James Boatwright

University of the Western Cape | uwc · Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Lasiosiphon Fresen. (Thymelaeaceae: Thymelaeoideae) is now understood to be a morphologically diverse genus distributed across southern and tropical Africa, Madagascar and India. The taxonomic history of Lasiosiphon has been marked by several revisions in its circumscription and status, particularly regarding its relationship with Gnidia L. Our phy...

Previous studies on the genus Argyrolobium (Genisteae, Fabaceae) in southern Africa recognized a group of species defined by a suffrutescent habit, monomorphic flowers and leaves, and the plants not turning black when dried as ‘section A. transvaalense .’ A formal rank was never published for this group. Here a taxonomic study of this group is cond...

A taxonomic revision of the Gnidia linearifolia group (Thymelaeaceae: Thymelaeoideae) is presented. Species in this group are diagnosed by punctate leaves that are ciliate when young, a densely hairy hypanthium, and petaloid scales with a basal callus. We recognize five species: G. linearifolia (Wikstr.) B.Peterson, G. nana (L.f.) Wikstr., G. penic...

The southern African species of Chamaecrista were all treated under Cassia in Gordon-Gray’s treatment for the Flora of Southern Africa . However, given the subsequent generic recircumscriptions in the subtribe Cassiinae, and the expanded collections of these taxa, there is a need to revisit the taxonomy of the group. The present study aimed to cond...

A taxonomic revision of the Cotula barbata group is presented. At the onset of the study nine species were recognised within this group, which is defined by a combination of an annual life history, usually homogamous discoid capitula, mostly basal leaves that are not sheathing at the base, and naked peduncles that are not inflated apically. These s...

A taxonomic revision of the Othonna coronopifolia group (Asteraceae: Senecioneae: Othonninae) is presented. Species in this group are twiggy shrublets with stiff, woody stems, leaves often on short-shoots (brachyblasts) and/or in axillary tufts, and moderately large, radiate flowering capitula, mostly borne on solitary peduncles on short-shoots. Th...

The ecological and evolutionary processes that allow alien species to establish and dominate native communities (i.e., become invasive) have been a rich area of research. Past areas of inquiry have included identifying the traits necessary to invade a community and/or determining how phylogenetic relatedness of the introduced species with the resid...

Pteronia L. is a southern African endemic genus, mostly diversified in the Greater Cape Floristic Region. The genus was identified as one of the taxonomic priorities in South Africa. This study presents a taxonomic treatment of an informal morphological group: the Pteronia uncinata group. Five species are here recognised (P. diosmifolia Brusse, P....

Pollinator specialisation is one of the major drivers of angiosperm diversification in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Conophytum (Aizoaceae) is a flagship genus for the underexplored arid regions of the GCFR (ca. 108 spp.) with 83.9% of its species endemic to this region and has a floral structure that is unique within th...

A taxonomic revision is presented for the two geophytic species of Othonna L. (Asteraceae: Senecioneae: Othonninae) distinguished by a condensed caudex without evident internodes. These species are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from the remaining geophytic species. This account includes descriptions, complete nomenclature and typifi...

Othonna koss-bekkeri Van Jaarsv. is recognised as a synonym of O. cerariodes Magoswana & J.C. Manning.

This study presents a taxonomic revision of the Pteronia adenocarpa group. Six species are recognised within this group, namely P. adenocarpa, P. armatifolia, P. elongata, P. hutchinsoniana, P. stoehelinoides and P. viscosa. The group is distinct in its characteristic basally hairy cypselae, as opposed to the glabrous-glossy, glandular and/or vario...

https://bit.ly/3zvKXTu The influence of invasive alien plants on plant community structure and above ground biomass in their novel range is poorly understood, as the magnitude and direction of these effects are often species and ecosystem specific. Here we compared community metrices of native plants and soil properties between study sites invaded...

• Invasive alien plants often influence pollinator visitation to native plants when sharing pollinator guilds. It is of conservation concern when the invasive alien plant is characterized by floral resources that attract pollinators, thereby reducing the reproductive success of native species. This is well studied for insects, but whether the same...

Calobota sericea is a native legume of South Africa, confined to the water-limited rangelands, and it has recently been prioritised for additional characterisation regarding its pasture potential. In this study, we examined the growth characteristics of C. sericea under glasshouse conditions where water limitation was implemented at different plant...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and affects approximately 6.3 million people worldwide. To date, the treatment of PD remains a challenge, as available treatment options are known to be associated with serious side effects; hence, the search for new treatment strategies is critical. Extracts from the Ama...

