Keetia magassoubiana sp.nov. (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa

Keetia magassoubiana sp. nov. (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa | bioRxiv /* */ /* */ <!-- <!-- /*! * yepnope1.5.4 * (c) WTFPL, GPLv2 */ (function(a,b,c){function d(a){return"[object Function]"==o.call(a)}function e(a){return"string"==typeof a}function f(){}function g(a){return!a||"loaded"==a||"complete"==a||"uninitialized"==a}function h(){var a=p.shift();q=1,a?a.t?m(function(){("c"==a.t?B.injectCss:B.injectJs)(a.s,0,a.a,a.x,a.e,1)},0):(a(),h()):q=0}function i(a,c,d,e,f,i,j){function k(b){if(!o&&g(l.readyState)&&(u.r=o=1,!q&&h(),l.onload=l.onreadystatechange=null,b)){"img"!=a&&m(function(){t.removeChild(l)},50);for(var d in y[c])y[c].hasOwnProperty(d)&&y[c][d].onload()}}var j=j||B.errorTimeout,l=b.createElement(a),o=0,r=0,u={t:d,s:c,e:f,a:i,x:j};1===y[c]&&(r=1,y[c]=[]),"object"==a?l.data=c:(l.src=c,l.type=a),l.width=l.height="0",l.onerror=l.onload=l.onreadystatechange=function(){k.call(this,r)},p.splice(e,0,u),"img"!=a&&(r||2===y[c]?(t.insertBefore(l,s?null:n),m(k,j)):y[c].push(l))}function j(a,b,c,d,f){return q=0,b=b||"j",e(a)?i("c"==b?v:u,a,b,this.i++,c,d,f):(p.splice(this.i++,0,a),1==p.length&&h()),this}function k(){var a=B;return a.loader={load:j,i:0},a}var l=b.documentElement,m=a.setTimeout,n=b.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],o={}.toString,p=[],q=0,r="MozAppearance"in l.style,s=r&&!!b.createRange().compareNode,t=s?l:n.parentNode,l=a.opera&&"[object Opera]"==o.call(a.opera),l=!!b.attachEvent&&!l,u=r?"object":l?"script":"img",v=l?"script":u,w=Array.isArray||function(a){return"[object Array]"==o.call(a)},x=[],y={},z={timeout:function(a,b){return b.length&&(a.timeout=b[0]),a}},A,B;B=function(a){function b(a){var a=a.split("!"),b=x.length,c=a.pop(),d=a.length,c={url:c,origUrl:c,prefixes:a},e,f,g;for(f=0;f<d;f++)g=a[f].split("="),(e=z[g.shift()])&&(c=e(c,g));for(f=0;f<b;f++)c=x[f](c);return c}function g(a,e,f,g,h){var i=b(a),j=i.autoCallback;i.url.split(".").pop().split("?").shift(),i.bypass||(e&&(e=d(e)?e:e[a]||e[g]||e[a.split("/").pop().split("?")[0]]),i.instead?i.instead(a,e,f,g,h):(y[i.url]?i.noexec=!0:y[i.url]=1,f.load(i.url,i.forceCSS||!i.forceJS&&"css"==i.url.split(".").pop().split("?").shift()?"c":c,i.noexec,i.attrs,i.timeout),(d(e)||d(j))&&f.load(function(){k(),e&&e(i.origUrl,h,g),j&&j(i.origUrl,h,g),y[i.url]=2})))}function h(a,b){function c(a,c){if(a){if(e(a))c||(j=function(){var a=[].slice.call(arguments);k.apply(this,a),l()}),g(a,j,b,0,h);else if(Object(a)===a)for(n in m=function(){var b=0,c;for(c in a)a.hasOwnProperty(c)&&b++;return b}(),a)a.hasOwnProperty(n)&&(!c&&!--m&&(d(j)?j=function(){var a=[].slice.call(arguments);k.apply(this,a),l()}:j[n]=function(a){return function(){var b=[].slice.call(arguments);a&&a.apply(this,b),l()}}(k[n])),g(a[n],j,b,n,h))}else!c&&l()}var h=!!a.test,i=a.load||a.both,j=a.callback||f,k=j,l=a.complete||f,m,n;c(h?a.yep:a.nope,!!i),i&&c(i)}var i,j,l=this.yepnope.loader;if(e(a))g(a,0,l,0);else if(w(a))for(i=0;i (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];var j=d.createElement(s);var dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.src='//www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-M677548'); Skip to main content Home About Submit ALERTS / RSS Search for this keyword Advanced Search New Results Keetia magassoubiana sp . nov . (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa View ORCID Profile Martin Cheek , View ORCID Profile Joel Bowden-Pickstock doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.21.600008 Martin Cheek 1 Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, U.K. Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Martin Cheek For correspondence: m.cheek{at}kew.org Joel Bowden-Pickstock 2 Dept. of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford Brookes University , Oxford, OX3 0BP, U.K. Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Joel Bowden-Pickstock Abstract Full Text Info/History Metrics Supplementary material Preview PDF Summary Keetia magassoubiana Cheek, an evergreen rainforest climber, is described and illustrated from the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast. Previously indicated as being close to but different from Keetia tenuiflora (Hiern) Bridson, it differs in the glossy black, glabrous, epidermis of the distal stem internodes, the first internode rarely with very sparse red adpressed hairs (vs epidermis pale white-brown, dense pale yellow spreading hairs) and abaxial leaf surface with domed domatia with a central aperture (vs domatia absent or obscure), the secondary stem leaf bases acute (vs obtuse to truncate), the bracts forming a laciniate sheath on the distal peduncle (vs two opposite triangular bracts), the pyrene surface honeycombed with pits (vs entire). The species was earlier included within Canthium multiflorum (Schum. & Thonn.) Hiern (now K. multiflora (Schum. & Thonn.) Bridson) in the Flora of West Tropical Africa second edition. An updated key is presented to the 16 species of the genus from West Africa. Keetia magassoubiana is provisionally assessed using the IUCN standard as Endangered EN B1ab(iii) due to only five of the recorded 14 locations having extant forest habitat, and because of ongoing threats of habitat clearance mainly for agriculture, but also mining. Introduction Keetia E. Phillips (Rubiaceae, Vanguerieae) was segregated from Canthium Lam. by Bridson (1985 , 1986 ). This genus of about 41 accepted species ( Cheek & Onana 2024 ) is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa (excluding Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands) and extends from Senegal and Guinea in West Africa ( Gosline et al . 2023a ; 2023b ) to Sudan ( Darbyshire et al . 2015 ) in the North and East, and S. Africa in the South ( Bridson 1986 ). Keetia differs from other African genera of Vanguerieae by its pyrenes with a fully or partly-defined lid-like area around a central crest, and endosperm with tanniniferous areas ( Bridson 1986 ). Keetia species are usually climbers (very rarely shrubby) and occur mostly in forest habitats, sometimes in wooded grassland. In a phylogenetic analysis of the tribe based on morphology, nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast trnT-F sequences, Lantz & Bremer (2004) , found that based on a sample of four species, Keetia was monophyletic and sister to Afrocanthium (Bridson) Lantz & B. Bremer with strong support. Highest species diversity of Keetia is found in Cameroon and Tanzania, both of which have about 15 taxa ( Onana 2011 ; POWO, continuously updated) and in Gabon, where 10 species are currently recorded ( Sosef et al . 