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Examples of the strict-endemic and near-endemic plants of Mozambique.
A Sclerochiton coeruleus, Maronga, Manica (I. Darbyshire) B Aloe ribauensis, Ribaue, Nampula (I. Darbyshire) C Streptocarpus brachynema, Mount Gorongosa, Sofala (B. Wursten) D Raphia australis, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) E Vangueria monteiroi, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) F Memecylon incisilobum, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) G Jamesbrittenia carvalhoi, Tsetserra, Manica (J. Osborne) H Cryptostephanus vansonii, Mount Gorongosa, Sofala (B. Wursten) I Orbea halipedicola, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala (B. Wursten) J Helichrysum moorei, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) K Eriolaena rulkensii, Palma Bay, Cabo Delgado (T. Rulkens) L Barleria torrei, Njesi Plateau, Niassa (J. Osborne) M Xylopia torrei, Licuati Forest, Maputo (H. Matimele) N Aeschynomene grandistipulata, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) O Lobelia cobaltica, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) P Euphorbia crebrifolia, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) Q Dissotis pulchra, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) R Pavetta pumila, Cheringoma, Sofala (B. Wursten).
in Darbyshire, Timberlake, Osborne, ... et Wursten, 2019.
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Abstract
An annotated checklist of the 271 strict-endemic taxa (235 species) and 387 near-endemic taxa (337 species) of vascular plants in Mozambique is provided. Together, these taxa constitute c. 9.3% of the total currently known flora of Mozambique and include five strict-endemic genera (Baptorhachis, Emicocarpus, Gyrodoma, Icuria and Micklethwaitia) and two near-endemic genera (Triceratella and Oligophyton). The mean year of first publication of these taxa is 1959, with a marked increase in description noted following the onset of the two major regional floristic programmes, the “Flora of Tropical East Africa” and “Flora Zambesiaca”, and an associated increase in botanical collecting effort. New taxa from Mozambique continue to be described at a significant rate, with 20 novelties described in 2018. Important plant families for endemic and near-endemic taxa include Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae s.s. There is a high congruence between species-rich plant families and endemism with the notable exceptions of the Poaceae, which is the second-most species rich plant family, but outside of the top ten families in terms of endemism, and the Euphorbiaceae, which is the seventh-most species rich plant family, but third in terms of endemism. A wide range of life-forms are represented in the endemic and near-endemic flora, with 49% being herbaceous or having herbaceous forms and 55% being woody or having woody forms. Manica Province is by far the richest locality for near-endemic taxa, highlighting the importance of the cross-border Chimanimani-Nyanga (Manica) Highlands shared with Zimbabwe. A total of 69% of taxa can be assigned to one of four cross-border Centres of Endemism: the Rovuma Centre, the Maputaland Centre sensu lato, and the two mountain blocks, Chimanimani-Nyanga and Mulanje-Namuli-Ribaue. Approximately 50% of taxa have been assessed for their extinction risk and, of these, just over half are globally threatened (57% for strict-endemics), with a further 10% (17% for strict-endemics) currently considered to be Data Deficient, highlighting the urgent need for targeted conservation of Mozambique’s unique flora. This dataset will be a key resource for ongoing efforts to identify “Important Plant Areas – IPAs” in Mozambique, and to promote the conservation and sustainable management of these critical sites and species, thus enabling Mozambique to meet its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Keywords: centre of endemism, checklist, conservation, flora, herbarium, IUCN Red List, range-restricted
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Figure 3. Examples of the strict-endemic and near-endemic plants of Mozambique.
A Sclerochiton coeruleus, Maronga, Manica (I. Darbyshire) B Aloe ribauensis, Ribaue, Nampula (I. Darbyshire) C Streptocarpus brachynema, Mount Gorongosa, Sofala (B. Wursten) D Raphia australis, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) E Vangueria monteiroi, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) F Memecylon incisilobum, Bilene, Gaza (H. Matimele) G Jamesbrittenia carvalhoi, Tsetserra, Manica (J. Osborne) H Cryptostephanus vansonii, Mount Gorongosa, Sofala (B. Wursten) I Orbea halipedicola, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala (B. Wursten) J Helichrysum moorei, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) K Eriolaena rulkensii, Palma Bay, Cabo Delgado (T. Rulkens) L Barleria torrei, Njesi Plateau, Niassa (J. Osborne) M Xylopia torrei, Licuati Forest, Maputo (H. Matimele) N Aeschynomene grandistipulata, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) O Lobelia cobaltica, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) P Euphorbia crebrifolia, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) Q Dissotis pulchra, Chimanimani Mountains, Manica (B. Wursten) R Pavetta pumila, Cheringoma, Sofala (B. Wursten).