Fabaceae plants contribute greatly to a high quality of pasture in rangelands, because of high levels of protein in their tissues. Despite this established importance, only a few southern African legumes have been evaluated for nutritional value and domestication. The Overberg renosterveld vegetation of the Fynbos biome occupies undulating landscap...

Othonna koos-bekkeri Van Jaarsv. is recognised as a synonym of O. cerarioides Magoswana & J.C.Manning.

Aizoaceae are one of the most diverse succulent plant families in the world, with c. 2 400 species, and they are a major component of the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Despite this diversity, genome size (GS) has only been recorded in three of the c. 144 genera of Aizoaceae. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of...

Recent molecular evidence has confirmed that Meiostemon and Quisqualis are embedded in Combretum. While some of the species in the two former genera have already been transferred to Combretum, several combinations are still wanting. New combinations for these species in Combretum are therefore formalised here for taxa of Meiostemon and Quisqualis t...

The chemical investigation of the nonpolar constituents of a methanol extract of the bulbs of Boophone haemanthoides yielded ten known compounds as minor constituents. The compounds were identified as stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione (1); cholest-4-en-3-one (2); (22E)-stigmast-4,22-dien-3-one (3); stigmast-4-en-3-one (4); 6β-hydroxystigmast-4-en-3-one (5);...

Aizoaceae are one of the most diverse succulent plant families in the world, with c. 2 400 species, and they are a major component of the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Despite this diversity, genome size (GS) has only been recorded in three of the c. 144 genera of Aizoaceae. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of...

Englerodaphne Gilg (Thymelaeaceae) is distinguished from allied genera in subfamily Thymelaeoideae with an articulated hypanthium and unilocular ovary by its arborescent habit, broad membranous leaves, and ebracteate inflorescences of tetramerous flowers with four petaloid scales, each divided nearly to the base into two narrow segments. Three spec...

Othonna cerarioides Magoswana and J.C. Manning is described as a new species from Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is an erect shrub with rod‐like stems and branches, bearing numerous spur‐shoots with obovate‐oblanceolate leaves clustered at the tips, and up to nine disciform capitula per spur‐shoot. Othonna cerarioides is an...

During taxonomic studies of the southern African genus Pteronia, four new species, P. armatifolia, P. decurrens, P. flava and P. glandulosa were uncovered from the Northern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. We formally describe these four new species here and provide detailed descriptions, diagnostic characters, geographical distributions...

Othonna L. (Asteraceae: Senecioneae: Othonninae) is a genus of some 120 species concentrated in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa, with a few species extending into southern Namibia, Angola, and Zimbabwe. The South African species of Othonna were last revised more than a century ago, and many species, particularly from the so...

The limited grazeable size of renosterveld vegetation in the Western Cape warranted assessment of chemical and fibre composition of the species to determine their nutritive value. We hypothesised that Fabaceae has chemically superior palatable species relative to Poaceae, Asteraceae and Asparagaceae species in the area. Plant samples were collected...

Background: While working towards a taxonomic revision of the genus Lasiosiphon (Thymelaeaceae), it became clear that the current application of the name Lasiosiphon microphyllus did not correspond to the identity of the type material. Objectives: To effect the requisite nomenclatural changes. Method: Herbarium specimens from NBG and PRE as well...

Plant DNA barcoding serves as an effective approach to building community phylogenies and increasing our understanding of the factors that determine plant community assemblages. The aims of the study were to (i) barcode macrophytes with high estuarine fidelity and (ii) to determine the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of selected South African estuaries...

Calobota sericea is a perennial legume species from South Africa that has the potential to be implemented as a fodder crop in water-limited agro-ecosystems. Very little is currently known about how future climate change scenarios may influence the bioclimatic niche of C. sericea and how this, in turn, may influence its agronomic potential. In this...

Access to good-quality forages is one of the major limitations to livestock production in semi-arid pastoral systems. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in the nutritional quality of diets selected by herded and free-ranging goat and sheep flocks utilising Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld vegetation during the wet and dry s...

Edited by JB Adams This study assesses the genetic structure and gene flow of the salt marsh species Salicornia tegetaria between estuaries and tests three hypotheses: (1) that the relocation of estuaries on a shallow continental shelf during the last glacial maximum created a historical biogeographic barrier, the exact location of which we attempt...

The Bushmanland Inselberg Region (BIR) of South Africa provides an ideal system to study population interactions, as these inselbergs function as islands of Succulent Karoo surrounded by Nama Karoo vegetation. The population genetics of four Conophytum taxa endemic to the quartz-associated habitats of inselbergs in the BIR were investigated using a...