2006 ) but around 25 are actually present, many of them undescribed (Lachenaud pers. comm. to Cheek, 2024). Several Keetia species are point endemics, or rare national endemics, and have been prioritized for conservation (e.g. Onana & Cheek 2011 ; Couch et al . 2019 ; Murphy et al . 2023 ) and one threatened species, Keetia susu Cheek has a dedicated conservation action plan ( Couch et al . 2022 ). Bridson’s (1986) account of Keetia was preparatory to treatments of the Vanguerieae for the Flora of Tropical East Africa ( Bridson & Verdcourt 1991 ) and Flora Zambesiaca ( Bridson 1998 ). Pressed to deliver these, she stated that she could not dedicate sufficient time to a comprehensive revision of the species of Keetia outside these areas: “full revision of Keetia for the whole of Africa was not possible because the large number of taxa involved in West Africa, the Congo basin and Angola and the complex nature of some species would have caused an unacceptable delay in completion of some of the above Floras. […] A large number of new species remain to be described.” ( Bridson 1986 ). Several of these new species were indicated by Bridson (1986) , and other new species by her arrangement of specimens in folders that she annotated in the Kew Herbarium. One of these species was later taken up and published by Jongkind (2002) as Keetia bridsoniae Jongkind. In the same paper, Jongkind discovered and published Keetia obovata Jongkind based on material not seen by Bridson. Based mainly on new material, additional new species of Keetia have been published by Bridson & Robbrecht (1993) , Bridson (1994) , Cheek (2006) , Lachenaud et al . (2017) , Cheek et al . (2018a) , Cheek & Bridson (2019) , Cheek & Onana (2024) , Cheek & Bissiengou (2024) , Cheek et al . (2024a) and there are several other specimens that fit no other species, (e.g. Cheek et al . 2004 ; 2011) and remain to be described. In this paper we continue the project towards an updated taxonomic account of Keetia by describing a further new species, K. magassoubiana Cheek. This taxon was first indicated by Bridson (1986) who referred to it as Keetia sp. aff. tenuiflora ( Bridson 1986 :992). Under Keetia tenuiflora (Hiern) Bridson, she stated: “The following specimens from Sierra Leone - Scott Elliot 4503 & Thomas 6944 & 7068 - were cited by Hepper in Fl. W. Trop. Afr. Ed. 2, 2: 182 (1963) under C. multiflorum (Schum. & Thonn.) Hiern. These, together with more recent collections from Mali, Liberia and the Ivory Coast, are very close to K. tenuiflora , but probably represent a distinct infraspecific taxon. This taxon has glabrous stems with dark-coloured bark, while typical K. tenuiflora has stems with yellowish adpressed hairs and buff-coloured bark.” We confirm these results, have found additional characters separating these two taxa which justify species rather than subspecies rank for the new taxon (see Table 1 ). We were not able to find material from Mali and suspect this refers to a specimen of the taxon from Guinea with a misleading label annotation. Recent collecting has extended the range of the taxon through much of Guinea. View this table: View inline View popup Download powerpoint Table 1. Characters distinguishing Keetia magassoubiana sp. nov . from Keetia tenuiflora and Keetia multiflora . New species to science are continually being described from the range of the new species in W Africa, mainly from the surviving remnants of species-diverse forests. These include species of climbers e.g. in Monanthotaxis Baill. ( Annonaceae , Hoekstra et al . 2021 ), Cucumis L. (Cucurbitaceae, Schaeffer 2021), Hibiscus L. ( Malvaceae , Cheek et al . 2020a ), Keita Cheek (Olaceae, Cheek et al . 2024b ), small trees and shrubs e.g. Noronhia Thouars ( Oleaceae , Jongkind 2020 ), Tarenna Gaertn. ( Rubiaceae , Jongkind 2021 ), and Tabernaemontana L. (Apocynaceae, Jongkind & Lachenaud 2022 ), rheophytes e.g. Ctenium Panz., Inversodicraea Engl. and Saxicolella Engl. ( Xanthos et al . 2021 , Cheek et al . 2017 ; 2022 ) to terrestrial herbs Benna Burgt & Ver.-Lib. ( Melastomataceae , van der Burgt et al . 2022 ) and Trichanthecium Zuloaga & Morrone ( Poaceae , Xanthos et al . 2020 ). Materials and Methods Names of species and authors follow IPNI (continuously updated) and nomenclature follows Turland et al . (2018) . Herbarium material was collected using the patrol method e.g. Cheek & Cable (1997) . Herbarium specimens were examined with a Leica Wild M8 dissecting binocular microscope fitted with an eyepiece graticule measuring in units of 0.025 mm at maximum magnification. The drawing was made with the same equipment with a Leica 308700 camera lucida attachment. Pyrenes were characterized by simmering selected ripe fruits in water until the flesh softened and could be removed by scalpel. A toothbrush was then used to clean the pyrene surface to expose the surface sculpture and the lid. Finally, a fine saw was used to cut a transverse section of the fruit and seed, allowing observation of tanniferous cells in the endosperm and measurement of the endocarp thickness. Specimens were inspected from the following herbaria: BM, FHO, HNG, K, P, SL and YA. All Gbif.org images of specimens of Keetia multiflora (in which most specimens had previously been included) were checked and additional duplicates of confirmed specimens are recorded in “collections studied” below. One or two additional potential specimens of this species were also viewed on Gbif.org but image resolution was insufficient to allow confirmation (indumentum and domatia could not be seen in detail). Grid references and altitudes added posthoc, using Google Earth Pro, are indicated in brackets. They were used to assess the continued survival of the species using as proxy the continued existence of forest habitat at the collection site, and also to calculate extent of