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Conclusion: future priorities for the study of the endemic flora of Mozambique and its conservation
The checklist of endemic plants presented here provides a useful basis from which to build the evidence-base for effective conservation of the unique flora of Mozambique, for which the following next steps are underway:
• Complete the collation of existing data on endemic and near-endemic taxa, so that a detailed spatial analysis can be conducted to more accurately define Centres of Endemism and specific localities with concentrations of endemics. These results will allow for identification of critical knowledge gaps, and help effectively target sites for future field surveys.
• Complete a Red List of globally threatened species in Mozambique, with the eventual aims to assess the extinction risk for all endemic and near-endemic taxa, gather more information on species currently assessed as Data Deficient, and take active steps towards the conservation of all threatened species.
• Apply the accumulated plant distribution and Red List data, together with information on critical habitats, to identify and document Important Plant Areas. These data will also provide the botanical component for the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas.
Critical to the success of this work is the continued development of in-country capacity in field botany, taxonomy and conservation science in Mozambique, so that Mozambican practitioners are well placed to take forward the implementation of Mozambique’s commitments to protecting plant diversity under the CBD.
Iain Darbyshire, Jonathan Timberlake, Jo Osborne, Saba Rokni, Hermenegildo Matimele, Clayton Langa, Castigo Datizua, Camila de Sousa, Tereza Alves, Alice Massingue, Jeneen Hadj-Hammou, Sonia Dhanda, Toral Shah and Bart Wursten. 2019. The Endemic Plants of Mozambique: Diversity and Conservation Status.
PhytoKeys. 136: 45-96. DOI:
10.3897/phytokeys.136.39020
Resumo: Apresenta-se a lista das plantas vasculares de Moçambique, que compreende 271 taxa endémicos (235 espécies) e 387 taxa quase-endémicos (337 espécies). Estes taxa constituem cerca de 9,3% da flora total actualmente conhecida em Moçambique e incluem cinco géneros estritamente endémicos (Baptorhachis, Emicocarpus, Gyrodoma, Icuria e Micklethwaitia) e dois géneros quase-endémicos (Triceratella e Oligophyton). O ano médio das primeiras publicações destes taxa é 1959. Um aumento significativo na descrição de espécies novas foi verificado, relacionado com o início de dois projectos regionais, a “Flora of Tropical East Africa” e a “Flora Zambesiaca”, permitindo um esforço maior de colheitas botânicas. Novos taxa têm vindo a ser descritos a um ritmo significativo, com 20 novas espécies descritas em 2018 para a flora de Moçambique. As famílias Fabaceae, Rubiaceae e Euphorbiaceae, incluem importantes taxa endémicos e quase-endémicos. Existe uma estreita relação entre as famílias de plantas com elevado número de espécies e o grau de endemismo, excepção feita às Poaceae, que embora seja a segunda família mais rica em espécies não se posiciona no grupo das dez principais famílias em termos de endemismo. Por outro lado a família Euphorbiaceae, que é a sétima mais rica em espécies, posiciona-se em terceiro lugar quanto ao número de endemismo. A flora endémica apresenta diferentes formas de vida, sendo 49% das espécies herbáceas e 55% lenhosas. A Província de Manica é o local mais rico em taxa quase-endémicos, realçando assim a importância da área transfronteiriça Chimanimani-Nyanga (Manica) entre Moçambique e Zimbabwe. Refira-se ainda que 69% dos taxa encontra-se num dos quatro centros de endemismo transfronteiriços: o Centro do Rovuma, o Centro de Maputaland sensu lato e nas regiões montanhosas de Chimanimani-Nyanga e Mulanje-Namuli-Ribáuè. Cerca de 50% dos taxa foram avaliados quanto ao risco de extinção, estando mais da metade ameaçados globalmente (57% de endemismos) e 10% (17% de endemismos) foram incluídos na categoria Informação Insuficiente (DD), revelando que a maioria das plantas endémicas de Moçambique necessitam de conservação urgente. Este estudo fornece novos dados indispensáveis à identificação das “Áreas Importantes de Plantas – IPAs” em Moçambique, contribuindo ainda para implementar as estratégias de conservação anteriormente estabelecidas pela Convenção sobre a Diversidade Biológica (CBD).