We present a taxonomic treatment of the four-scaled species of Struthiola (Thymelaeaceae) in which we recognise two species, S. striata and S. tetralepis, differing in ecology, growth form and flower morphology (bracteole and hypanthium length as well as the shape and colour of the sepals). Both species have amphistomatic foliage, with a higher den...

This open-access special issue features 12 full articles representing emerging trends from the international DNA barcoding community. Several articles highlight how DNA-based techniques are elucidating the species diversity, biogeography, and conservation status of Africa’s biodiversity. Another prominent theme is the movement towards big biodivers...

A new unifoliolate species of Rhynchosia from Modimolle (formerly Nylsroom), in the Waterberg area, South Africa, was discovered. Until now, R. monophylla was the only unifoliolate species of the genus in southern African, however, the two differ markedly in growth habit; the former species is a trailing herb, while the new species is an erect subs...

Calobota sericea is a perennial legume species from South Africa that has the potential to be implemented as a fodder crop in water-limited agro-ecosystems. Apart from dormancy breaking requirements, no information regarding the germination and seedling establishment requirements of C. sericea is currently available. Therefore, the aim of this stud...

Selection against invasiveness allows breeders to continue trading with plant cultivars when the wild species is otherwise invasive. However, to ensure the benefits of a species over the medium-to longer-term, it is necessary to determine whether the selected non-invasive traits are stable characters in the developed cultivars. This is especially t...

Aizoaceae is the largest succulent plant family in the world, including in excess of 1800 species. Despite its richness, a large proportion of its taxa are listed as data deficient and it has been identified as the top priority for taxonomic research in South Africa. Limitations to accurate identification of taxa in the family may be partly attribu...

Recently, the ARC prioritized a number of native legume species for further evaluation as forage crops within water-limited agro-ecosystems. Within this selection, a number of Indigofera and Lessertia species were prioritized. Very little information regarding the climate adaptation of these species is currently available, and therefore, it is impo...

Background: A taxonomic study of the genus Rhynchosia section Chrysoscias is presented. The section (as classified by Baker) comprises five taxa (four species and one variety). Previous revisions of the section by various botanists placed emphasis on leaflet shape and number of flowers as the primary characters to distinguish the species, however,...

The recent study by Powell et al. (2017) showed that the species previously included in the genera Odontophorus N.E.Brown (1927: 12) and Ihlenfeldtia H.E.K.Hartmann (1992: 47) should be recognized under the Southern African endemic genus Cheiridopsis N.E.Brown (1925: 412) (Ruschieae Schwant. ex Ihlenf., Schwant. & Straka, Aizoaceae Martinov). In th...

Edited by GV Goodman-Cron As a first step towards a comprehensive revision of Pteronia (Asteraceae, Astereae), we present here a taxonomic treatment of the Pteronia camphorata group, in which we recognise three species. The group includes the type species P. camphorata (an important medicinal plant) and is easily distinguished from the rest of the...

In the face of climate change, identification of forage species suitable for dryland farming under low rainfall conditions in South Africa is needed. Currently, there are only a limited number of forage species suitable for dryland farming under such conditions. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritise native legume species that c...

Thirteen of the fourteen Malagasy species of Gnidia are transferred to Lasiosiphon following its re-instatement based on systematic studies of the Thymelaeoideae. New combinations are made for five of the species and the new name Lasiosiphon leandrianus Boatwr. & J.C.Manning is provided for Gnidia decaryana Leandri. The generic affinity of Gnidia n...

Native forages have been proposed as a plausible alternative to the use of exotic forage germplasm due to their adaptation to the surrounding bioclimatic and edaphic conditions, and the reduced risk of becoming weedy or invasive. Calobota sericea and Lessertia frutescens are two perennial legume species from the semi-arid rangelands of Namaqualand...

Phylogenetic sampling in the Conophytum clade (Aizoaceae) was expanded to include a comprehensive representation of almost all species in the clade (excluding Conophytum, which was selectively sampled) for six plastid regions (matK, rpl16, rps16, trnL-F, trnQ-rps16 and trnS-trnG). The combined phylogenetic data were analysed using maximum parsimony...

Background: Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives: To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method: Relevant literature was surveyed and type material located and examined. Results: A nomenclatural correction is necessary in Othonna L. and Senecio L. (Asteraceae)...

Previous molecular studies have confirmed that Terminalia (Combretaceae: Terminaliinae) is paraphyletic, with Anogeissus, Buchenavia and Pteleopsis embedded in it. Proposals were put forward to integrate these genera in Terminalia, following earlier transfers to Terminalia of Bucida, Ramatuella and Terminaliopsis. We emphasize the need to assess th...