occurrence sensu IUCN (2012) for the conservation assessment. The format of the description follows those in other papers describing new species of Keetia , e.g. Cheek et al . (2024a) . Terminology follows Beentje & Cheek (2003) . All specimens indicated “!” have been seen. The conservation assessment follows the IUCN (2012) standard. Herbarium codes follow Index Herbariorum (Thiers, continuously updated). Keetia magassoubiana Cheek sp. nov Type: Sierra Leone, Northern Region, Southern Sula Mts, Tonkolili District, Simbili Hill, western slope, 8°58’11.8”N 11°41’30.8”W, 770 m, fl. 6 Dec. 2009, Robinson 5 (holotype K barcode K000678056; isotypes FBC, SL). Fig. 1 & 2 Download figure Open in new tab Figure 1. Keetia magassoubiana A habit, secondary, flowering branch; B detail of domed domatia and hairs, abaxial leaf surface; C flower, side view; D flower, corolla removed, calyx opened, showing disc and style; E corolla opened showing stamens and indumentum; F anther and filament, dorsal view; G as F, ventral view; H style head; I fruit both 1-seeded by abortion (top left) and 2-seeded (bottom right) showing accrescent disc; J pyrene, side view; K pyrene front view, with detail showing excavated surface. A-H from Robinson 5; I from Bidault 2434; J&K from Jaeger 140. Drawn by Juliet Williams. Download figure Open in new tab Figure 2. Keetia magassoubiana Flowering secondary branch on habitat, Sula Mts (Tonkolili) of Sierra Leone, from Robinson 5 (holotype K, isotypes FBC and SL). The species is now extinct at this site. Photo by Iain Darbyshire. Canthium multiflorum (Schum. & Thonn.) Hiern sensu Hepper (1963: 184) pro parte quoad Scott Elliot 4503, Thomas 6944 & 7068 Keetia sp. aff. tenuiflora (Hiern) Bridson (1986 : 992 ). Keetia multiflora (Schum. & Thonn.) Bridson sensu Aké Assi (2001 : 78 ) pro parte quoad W. J. J. O. de Wilde 762; Hawthorne & Jongkind (2006 : 624 ) pro parte Keetia tenuiflora (Hiern) Bridson (1986 : 992 ) sensu Aké Assi (2001 : 78 ) pro parte quoad Aké Assi 13154 and Aké Assi 5321. Evergreen forest liana to 8 m high , less usually a shrub of forest-derived thicket c. 3m tall. Primary (orthotropic) stem terete or rarely slightly angled, drying glossy black, at length dull white, lenticels absent, leaves, and stipules usually absent when reproductive, internodes 6 – 10 x 0.4 – 0.8 cm, glabrous. Secondary stems (plagiotropic, spur shoots or brachyblasts) 5 – 35 cm long, with 2 – 11 nodes, slightly ascending when young, as the primary stem, terete, 1 – 2.5 mm diameter, glabrous, or rarely the first internode with inconspicuous sparse thick dull red adpressed hairs c. 0.5mm long. Leaves strongly dimorphic, opposite, equal, distichous, at anthesis often present only on secondary stems, drying black on upper surface, dark brown on lower, usually leathery, bacterial nodules absent. Leaves of primary stems erect, held parallel to the stem, coriaceous, ovate to suborbicular 1.2 – 2.1 x 1.1 – 1.4 cm, apex rounded. Base truncate, sometimes decurrent to the top of the petiole, secondary nerves white, (1 –)2 – 3 on each side of the midrib, all arising from the proximal 1/3 – ¼ of the midrib (subpalmate), glabrous, domatia absent. Petioles canaliculate, adaxial surface broadly concave, 0.3 – 0.55(– 0.7) x 0.05 – 0.08 cm, with a few sparse slightly spreading hairs. Leaves of secondary stems subconcolorous, matt, adaxial surface drying black, abaxial dark brown, narrowly elliptic to oblong, (4.0 –) 5.2 – 8.8 (– 10.5) x (1.6 –) 2 – 3.8 (– 4.2) cm, shortly acuminate, acumen (0.2 –) 0.5 – 1.2 (– 1.9) cm long, apex rounded, base acute, slightly asymmetric, one side arising from the petiole 1 – 2 mm above the other; midrib and secondary nerves raised on upper surface ( Fig. 1E ). Secondary nerves (3 –) 4 – 6 (– 7) on each side of the midrib, nerves arising at c. 70°, straight towards margin, forking at a domatium or arching upwards towards the nerve above forming a weak, looping marginal nerve. Tertiary nerves sparse and inconspicuous, margin slightly revolute. Domatia axillary between midrib and secondary nerves and at divisions of the secondary nerves, sporadic, domed, 0.5 – 0.75mm diam, glabrous, with a minute central aperture c.0.1 diam. ( Fig. 1B ); indumentum restricted to the abaxial midrib, sparse, hairs reddish orange or red, adpressed, stout, straight, c. 0.5 mm long, acute; petiole of secondary stems canaliculate with the adaxial face grooved, (0.4 –) 0.6 – 1.2 (– 1.9) x 0.06 – 0.09 cm. indumentum as midrib. Stipules moderately persistent on secondary stems, 3.2 – 7 mm long, very shortly sheathing, base broadly triangular 1.2 – 2 x (1.8 –) 2.5 – 3 mm, midrib raised, extended as a cylindrical awn, awn straight, usually elevated and displaced to one side, (3.5 –) 4 – 4.5 x 0.25 – 0.4 mm, indumentum of the outer surface as the secondary shoots, inner surface glabrous, apart from a line of colleters and hairs at the base, sometimes exposed if the whole stipule falls; colleters 5 – 9 per stipule, drying black, glossy, stout, abaxial face flat, 0.7 –0.9 x 0.2 mm, apex acute or rounded, separated from the stem by a layer of parallel long simple, yellow hairs. Inflorescence axillary on the secondary stems only, held erect, above the stem, in pairs at 4 – 7 successive nodes of leafy stems, each (38 –) 50 – 110-flowered; peduncle (0.25 –) 0.3 – 0.55 cm long, glabrous; bract inserted 1 – 1.5 mm from apex, collar-like (amplexicaul, sheathing) c. 1 mm long, laciniate, lobes 6 – 7, spreading slightly, narrowly ovate-triangular, margins densely yellow-hairy; partial peduncles (branches) two, 0.2 – 0.3 cm long, subsequent branches short, bearing numerous flower fascicles, and subtending bracteoles, bracteoles alternate, ovate-lanceolate, c. 1 mm long, decreasing in size distally, indumentum as bracts. Flowers unpleasantly scented, of urine ( Fig. 1C ). Pedicels 3 – 6.5 x 0.2 – 0.3 mm, with sparse simple, yellow hairs c. 0.2 mm long, spreading, slender ( Fig. 1C ); calyx-hypanthium campanulate 1 – 1.5 x 1.2 – 1.5 mm, indumentum as pedicel ( Fig. 1D ), calyx limb tube (0.1 –) 0.3 –0.4 mm long, lobes 4 (– 5), erect, triangular 0.1 – 0.5 x 0.2 – 0.5 mm apex rounded to obtuse, indumentum on outer surface as pedicel, densest along margins, inner surface glabrous, colleters not seen ( Fig. 