At the end of 2016, the Sino-Africa Joint Investigation Team, made up of the researchers from Wuhan Botanical Garden and National Museum of Kenya, conducted a large-scale field investigation at Shimba Hills National Reserve.
During this over-20-days investigation, a special Adenia attracted the researchers' attention. In addition, more specimens of this Adenia were collected for in-depth researches.
Under the guidance of Prof. WANG Qingfeng and Prof. HU Guangwan, Veronicah Mutele Ngumbau from Kenya and the research group from Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC), Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out the comprehensive morphological study of this Adenia.
After sufficient literature consultant, specimens examinations and detailed morphological comparisons, this species was finally confirmed to be new to science. The paper entitled "Adenia angulosa (Passifloraceae), a new species from coastal forests of Kenya and Tanzania" was published in the latest issue of Phytotaxa.
This new species was named as Adenia angulosa G.W. Hu & Q.F. Wang, based on the characters of angled old stem and fruits.
A. angulosa belongs to A. sect. Ophiocaulon, but is distinguished from other members of this section by its 3-5-angled older stems, deeply (3-)5(-7)-lobed leaves in juvenile plants and juvenile branches, 3(-4)-flowered male and 1-2(-3)-flowered female inflorescences, filaments connate for more than half of their length and fruits 1-2(-3) per infructescence, narrowly ovoid, 6-angled.
Adenia angulosa G.W. Hu & Q.F. Wang (Image by SAJOREC)
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