Ib Friis

The Burseraceae in Ethiopia comprises six species of Boswellia and 42 of Commiphora, producing frankincense or myrrh. This work aims to study the distribution and ecology of all 48 species, although some Commiphora-species are poorly documented. Boswellia species form two distinct geographic groups: one northwestern and one southeastern. Most Commiphora species are confined to the southern and eastern lowlands, with a few also occurring in river valleys in highlands. Distributions are analysed against vegetation types and climate models. Ranges vary from widespread in climatically suitable areas to highly localized. Commiphora species are linked to Acacia-Commiphora bushland on limestone and sand (mostly calcareous), though specific ecological preferences are still unclear. Species richness on degree squares correlates with collection intensity, indicating gaps in knowledge beyond well-sampled areas. Assessed IUCN categories of extinction risks range from Least concern to Critically endangered.

Aim: Effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and Global Strategy for Plant Conservation depends on accurate species distribution data. Current vascular plant distribution data, while crucial for understanding terrestrial ecosystems, is often sparse and biased and requires significant expansion. This study developed a scalable approach to prioritize areas for plant occurrence data acquisition, adaptable to national priorities and providing a framework for botanical institutions to coordinate efforts and allocate resources. Location: Global. Methods: Using a Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) analysis, we prioritized areas based on: (a) ecosystem service value; (b) floristic value threatened by climate or land-use change; and (c) uncertainty in species richness estimates, stratified by biome and region. Regional prioritization maps for Africa & Madagascar; East, South and Southeast Asia; Siberia and the Russian Far East; South America; and North & Central America were reviewed by botanical experts for validation. Scalability was assessed by comparing regional and global analyses. Results: Data-driven priority maps, divided into tree-dominated and grassland/deforested areas, largely received expert support. High similarity between global and regional maps demonstrated scalability. Main conclusions: Our approach provides a framework for supporting national implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Variables and their weights can be tailored to national or local needs. The method’s flexibility and adaptability extend to other taxonomic groups and objectives, such as protected area selection By prioritizing data acquisition, whether field-based or digital, this research promotes the efficient use of resources. A key advantage of this approach is its capacity to systematically translate expert opinion into explicit and quantitative criteria, which in turn facilitates clear communication with policymakers and funders.

The Urticaceae (ca. 2600 species) were first formally recognized by Jussieu in the 18th century and last comprehensively monographed by Weddell in the 19th century. Since Weddell’s work, family delimitation has been modified and many genera described in a fragmented manner. Over the past two decades, numerous molecular studies have supported the inclusion of Cecropiaceae within Urticaceae and identified paraphyly in several genera, notably Laportea, Urera, Boehmeria, Parietaria, Pellionia, and Pouzolzia . However, few studies have translated these molecular insights into a revised taxonomy. This study aimed to provide a robust, updated classification for Urticaceae by: a) increasing taxon and genomic locus sampling through the integration of newly generated sequence data with previously published datasets; and b) incorporating morphological data to support a revised delimitation of tribes and genera, and to establish a new linear sequence for the family. We also sought to identify remaining taxonomic challenges. Using Sanger and Angiosperms353 sequence data, we constructed a phylogenetic framework for 57 out of 59 currently accepted genera. We also assessed the phylogenetic informativeness of 57 morphological characters by mapping them onto the phylogeny. Our analyses support the delimitation of 61 monophyletic genera and an infrafamilial classification comprising seven tribes, two of which we describe as new: Myriocarpeae and Leukosykeae. We provide a revised linear sequence for the family. Our classification reinstates several names previously treated as synonyms ( Fleurya, Leptocnide, Margarocarpus, Polychroa, Scepocarpus, Sceptrocnide ), places several genera in synonymy ( Hemistylus and Rousselia under Pouzolzia ; Hesperocnide under Urtica ; Gesnouinia and Soleirolia under Parietaria ), and proposes the recognition of two new genera, Muimar gen. nov. and Pouzolziella gen. nov., to accommodate Boehmeria nivea and Pouzolzia australis, respectively. Mapping morphological characters onto the phylogeny indicates that while most states are homoplastic at the family level, their combination is valuable for recognizing genera. Geographic character mapping suggests a high degree of spatial conservatism at the genus rank. Our dated ultrametric tree suggests an origin for Urticaceae in Indomalaya during the mid-Cretaceous, followed by establishment in the Laurasian boreotropical flora and subsequent dispersal to the neotropics and Africa. Once classified within an evolutionary framework we believe that the Urticaceae represent a valuable study system in evolutionary biology for investigating transitions across biomes, the drivers of floral trait evolution, and intrinsic speciation mechanisms. New tribes : —Leukosykeae, Myriocarpeae New genera : — Muimar, Pouzolziella