1D ). Corolla greenish white, in bud cylindric, c. 3.5 – 1.2 mm, apex rounded; at anthesis tube cylindrical 2.7 – 3.5 x 1.5 mm, lobes 4, about half as long as tube, reflexed, oblong-triangular, 1.6 – 2 x (1–)1.3 – 1.5 mm, outer corolla glabrous, inner surface of tube with dense, reflexed straight, simple hairs 0.9 – 1.2 mm long, originating in a band 0.5 mm wide, 1.5 mm from the base of the tube, leaving the basal c. 0.5 mm of the tube glabrous; the middle part of the tube with shorter, slightly wavy mainly downward-pointing hairs 0.2 – 0.4 mm long, obscuring the surface, reducing in density towards the throat, the distal 0.5 mm of the tube mainly glabrous, inner surface of corolla lobes glabrous ( Fig. 1E ). Stamens 4 (– 5) inserted just inside the throat, entirely exserted, erect; filaments 0.3 – 0.5 mm long, glabrous, sub-basifixed; anthers subsagittate, 0.8 – 1 x 0.3 – 0.4 mm, connective flat, brown covering the abaxial surface, extending as a mucro 0.08 mm long ( Fig. 1F & G ); disc torus-like 0.25 x 0.7 mm, puberulent, hairs patent, 0.8 mm long, dense ( Fig. 1D ). Style 7 x 0.25 mm, exserted for most of its length, extending beyond the anthers, distal part tapering to 0.1 mm wide, and with scattered patent hairs, 0.05 mm long; style-head cylindrical 0.6 – 0.8 x 0.5 – 0.6 mm, outer surface with c. 10 shallow longitudinal furrows ( Fig. 1H ). Fruit green when mature, surface smooth, glossy, 2-seeded fruits strongly didymous 1.5 x 2.2 – 2.5 cm, with a deep groove on both sides separating the globose carpels, emarginate at base and apex, disc bright white, flat, markedly accrescent, c. 0.5 cm diam., calyx lobes inconspicuous ( Fig. 1H ); unicarpellate fruits globose, 1.2 – 1.4 cm diam., disc lateral, separated from the pedicel by the vestigial carpel, vestigial carpel domed or broadly conical, c. 2 mm long, c. 3 mm diam., mesocarp c. 2 mm thick, surface glabrous. Pyrene broadly ellipsoid, 1.3 – 1.5 x 1.05 – 1.2 x1.05 – 1.15 cm, apex and base broadly rounded, ventral surface slightly less convex than others, point of attachment central; lid-like area entirely on ventral surface, semi-circular c.0.7 x 0.8 cm, the distal arced perimeter with a deep fissure, the proximal margin transverse, straight, poorly defined, crest and ridges absent, surface of pyrene, including lid, honey-combed with irregularly longitudinal excavations radiating from point of attachment ( Fig. 1J & K ); endocarp 1 – 2 mm thick. Seed ellipsoid, c. 7 x 5 x 5 mm, surface brain like, pale brown; endosperm (in transverse section) with slender tanniniferous bands radiating from the central embryo. RECOGNITION FEATURES Keetia magassoubiana Cheek sp. nov. is close to but differs from Keetia tenuiflora (Hiern) Bridson in the glossy black, glabrous, epidermis of the distal stem internodes, rarely with very sparse red hairs (vs epidermis pale white-brown, densely pale yellow hairy) and abaxial leaf surface with domatia domed, with a central aperture (vs domatia absent or obscure), the secondary stem leaf bases acute (vs obtuse to truncate), the bracts forming a laciniate sheath on the distal peduncle (vs two opposite triangular bracts), the pyrene surface honeycombed with pits (vs entire). DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT Lowland evergreen forest, rarely submontane. It has also been recorded once in secondary forest, and once in secondary thicket. Alt. range 15 – 960 m. CONSERVATION STATUS Keetia magassoubiana has a wide geographic range but within this range it is infrequent and rarely collected, being recorded from a single specimen at most of the 14 recorded localities, and sites being widely separated. Its survival is threatened by clearance of its severely fragmented forest habitat. Over 90% of original forest was considered lost in Guinea by the end of the 20 th Century, similar to that of Sierra Leone (Sayer et al .1992). In Ivory Coast, 80 to 90% of forest surviving was lost in the period 1950 to 1980 ( Riezebos et al . 1994 ). Historic sites for the species in Sierra Leone such as Kumrabai in Sierra Leone, where it was recorded in 1914 by N.W. Thomas ( N. W. Thomas 7068, K!) are now entirely devoid of any of original forest habitat, which has been replaced by vast areas of oil palm cultivation (observed on Google Earth Pro, 15 June 2024). At the eastern end of the range, the Adiopodoumé Forest in Ivory Coast, from which this species was recorded in the 1950 to 1970s, it is also likely extinct. Here its forest habitat has been lost due to anthropogenic disturbances such as the felling of trees for commercial purposes, land clearing for agriculture and uncontrolled urbanization which have led to the extinction of other species ( Laurent 2020 ). The species is also extinct at its only known locality in the Sula Mts of Sierra Leone due to open-cast iron ore mining at the Tonkolili project managed since 2020 by the Kingho mining company ( https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/tonkolili-iron-ore-mine/ accessed 15 June 2024). Recorded at Tonkolili in 2009 ( Robinson 5) through an environmental impact assessment before mining began, the site of the specimen collection is now entirely denuded of vegetation (Google Earth Pro imagery observed June 2024). However, the species is likely to survive at its site in the Tai Forest of Ivory Coast, which is considered well protected, and at Mt Bero in Guinea as a designated Important Plant Area ( Couch et al . 2019 , Darbyshire et al . 