Notes on the endemic cloud forest plants of the Cameroon Highlands and the new, Endangered, Tricalysia elmar (Coffeeae-Rubiaceae)

Abstract

Background and aimsThis paper reports a further discovery in the context of a long-term botanical survey in the Cross River-Sanaga interval of west-central Africa, focussing on species discovery and conservation.\n\nMethodsNormal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study the material collected. The relevant collections are stored in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London and at the Institute of Research in Agronomic Development - National Herbarium of Cameroon.\n\nKey resultsNew species to science continue to be discovered from the cloud (submontane) forests of the Cameroon Highlands in Cameroon. Most of these species are rare, highly localised, and threatened by habitat destruction. These discoveries increase the justification for improved conservation management of surviving habitat. Tricalysia elmar Cheek (Coffeeae-Rubiaceae) is described as an additional species new to science and is compared with similar species of the genus. Restricted so far to four locations, Mt Kupe, Bali Ngemba, Lebialem and Nta Ali, its conservation status is assessed as Endangered (EN B1+2ab(iii)) according to the 2012 criteria of IUCN.