Dracaena nitens Welw. ex Baker

Damen, T. H. J., Burg, W. J. van der, Wiland-Szymańska, J. & Sosef, M. S. M., 2018, Taxonomic novelties in African Dracaena (Dracaenaceae), Blumea 63 (1), pp. 31-53 : 42-43

16. Dracaena nitens Welw. ex Baker — Map 15

Dracaena nitens Welw.ex Baker (1878) 252. — Lectotype (designated here): Welwitsch 3743 (lecto BM [ BM000911615 ]), Angola, Zenza do Golungo Alto , Sept. 1857.

Dracaena reflexa Lam. var. buchneri Engl. (1902) 96. — Syntypes: Büttner 531 (B†), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dinga am Quango , Aug.1885; Buchner 684 (B†), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kehungula am Lovo und Mukinsh in Muata Yamvos-Reich, Nov. 1880, syn. nov.

Distribution — Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola.

Notes — Dracaena mannii , D. perrottetii and D. usambarensis are very similar to D. nitens and according to Bos (1984) even represent synonyms of the same species. However, D. nitens differs from the other species in having flowers 23–37 mm long and linear to narrowly elliptic leaves of up to only 1.5 cm wide, and is reinstated here.

The protologue of D. nitens does not cite any specimens, but it should be a plant collected by Welwitsch in Golungo Alto or Pungo Andongo, bearing flowers in September. The Welwitsch 3743 specimen deposited in BM carries a plant description in the hand of Baker. This description is obviously used as the basis for the description in the protologue of D. nitens . Also, on this sheet we find the annotation ‘Lectotype’ written by Bos. Therefore, we here follow Bos’s suggestion and have chosen this specimen as the lectotype for D. nitens . Although there are several other Welwitsch collections (at COI, G, K, LISU, P and WAG) bearing the number 3743, it is known that Welwitsch

Map 15 Distribution of Dracaena nitens Welw. ex Baker.

regularly gave plants collected on different dates and localities the same number ( Albuquerque et al. 2009). Since there is no indication that the other sheets represent the same collection (actually, some bear a different date) these are disregarded as isolectotype material.

Both syntypes of D. reflexa var. buchneri could not be located at B, and are likely to have been destroyed. No duplicates could be found elsewhere, but it is still possible one may show up in, for example, LE or UC. Also, in the absence of any suit- able material to serve as a neotype, we have for the moment refrained from designating one. The analysis in the protologue and the location fit within the range of D. nitens , which is why we consider this variety to belong to that species.