2017 ). In total it is thought to survive at five known sites, being lost from c. eight sites and with one site `sources du Niger’ not pinned down. Here it is assessed as Endangered EN B1ab(iii) in view of the AOO of 20 km 2 , number of locations five and extreme human-induced habitat fragmentation and ongoing threats. One surviving site was recorded for an environmental impact assessment of a proposed mine, another two locations are entirely unprotected in a region where even in protected areas, virtually all natural habitat is at risk of clearance for development. COLLECTIONS STUDIED. GUINÉE (CONAKRY) Gallery forest at the source of the Niger, (8°19’N 8°41’W), 330 m, fr. 1 Oct. 1944, P. Jaeger 140 (K! barcode K001900250); Boké , Boffa Préfecture, 10°25’23”N 14°19’07”W, 112 m, fr. 18 Oct. 2016, E. Bidault 2434 (K! barcode K000593387, MO); Nzérékoré Préfecture , between Lamineta village and Mont Kouoye, 8°12’50”N 8°37’53”W, 960 m, fl. 22 Nov. 2008, F. Fofana 170 (HNG, K! barcode K000615446, SERG, WAG); SIERRA LEONE. Kukuna , (9°8’28.4”N 12°39’52.1”W, 56m), fl. 17 Jan. 1891, Scott Elliot 4503 (K! barcode K000874710); Kumrabai , (8°41’23.9”N 13°7’54.3”W, 15 m), 31 Dec. 1914, N. W. Thomas 7068 (K! barcode K000874711); (8°41’23.9”N 13°07’54.3”W), 1 Dec. 1914, N. W. Thomas 6944 (K! barcode K000874712); Tonkolili , Northern region, 8°58’11.8”N 11°41’30.8”W, 770 m, fl. 6 Dec. 2009, E. Robinson 5 (FBC iso., K holo! barcode K000678056, SL iso.); Northern region, (8°58’51.6”N 11°47’52.8”W), 128 m, fl. 1 Dec. 1950, E. L. King , 199 (K! barcode K000593371); LIBERIA. Nimba , Grassfield, 7°29’N 8°34’W, 560 m, fr. 16 May 1970, J. G. Adam 25533 (K! barcode K000874719, P! barcode P03938759); Mt Nimba, Forest edge area, 7°32’N 8°33’W, 500 m, fl. 15 Dec. 1966, J. J. Bos 2436 (WAG! barcode WAG1312264, K! barcode K000874722); Lofa , Gbarnga-Zorzor Road, West bank of St. Paul, 7°19’N 9°30’W, 285 m, 20 Dec. 1966, J. J. Bos 2489 (WAG! Barcode WAG1312262, K! barcode K000874720); IVORYCOAST. Bouna , National Park North side, 9°36’N 3°40’W, 637 m, fr. 24 Aug. 1963, W. J. J. O. de Wilde 762 (P! barcode P03983357, WAG! barcode WAG1312258, BR! barcode BR0000020283841, K!); Oroumbo-Bocca , near Assakra, 10°36’N 14°20’W, 400 m, 7 Nov. 1961, J. J. F. E. de Wilde 3225 (WAG, K!); Adiopodoumé , Adiopodoumé Forest, (5°21’N 4°08’W), 60 m, 11 Feb. 1958, Aké Assi 5321 (K! barcode K000874726); Adiopodoumé Forest, (5°21’N 4°08’W), 60 m, 12 Dec. 1959, Aké Assi 5454 (K! barcode K000874727);Adiopodoumé Forest, (5°19’53”N 4°08’02”W), 40 m, 17 May 1964, Leeuwenberg 4191 (WAG, K! barcode K000874729); Soubré , Taï National Park, (5°46’N 6°54’W, 195 m), 18 Dec. 1975, Aké Assi 13154 (K! barcode K000874728). ETYMOLOGY Named for Dr Sekou Magassouba, Director-General of the National Herbarium of Guinea (HNG) in the University of Gamal Abdel Nasser – Conakry, Republic of Guinea. Under his careful, tireless and diligent administration, HNG has increased greatly in its capacity to devise and manage projects, attract grants, to train students, including now at doctorate level for the first time, and to develop publications to research and publicise the conservation of the threatened plant species and habitats of his country. PHENOLOGY Flowering late Nov. and Dec. Fruiting Feb.-May. VERNACULAR NAMES AND USES None are known. Key to Species of Keetia in Upper Guinea (Africa West of the Dahomey gap) 1. Stems with long (> 1.5 mm), erect, red or black hairs on the internode below the apex; leaf bases cordate on principal axis ................................. 14 1.Stems glabrous or, if hairs present, adpressed and/or < 0.5 mm long, usually white; leaf bases of principal axis rounded to cuneate ........................... 2 2.Tertiary nerves strongly scalariform, conspicuous, closely spread ............. 3 2.Tertiary nerves inconspicuous or, if conspicuous not scalariform but reticulate ....... 4 3.Leaves small, 3 cm wide; stems glabrescent ................... K. venosa 4.Leaf-blades obovate, apex truncate ......................... K. obovata 4.Leaf-blades ovate-elliptic or elliptic oblong, apex rounded, acute, obtuse or acuminate .. 5 5.Stems glabrous (first internode below apex) .......................... 9 5.Stems with hairs (first internode below apex), 1.5 mm long, adpressed, (first internode below apex); tertiary nerves inconspicuous. Domatia glabrous, dome- like .................................. K. magassoubiana sp. nov . 6.Stems with hairs yellow, red or white, erect, < 0.5 mm long, usually dense. Tertiary nerves conspicuous (except K. tenuiflora ). Domatia hairy, flat and open ................ 7 7.Leaves drying black; tertiary nerves not conspicuous; stem hairs dense, yellow ….......................................... K. tenuiflora 7.Leaves drying grey-green or dull red, tertiary nerves conspicuous; stem hairs white or red . .................................................. 8 8.Stem hairs white; quaternary nerves inconspicuous, reticulum absent; leaf-blade < 6 cm long, usually densely hairy on lower surface ........................ K. cornelia 8.Stem hairs red; quaternary nerves forming conspicuous reticulum with tertiary nerves; leaf- blade 6 – 12 cm long, glabrous or sparingly hairy on lower surface ....... K. venosissima 9.Stems and leaves drying red-brown; tertiary and quaternary nerves conspicuous; stipules ovate-elliptic c. 11 x 8 mm .............................. K. rubens 9.Stems and leaves drying black or green; quaternary nerves inconspicuous; stipules with a long and slender apex, more than twice as long as broad .................... 10 10.Fruit (fully-formed) ripening yellow-orange, 9 – 11 mm wide, disc not accrescent ( 4 mm diameter), domatia broad, flat, with horizontal red hairs or domed with apical minute aperture and glabrous ..................................... 12 11.Domatia with erect tufts of hairs, flat; stipule apex keel-like (laterally flattened); tertiary nerves often inconspicuous; midrib orange ...................... K. mannii 11.Domatia pit-like, glabrous; stipule apex rounded in cross-section; tertiary nerves always conspicuous; midrib concolorous, green ...................... K. multiflora 12.Fruit ripening black, 14 – 20 mm wide, disc massively accrescent (> 4 mm diameter), domatia broad, flat, with horizontal red hairs .......................... 13 12.Fruit ripening green, 20 – 25 mm wide, disc massively accrescent (> 4 mm diameter), domatia domed with apical minute aperture and glabrous ..... K. magassoubiana sp. nov . 13.Leaves drying black; pedicels glabrous in young fruits, spur branches (brachyblasts) erect; fruit base rounded .............................. K. abouabou 13.Leaves drying green; pedicels hairy in young fruits; spur branches (brachyblasts) reflexed; fruit base cordate ................................. K. susu 14.Principal axis inflated at intervals, hollow, inhabited by ants; stem and leaves drying black ........................................... K. hispida 14.Principal axis lacking swellings, solid in section, not inhabited by ants; stems and leaves drying grey-green, or red .................................... 