Dracaena viridiflora Engl. & K.Krause

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 : 45-46

22. Dracaena viridiflora Engl. & K.Krause — Map 21

Dracaena viridiflora Engl. & K.Krause (1910) 153. — Type: Zenker 3223 (holo B (B_10_0160837); iso BM, BR, G, K, MICH, WU), Cameroon, Bipindihof, July 1904.

Dracaena letestui Pellegr. (1930) 571. — Type: Le Testu 1376 (holo P ( P00442292 ); iso BR, P (2 sheets) ( P00442291 , P00442290 ), WAG), Gabon, Boumé-Boumé , 28 Aug. 1908, syn. nov.

Dracaena mildbraedii K. Krause (1914) 447. — Type: Mildbraed 4976 (holo B (B_10_0160841); iso HBG (HBG-513964)), Cameroon, Bezirk Molundu , zwischen Jukaduma (Posten Plehn) und Assobam, 14°36'-14°10'Ö.L. 3°24'N.B., 17 Apr.1911, syn. nov.

Dracaena ledermannii Engl.& K.Krause (1910) 152. — Neotype (designated here): Ledermann 6119 (neo B ( B 10 0715949)), Cameroon, zwischen Boëck und Bare, 14 Nov. 1909, syn. nov.

Map 21 Distribution of Dracaena viridiflora Engl. & K.Krause.

Distribution — Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola ( Cabinda).

Notes — Both D. letestui and D. mildbraedii were described from plants with long linear leaves. From observations in the herbarium and during fieldwork, we have observed leaves of D. viridiflora to be extremely variable even on the same plant. Therefore, we do not recognise these forms as distinct taxa.

The type specimen of D. ledermannii, Ledermann 1483 , the only specimen cited in the protologue, was probably lost at B during WWII. However, B also holds the specimen Ledermann 6119, which is annotated by Krause (S. Bollendorff & P. Hiepko, pers. comm.) as D. ledermannii and fits the description provided in the protologue. We have identified it as belonging to D. viridiflora and chosen that specimen as the neotype for D. ledermannii .