Based on written records and specimens of the new species, Xylopia nilotica D. M. Johnson & N. A. Murray (2018), described from Uganda and west of the Nile in Sudan and South Sudan, we have mapped the species. We find that it also occurs east of the Nile in South Sudan and in western Ethiopia. Its habitats range from open rain forest to open woodland. Modelling the potential distribution of X. nilotica suggests that it occurs in the periphery of the upper Nile basin, but it is probably undercollected. The potential distributions of X. longipetala (a Guineo-Congolian species) and X. holtzii Engl. (an East African coastal species), distinct but previously considered conspecific with X. nilotica, only marginally overlap with that of X. nilotica, which is endemic to the countries Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Ethiopia, apparently a unique pattern of endemism. The new information does not change the assessment of X. nilotica as Vulnerable (VU). Other species of Xylopia in North Eastern Tropical Africa are X. rubescens Oliver and X. thomsonii Oliver in the Equatoria region of South Sudan, and X. rubescens, X. staudtii Engl. & Diels, and X. aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich. in Uganda. A record of X. aethiopica in Ethiopia is based on false label information on the only known specimen.

The nomenclatural status and typification of the names Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, Salicornia fruticosa, S. fruticosa var. deflexa, S. fruticosa var. glaucescens, S. fruticosa var. intermedia, S. fruticosa var. humilis, S. fruticosa var. pachystachya, S. fruticulosa, S. glauca, S. lignosa, S. macrostachya var. virescens, S. macrostachya var. glaucescens, S. perennis, S. radicans, S. radicans var. caespitosa, S. sarmentosa, S. sempervirens, and S. virginica, as well as an unnamed β-variety of S. fruticosa proposed by A. Bertoloni, are investigated. Concerning A. macrostachyum, we document that the type indicated in literature (G00177362) is not a holotype, and that lectotypification is necessary. A specimen from G (G00687638) is here designated as a lectotype. On the level of variety, Arthrocnemum fruticosum var. macrostachyum is an earlier legitimate name for Salicornia fruticosa var. pachystachya. Furthermore, Piirainen et al. are incorrect when citing Forsskål’s “Salicornia” from Alexandria as “S. virginica Forssk.”; it is not a new name and should be cited as S. virginica auct. non L., as published in Forsskål’s Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica. Like with numerous other parallel cases in Flora Aegyptiaco-Arabica, Forsskål’s designation of “Salicornia virginica” for an Arabian plant is to be considered a misapplication of the earlier Linnaean name for an American plant. Arthrocnemum glaucum (a nomen illegitimum of Ungern-Sternberg), was listed as type species of Arthrocnemum by the Names in Current Use project; the basionym, Salicornia glauca Delile, is here lectotypified and identified as Arthrocaulon meridionale, published by Ramirez et al. Updated synonymies of Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, A. meridionale, Salicornia fruticosa, and S. perennis are proposed. Salicornia sempervirens is an invalid name according to Art. 36.1a of ICN. No original material was found for S. radicans var. caespitosa. This paper also refer to lecto- or neotypifications on specimens deposited at BM, G, LINN-HS, LY, MPU, NAP, and PAL, and their current taxonomic positions are suggested in a taxonomic part of the paper.

Docent, fil. dr. Inga Hedberg (Fig. 1) died in Uppsala on the 13th of January 2024, at the age of 96 years. Together with her husband, Olov Hedberg, she has been a central and tireless figure in a range of important international projects on African botany, probably with the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea (1980-2009) as the most remarkable.