15 15.Leaves and stems drying red-brown; leaves 3.5 cm wide ............ 16 16.Stems densely hairy; hypanthium with dense ruff of white hairs; stipule arista longer than wider basal part .................................... rufivillosa 16. Stems very sparsely red hairy; hypanthium glabrous; stipule ovate-oblong, arista absent .. ….............................................. K. futa NOTES Keetia magassoubiana is recognised by its relatively small, seemingly glabrous narrowly elliptic-oblong leaves which dry black, as do the stems. Under the microscope the petioles and lower surface of the leaf midribs can be seen to have sparse, thick, adpressed, reddish orange hairs c. 0.5 mm long. In some specimens these hairs extend to the first internode of the stem. The domatia, sporadic in the axils of the midrib and secondary nerves and bifurcations, are unusual being domed, glabrous, with a minute apical aperture. The secondary nerves proceed to the margin in a straight line until they abruptly fork, or angle upward to the nerve above, from occasional domatia. The fully formed fruits are massive, c. 2.2 – 2.5 cm broad, glossy and deeply bilobed as are those of K. abouabou Cheek (a local coast endemic of Abidjan, possibly extinct) and K. susu Cheek (endemic to Littoral, Guinea). However, the fruits of K. magassoubiana differ from these in that the two carpels are more deeply separated (didymous), so that the fruit is notched at both base and apex, and the accrescent disc is V-shaped, since from the central style base, the two flanks spread up towards the apex of the two lobes. In K. abouabou and K. susu , the two carpels are not separated from each other at the base, and the accrescent disc is not V-shaped, but spreads in a single plane. K. magassoubiana can be separated from K. multiflora with which it has been confused in FWTA (Hepper 1963) and from K. tenuiflora to which it appears most closely similar ( Bridson 1986 ) using the characters in Table 1 . Bridson annotated many of the specimens at K that are cited here as “sp. nov. aff. tenuiflora”. About 75% of new plant species to science published today are already threatened ( Brown et al . 2023 ). Usually this is because they have small ranges making them at risk of extinction from habitat clearance ( Cheek et al . 2020b ). Keetia magassoubiana is unusual in having a wide range yet is still massively threatened due to the extent of habitat clearance. Conservation actions are needed if it is not to become globally extinct as have so many other plant species ( Humphreys et al . 2019 ; Cheek et al . 2018b ) Declarations The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Acknowledgements Shigeo Yasuda, Charles Gore, and Amy Guest, assisted with specimen measurements and extracting pyrenes from fruits. Emily Robinson (now Harris) of SRK collected the type specimen, Iain Darbyshire made the photos of the new species in flower at Tonkolili and gave permission to use them. Julie Edwards is thanked for support of the Sierra Leone TIPAs project and we thank Franklinia Foundation and JRS Biodiversity for supporting our field and plant species conservation work in Guinea. References ↵ Aké Assi , L. ( 2001 ). Flore de la Côte-d’Ivoire: catalogue systématique, biogéographie et écologie. II . Boissiera 58 . ↵ Beentje , H. Beentje , H. & Cheek , M. ( 2003 ). Glossary . In: Beentje , H. (ed), Flora of Tropical East Africa. Balkema, Lisse . ↵ Bridson , D. M. ( 1985 ). The reinstatement of Psydrax (Rubiaceae, subfam. Cinchonoideae tribe Vanguerieae) and a revision of the African species . Kew Bull . 40 : 687 – 725 . doi: 10.2307/4109853 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Bridson , D. M. ( 1986 ). The Reinstatement of the African genus Keetia (Rubiaceae, Cinchonoideae, Vanguerieae) . Kew Bull . 41 ( 4 ): 956 – 994 . doi: 10.2307/4102996 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Bridson , D.M. ( 1994 ). A new species of Keetia (Rubiaceae-Vanguerieae) . Kew Bull . 49 : 803 – 807 . doi: 10.2307/4118075 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Bridson , D.M. ( 1998 ). Rubiaceae (Tribe Vanguerieae) Flora Zambesiaca 5 ( 2 ): 1 – 377 . doi: 10.2307/4111186 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Bridson , D. M. & Robbrecht , E. ( 1993 ). A spiny-fruited new Keetia (Rubiaceae, Vanguerieae) from Kivu (Zaire) . Belg. Journ. Bot . 126 : 29 – 32 . OpenUrl ↵ Bridson , D. M. & Verdcourt , B. ( 1991 ). Flora of Tropical East Africa–Rubiaceae , 3 . Rotterdam/Brookfield, A.A.Balkema . doi: 10.1201/9780203755860 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Brown , M. , Bachman , S. , & Lughadha , E. N. ( 2023 ). Three in four undescribed plant species are threatened with extinction . New Phytologist . doi: 10.1111/nph.19214 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. ( 2006 ). A New Species of Keetia (Rubiaceae-Vanguerieae) from Western Cameroon . Kew Bull . 61 ( 4 ): 591 – 594 . OpenUrl ↵ Cheek , M. & Bissiengou , P. ( 2024 ). Keetia gordonii sp. nov. (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a new species of threatened forest liana from the littoral forest of Gabon . bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2024.04.18.590134 OpenUrl Abstract / FREE Full Text ↵ Cheek M. & Bridson D.M. ( 2019 ). Three new threatened Keetia species (Rubiaceae), from the forests of the Eastern Arc Mts, Tanzania . Gardens Bulletin Singapore 71 ( Suppl.2 ): 155 – 169 . doi: 10.26492/gbs71(suppl.2).2019-12 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Doolan , S. Cheek , M. & Cable , S. ( 1997 ). Plant Inventory for conservation management: the Kew-Earthwatch programme in Western Cameroon, 1993–96 , pp. 29 – 38 in Doolan , S. (Ed.) African Rainforests and the Conservation of Biodiversity , Earthwatch Europe , Oxford . ↵ Cheek , M. & Onana , J.M. ( 2024 ). Keetia nodulosa sp. nov. (Rubiaceae-Vanguerieae) of West-Central Africa: bacterial leaf nodulation discovered in a fourth genus and tribe of Rubiaceae . Webbia. Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography 79 ( 1 ): 31 – 46 . doi: 10.36253/jopt-15946 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Feika , A. , Lebbie , A. , Goyder , D. , Tchiengue , B. , Sene , O. , Tchouto , P. & van der Burgt , X. ( 2017 ). A synoptic revision of Inversodicraea (Podostemaceae) . Blumea 62 : 125 – 156 . doi: 10.3767/blumea.2017.62.02.07 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Gosline , G. & Onana , J.M. ( 2018b ). Vepris bali (Rutaceae), a new critically endangered (possibly extinct) cloud forest tree species from Bali Ngemba, Cameroon . Willdenowia 48 : 285 – 292 . doi: 10.3372/wi.48.48207 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Haba , P.K. , Cisse , S. ( 2020a ). Hibiscus fabiana sp. nov. (Malvaceae) from the Guinea Highlands (West Africa) . Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants 65 ( 1 ): 69 – 74 doi: 10.3767/blumea.2020.65.01.08 OpenUrl CrossRef Cheek M , Harvey Y , Onana J-M. ( 2011 ). The Plants of Mefou Proposed National Park. Yaoundé, Cameroon: A Conservation Checklist . Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew . ↵ Cheek , M. , Magassouba , S. , Molmou , D. , Doré , T.S. , Couch , C. , Yasuda , S. , Gore , C. , Guest , A. , Grall , A. , Larridon , I. , Bousquet , I.H. , Ganatra , B. & Gosline , G. ( 2018a ). A key to the species of Keetia (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) in West Africa, with three new, threatened species from Guinea and Ivory Coast . Kew Bull . 73 : 56 . doi: 10.1007/s12225-018-9783-0 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Molmou , D. , Gosline , G. , & Magassouba , S. ( 2024b ). Keita (Aptandraceae-Olacaceae sl), a new genus for African species previously ascribed to Anacolosa, including K. deniseae sp. nov., an Endangered submontane forest liana from Simandou, Republic of Guinea . Kew Bulletin , 1 – 16 . doi: 10.1007/s12225-024-10172-w OpenUrl CrossRef Cheek , M. , Molmou , D. , Magassouba , S. & Ghogue , J.-P. ( 2022 ). Taxonomic Monograph of Saxicolella (Podostemaceae), African waterfall plants highly threatened by Hydro-Electric projects, with five new species . Kew Bull . 1 – 31 . doi: 10.1007/s12225-022-10019-2 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Nic Lughadha , E. , Kirk , P. , Lindon , H. , Carretero , J. , Looney , B. , Douglas , B. , Haelewaters , D. , Gaya , E. , Llewellyn , T. , Ainsworth , M. , Gafforov , Y. , Hyde , K. , Crous , P. , Hughes , M. , Walker , B.E. , Forzza , R.C. , Wong , K.M. & Niskanen , T. ( 2020b ). New scientific discoveries: plants and fungi . Plants, People Planet 2 : 371 – 388 . doi: 10.1002/ppp3.10148 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Cheek , M. , Pollard , B.J. , Darbyshire , I , Onana , J.M. & Wild , C. ( 2004 ). The Plants of Kupe, Mwanenguba and the Bakossi Mts, Cameroon. A Conservation Checklist . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . ↵ Cheek , M. , Poundje , M. & Pearce , L. ( 2024a ). Keetia korupensis sp. nov. (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened lowland evergreen forest climber and the endemic plant species of Korup National Park, SW Region, Cameroon . bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2024.06.13.598689 OpenUrl Abstract / FREE Full Text ↵ Couch , C. , Cheek , M. , Haba , P. , Molmou , D. , Williams , J. , Magassouba , S. , Doumbouya , S. & Diallo , M.Y. ( 2019 ). Threatened habitats and tropical important plant areas (TIPAs) of Guinea , West Africa . Kew : Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . https://kew.iro.bl.uk/concern/books/ce6950c8-5ed7-4115-b6d4-c09a45b686ff?locale=en ↵ Couch , C. , Molmou , D. , Magassouba , S. , Doumbouya , S. , Diawara , M. , Diallo , M.Y. , Keita , S.M. , Koné , F. , Diallo , M.C. , Kourouma , S. & Diallo , M.B. ( 2022 ). Piloting development of species conservation action plans in Guinea . Oryx : 1 – 10 . doi: 10.1017/s0030605322000138 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Darbyshire , I. , Anderson , S. , Asatryan , A. , Byfield , A. , Cheek , M. , Clubbe , C. , Ghrabi , Z. , Harris , T. , Heatubun , C. D. , Kalema , J. , Magassouba , S. , McCarthy , B. , Milliken , W. , Montmollin , B. de , Nic Lughadha , E. , Onana , J.M. , Saidou , D. , Sarbu , A. , Shrestha , K. & Radford , E. A. ( 2017 ). Important Plant Areas: revised selection criteria for a global approach to plant conservation . Biodivers. Conserv . 26 : 1767 – 1800 . doi: 10.1007/s10531-017-1336-6 . OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Darbyshire , I. , Kordofani , M. , Farag , I. , Candiga , R. and Pickering , H. ( 2015 ). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . ↵ Gosline , G. , Bidault , E. , van der Burgt , X. et al. ( 2023a ). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea . Sci. Data 10 : 327 doi: 10.1038/s41597-023-02236-6 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Gosline , G. et al. ( 2023b ). Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea– printable format (1.10) . Zenodo . doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7734985 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Hawthorne , W. & Jongkind , C. ( 2006 ) Woody Plants of Western African Forests: A guide to the forest trees, shrubs and lianes from Senegal to Ghana . Royal Botanic Gardens Kew . Kew publishing . ↵ Hoekstra , P. H. , Wieringa , J. J. , Maas , P. J. M. , & Chatrou , L. W. ( 2021 ). Revision of the African species of Monanthotaxis (Annonaceae) . Blumea-Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants 66 ( 2 ): 107 – 221 . doi: 10.3767/blumea.2021.66.02.01 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Humphreys , A.M. , Govaerts , R. , Ficinski , S.Z. , Lughadha , E.N. & Vorontsova , M.S. ( 2019 ). Global dataset shows geography and life form predict modern plant extinction and rediscovery . Nature Ecology & Evolution 3.7 : 1043 – 1047 . doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0906-2 OpenUrl CrossRef IPNI (continuously updated) . The International Plant Names Index . http://ipni.org/ (accessed: 06/2024 ). ↵ IUCN . ( 2012 ). IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1 . Second edition.– Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK : IUCN . Available from: http://www.iucnredlist.org/ (accessed: April 2024 ). ↵ Jongkind , C. H. ( 2002 ). Two New Species of Keetia (Rubiaceae) from West Africa . Kew Bull . 