Ardisia mela (Primulaceae) a new threatened, herbaceous species of Ardisia subgen. Kamardisia from the forest of the Crystal Mts, Gabon.

Abstract

Ardisia mela is formally described from the forests of the Crystal Mts, Gabon based on a specimen collected in 1968 and informally described in 1979 by Taton as Species 2. Despite the proximity of the collection to a road, and a resurgence of botanical surveys in the Crystal Mts in recent years, the species appears not to have been refound, and as it occurs in a logging concession and areas of cleared forest can be seen in the vicinity of the collection site, the species is considered threatened and provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered using the 2012 IUCN standard.