Taxonomy provides a universal method to classify biodiversity at different scales locally and globally. Currently, existing taxonomic treatments are scattered, limiting their accessibility and utility. The Convention on Biological Diversity has responded to this challenge by setting the goal of compiling a World Flora Online (Global Strategy for Pl...

The classification of the legume family proposed here addresses the long-known non-monophyly of the traditionally recognised subfamily Caesalpinioideae, by recognising six robustly supported monophyletic subfamilies. This new classification uses as its framework the most comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of legumes to date, based on plastid matK...

The classification of the legume family proposed here addresses the long-known non-monophyly of the traditionally recognised subfamily Caesalpinioideae, by recognising six robustly supported monophyletic subfamilies. This new classification uses as its framework the most comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of legumes to date, based on plastid matK...

This paper presents the first detailed assessment of the invasive potential of Melaleuca hypericifolia Sm. in South Africa. This woody, fire-adapted shrub, native to Australia, is considered a high risk invader which could potentially occupy 4% of the country if allowed to spread. As such, it is a listed invader under South African legislation. Mel...

Schlechteranthus subgenus Microphyllus is a recently erected subgenus, which is revised here for the first time. The subgenus is comprised of nine succulent species, including a new species S. parvus, and is endemic to the arid part of the Greater Cape Floristic Region. Schlechteranthus subgenus Microphyllus can be distinguished from subgenus Schle...

The South African genus Gymnodiscus Less. (Senecioneae: Othonninae) is distinguished from other genera in subtribe Othonninae by its annual habit and lack of pappus in the disc florets. We recognise two species of Gymnodiscus, differing in leaf morphology, number of involucral bracts and florets, shape of the ray florets, and cypsela vestiture. A c...

The shrubby genus Inulanthera is largely confined to South Africa with a single species each endemic to Angola, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. The genus is unusual in the tribe Anthemideae in its conspicuously tailed anthers. Inulanthera has not been treated taxonomically throughout its range before and we provide a complete taxonomic revision of the gen...

Ruschieae is the largest tribe in the highly speciose subfamily Ruschioideae (Aizoaceae). A generic-level phylogeny for the tribe was recently produced, providing new insights into relationships between the taxa. Octopoma and Arenifera are woody shrubs with multilocular capsules and are distributed across the Succulent Karoo. Octopoma was shown to...

The species of Gerbera sect. Gerbera are revised in light of collections made over the past 30 years following the last revision of the group, at which time five species were recognized. We now recognize eight species in the section. Most of the species are obligate pyrophytes, flowering only in the spring and summer following a burn. Populations f...

This study evaluated the nutritional quality of the available forage plants occurring in the Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld vegetation type in the Kamiesberg uplands of the Leliefontein communal area, South Africa. The edible portions of various forage plants were collected in the wet and dry seasons in 2012 and 2013 after which the nutritional q...

The recent worldwide effort to transfer all non-Australian taxa of Acacia s.l. mostly to the genera Senegalia and Vachellia follows the acceptance of the proposed re-typification of the genus with an Australian species. The Madagascan species have, as yet, not been included in phylogenetic studies of Acacia s.l. and their position in the new generi...

A recent study shows that most aquatic alien plants in temperate cold climate are of tropical and subtropical origins and only those that can withstand cold climates become invasive. This suggests that a changing climate that becomes warmer may result in currently non-invasive alien plants becoming invasive in the future. To facilitate pre-emptive...

The new species, Amphithalea ornata, from the Worcester Valley in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, forms part of a group of four species with pedunculate inflorescences. Among these species it is most similar to Amphithalea spinosa but differs in its non-spinescent habit, shorter peduncles, and large, imbricate calyx lobes. A. ornata is r...

The negative effects of invasive alien aquatic plants raise concern globally. These effects are predicted to increase in the future due to a rapid development in transport modes (air, terrestrial and water) that facilitate connection between continents, difficulties inherent to identification of potentially problematic species and, for aquatic syst...

In order to meet the growing demand for livestock products in South Africa (SA), livestock production has to increase in areas with marginal climatic conditions. Currently there are few, if any, commercially available forage legume species suitable for dryland livestock production in areas that receive less than 300 mm of annual rainfall in SA. The...

The shrubby genus Inulanthera is largely confined to South Africa with a single species each endemic to Angola, Madagascar and Zimbabwe. The genus is unusual in the tribe Anthemideae in its conspicuously tailed anthers. Inulanthera has not been treated taxonomically throughout its range before and we provide a complete taxonomic revision of the gen...