57 ( 4 ): 989 – 992 . doi: 10.2307/4115730 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Jongkind , C. H. ( 2020 ). Two new Noronhia species (Oleaceae) from the Guineo-Congolian forests in Africa . Phytotaxa 433 ( 2 ) doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.433.2.2 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Jongkind , C. H. ( 2021 ). Tarenna harleyae (Rubiaceae), a new forest species from West Africa . Phytotaxa 433 ( 2 ) doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.520.2.8 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Jongkind , C. H. & Lachenaud , O. ( 2022 ). Novelties in African Apocynaceae . Candollea 77 ( 1 ): 17 – 51 . doi: 10.15553/c2022v771a3 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Lachenaud , O. , Luke , Q. Bytebier B. ( 2017 ). Keetia namoyae (Rubiaceae, Vanguerieae), a new species from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo . Candollea 72 : 23 – 26 . doi: 10.15553/c2017v721a2 OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Lantz , H. & Bremer , B. ( 2004 ). Phylogeny inferred from morphology and DNA data: characterizing well-supported groups in Vanguerieae (Rubiaceae) . Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society . 146 : 257 – 283 . doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2004.00338.x OpenUrl CrossRef Web of Science ↵ Laurent , A. ( 2020 ). Abundance, distribution, and conservation of the Critically Endangered Wimmer’s shrew Crocidura wimmeri in the Banco National Park https://www.rufford.org/projects/ahissa-laurent/abundance-distribution-and-conservation-of-the-critically-endangered-wimmers-shrew-crocidura-wimmeri-in-the-banco-national-park-c%C3%B4te-divoire/ (accessed 15 June 2024 ). ↵ Murphy , B. , Onana , J.M. , van der Burgt , X. M. , Tchatchouang Ngansop , E. , Williams , J. , Tchiengué , B. & Cheek , M. ( 2023 ). Important Plant Areas of Cameroon . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . ↵ Onana , J.-M. ( 2011 ). The Vascular Plants of Cameroon. A Taxonomic Checklist with IUCN Assessments . Flore Du Cameroun 39. Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, Cameroon . ↵ Onana , J.M. & Cheek , M. ( 2011 ). Red Data Book of the Flowering Plants of Cameroon, IUCN Global Assessments . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . POWO (continuously updated) . Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew . http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org (downloaded 1 May. 2024 ). ↵ Riezebos , E.P. , Vooren , A.P. & Guillaumet , J.L. ( 1994 ). The Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire . I: Synthesis of knowledge. II: Bibliography . Sayer , A. J. , Harcourt , C. Z. , & Collins , N. M. ( 1993 ). The conservation atlas of tropical forests-Africa . Journal of Tropical Ecology 9 : 543 – 543 . OpenUrl Sosef , M. Schaefer , H. ( 2021 ). Cucurbitaceae in Sosef , M. (ed.) Flore du Gabon , Vol. 57 ↵ Sosef , M.S.M. , Wieringa , J.J. , Jongkind , C.C.H. , Achoundong , G. , Azizet Issembé , Y. , Bedigian , D. , Van Den Berg , R.G. , Breteler , F.J. , Cheek , M. & Degreef , J. ( 2006 ). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon . Scripta Botanica Belgica 35 . National Botanic Garden of Belgium . 435 pp. OpenUrl Thiers , B. (continuously updated) . Index Herbariorum: A global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium. [continuously updated].– Available from: http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/ (accessed: Feb. 2024 ). ↵ Turland , N.J. , Wiersema , J.H. , Barrie , F. R. , Greuter , W. , Hawksworth , D.L. , Herendeen , P.S. , Knapp , S. , Kusber , W.-H. , Li , D.-Z. , Marhold , K. , May , T.W. , McNeill , J. , Monro , A.M. , Prado , J. , Price , M.J. & Smith , G.F. (ed.) ( 2018 ). International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Shenzhen Code) adopted by the Nineteenth International Botanical Congress Shenzhen, China, July 2017 . – Glashütten: Koeltz Botanical Books. [= Regnum Veg. 159] ↵ van der Burgt , X. M. , Haba , P. M. , Magassouba , S. & Veranso-Libalah , M. C. ( 2022 ). Benna alternifolia (Melastomataceae: Sonerileae), a new herbaceous genus and species from Guinea, West Africa . Willdenowia 52 ( 1 ): 25 – 37 . OpenUrl ↵ Xanthos , M. , Konomou , G. , Haba , P. M. & van der Burgt , X. M. ( 2020 ). Trichanthecium tenerium (Poaceae: Panicoideae), a new species from Guinea-Conakry . Kew Bulletin , 75 ( 1 ): 1 – 7 . DOI: 10.1007/s12225-020-9864-8 . OpenUrl CrossRef ↵ Xanthos , M. , Konomou , G. , Haba , P. M. , & van der Burgt , X. M. ( 2021 ). Ctenium bennae (Poaceae; Chloridoideae), a new rheophytic species from Guinea-Conakry . Kew Bulletin , 76 ( 4 ): 745 – 750 . OpenUrl CrossRef View the discussion thread. Back to top Previous Next Posted June 25, 2024. Download PDF Supplementary Material Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Keetia magassoubiana sp. nov. (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Keetia magassoubiana sp . nov . (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa Martin Cheek , Joel Bowden-Pickstock bioRxiv 2024.06.21.600008; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.21.600008 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Keetia magassoubiana sp . nov . (Rubiaceae - Vanguerieae) a threatened evergreen forest climber of West Africa Martin Cheek , Joel Bowden-Pickstock bioRxiv 2024.06.21.600008; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.21.600008 Citation Manager Formats BibTeX Bookends EasyBib EndNote (tagged) EndNote 8 (xml) Medlars Mendeley Papers RefWorks Tagged Ref Manager RIS Zotero Tweet Widget Facebook Like Google Plus One Subject Area Plant Biology Subject Areas All Articles Animal Behavior and Cognition (7644) Biochemistry (17728) Bioengineering (13916) Bioinformatics (42037) Biophysics (21489) Cancer Biology (18637) Cell Biology (25553) Clinical Trials (138) Developmental Biology (13401) Ecology (19941) Epidemiology (2067) Evolutionary Biology (24367) Genetics (15622) Genomics (22547) Immunology (17764) Microbiology (40475) Molecular Biology (17208) Neuroscience (88747) Paleontology (667) Pathology (2842) Pharmacology and Toxicology (4834) Physiology (7659) Plant Biology (15175) Scientific Communication and Education (2047) Synthetic Biology (4304) Systems Biology (9835) Zoology (2272)