems and with most parts covered in small crater-like glands, leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, linear-oblong, pale bluish-green, semi-conduplicate, somewhat succulent, glabrous, crowded at the end of bare branches on older stems or distributed along short branches on young shoots, petiolate. A description of , together with photographs and a distribution map are presented.
Over 760 legume species occur in the ecologically-heterogeneous Core Cape Subregion (CCR) of South Africa. This study tested whether the main symbionts of CCR legumes (Burkholderia and Mesorhizobium) are phylogenetically structured by... more
Over 760 legume species occur in the ecologically-heterogeneous Core Cape Subregion (CCR) of South Africa. This study tested whether the main symbionts of CCR legumes (Burkholderia and Mesorhizobium) are phylogenetically structured by altitude, pH and soil types. Rhizobial strains were isolated from field nodules of diverse CCR legumes and sequenced for 16S ribosomic RNA (rRNA), recombinase A (recA) and N-acyltransferase (nodA). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using Bayesian and maximum likelihood techniques. Phylogenetic signals were determined using the D statistic for soil types and Pagel's λ for altitude and pH. Phylogenetic relationships between symbionts of the narrowly-distributed Indigofera superba and those of some widespread CCR legumes were also determined. Results showed that Burkholderia is restricted to acidic soils, while Mesorhizobium occurs in both acidic and alkaline soils. Both genera showed significant phylogenetic clustering for pH and most soil types, ...
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Rhizobia of the genus Burkholderia have large-scale distribution ranges, and are usually associated with South African papilionoid and South American mimosoid legumes, yet little is known about their genetic structuring at either local or... more
Rhizobia of the genus Burkholderia have large-scale distribution ranges, and are usually associated with South African papilionoid and South American mimosoid legumes, yet little is known about their genetic structuring at either local or global geographical scales. To understand variation at different spatial scales, from individual legumes in the Fynbos (South Africa) to a global context, we conducted analyses of chromosomal (16S rRNA, recA) and symbiosis (nifH, nodA, nodC) gene sequences. We showed that the global diversity of nodulation genes is generally grouped according to the South African papilionoid or South American mimosoid subfamilies, whereas chromosomal sequence data were unrelated to biogeography. While nodulation genes are structured on a continental scale, a geographical or host specific distribution pattern was not detected in the Fynbos region. In host range experiments, symbiotic promiscuity of Burkholderia tuberum STM678(T) and B. phymatum STM815(T) was discove...
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Six new species of Thesium endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa are described and illustrated. These are Thesium aspermontanum, T. dmmagiae, T. neoprostratum, T. nigroperianthum, T. rhizomatum, and T.... more
Six new species of Thesium endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa are described and illustrated. These are Thesium aspermontanum, T. dmmagiae, T. neoprostratum, T. nigroperianthum, T. rhizomatum, and T. stirtonii. In addition, Thesium assimile var. pallidum is elevated to species rank as T. sawae. Morphological and ecological differences of each species, along with their putative affinities, preliminary conservation status, phenology, etymology, and distributional maps are presented.
... 1986, fr., de Carvalho & Pereira 2326 (K). Goias, Nr. ... 13433 & 8939, Hatschbach 54636, Kirkbride 4514 and Bridgewater 239. Intermediate specimens include Burchell 6424, White 2543, Labouriau 54, Burchell 6191,... more
... 1986, fr., de Carvalho & Pereira 2326 (K). Goias, Nr. ... 13433 & 8939, Hatschbach 54636, Kirkbride 4514 and Bridgewater 239. Intermediate specimens include Burchell 6424, White 2543, Labouriau 54, Burchell 6191, Harley et al. ...
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Research Interests: Plant Biology and Ecology
The South African Fynbos soils are renowned for nitrogen-fixing Burkholderia associated with diverse papilionoid legumes of the tribes Crotalarieae, Hypocalypteae, Indigofereae, Phaseoleae and Podalyrieae. However, despite numerous... more
The South African Fynbos soils are renowned for nitrogen-fixing Burkholderia associated with diverse papilionoid legumes of the tribes Crotalarieae, Hypocalypteae, Indigofereae, Phaseoleae and Podalyrieae. However, despite numerous rhizobial studies in the region, the symbiotic diversity of Burkholderia has not been investigated in relation to a specific host legume and its geographical provenance. This study analyzed the diversity of nodulating strains of Burkholderia from the legume species Podalyria calyptrata. Diverse lineages were detected that proved to be closely related to Burkholderia taxa, originating from hosts in other legume tribes. By analyzing the genetic variation of chromosomal (recA) and nodulation (nodA) sequence data in relation to the sampling sites we assessed the geographical distribution patterns of the P. calyptrata symbionts. Although we found a degree of genetically differentiated rhizobial populations, a correlation between genetic (recA and nodA) and geo...