Festuca drakensbergensis (Poaceae): A common new species in the F. caprina complex from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre of Floristic Endemism, southern Africa, with key and notes on taxa in the complex including the overlooked F. exaristata

• Published in: PhytoKeys 2020-10, Vol.162 (2), p.45-69
• Main Authors: Sylvester, Steven P, Soreng, Robert J, Sylvester, Mitsy D P V, Clark, Vincent Ralph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Discovery and exploration; Grasses; Grasslands; Identification Key; Lesotho and Swaziland; Nomenclature; Poaceae; South Africa; Southern Africa; Taxonomy
• ISSN: 1314-2011; 1314-2003
• DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.162.55550

We present taxonomic notes on the complex from southern Africa that includes description and illustration of the new species from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre of Floristic Endemism of South Africa and Lesotho. can be differentiated from s.l. by forming lax short tufts with extravaginally-branching tillers and lateral-tending cataphyllous shoots or rhizomes present, basal foliage reaching < ½ the length of the culms, with generally shorter leaves and shorter anthers, 0.8-1.6(-1.8) mm long. The species also differs from the overlooked species - currently known from two collections from Lesotho - by its fibrous basal sheaths, usually sharp, keel-like leaf blade midrib, drooping panicle with lightly to densely scabrous pendent panicle branches, longer lemmas, 4.5-5.8 mm long, with awns usually present, 0.5-3 mm long, ovary apices sparsely to densely hairy and anthers 0.8-1.6(-1.8) mm long. Taxonomic notes on the different taxa of the complex in southern Africa are also provided, including images, key, and lectotypification of F. caprina var. curvula. This research adds a further two endemic species ( and ) and two endemic varieties (F. caprina var. irrasa and F. caprina var. macra) to the Drakensberg Mountain Centre of Floristic Endemism.