Costus kupensis Maas &amp; H. Maas 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kamer 1, H. Maas-van de
name: Maas 1, P. J. M.
name: Wieringa 1, J. J.
name: Specht, C. D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Zingiberales
Costaceae
Costus
Costus kupensis

description: <b> 11. <i>Costus kupensis</i> Maas &amp; H.Maas</b> , <i>sp. nov.</i> — Fig. 5; Plate 3a; Map 6 <i>Costus kupensis</i> can easily be recognized by its yellow flowers and an inflo- rescence terminating a separate leafless shoot, a combination of characters not seen in any other African species of <i>Costus</i>. — Type: <i>Cheek et al. 7111</i> (holo K; iso L, SCA, WAG, YA), Cameroon, South-West Province, hunters path from Kupe Village to mountain top, 840 m, 24 Jan. 1995. <i>Costus sp. A.</i> Cheek in Cheek et al. (2004) 434, pl. 15E. Terrestrial herb 1.5–3 m tall. <i>Leaves</i> many; sheaths 1–2.5 cm diam, dark red; ligule chartaceous, 2-lobed, 5–18 mm long; petiole 5–10 mm long; sheaths, ligule and petiole rather densely covered with appressed to erect hairs &lt;1 mm long; lamina narrowly obovate-elliptic, 20–27 by 6–9 cm, upper side glabrous, lower side sparsely to rather densely covered with erect hairs &lt;1 mm long on margin and midrib to glabrous, base acute, apex acuminate (acumen 15–20 mm long). <i>Inflorescence</i> many-flowered, ovoid, 4–9 by 3–4 cm, terminating a separate leafless shoot 3–15 cm long; (upper part of) bracts and capsule sparsely to rather densely covered with appressed to erect hairs &lt;1 mm long, bracteole with a row of erect hairs on the keel, calyx glabrous. <i>Flowers</i> 1 per bract; bracts dark reddish brown, coriaceous, broadly to depressed ovate, 1–2 by 1.5–2.5 cm, callus sometimes present and then c. 2 mm long; appendages absent; bracteole boat-shaped, 18–22 mm long, callus c. 1 mm long; calyx 12–16 mm long, in fruit exceeding the bracts, lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, 2–5 mm long, callus absent; corolla yellow, upper part of lobes pinkish, 55–60 mm long, glabrous, tube c. 15 mm long, lobes narrowly elliptic, 40–45 mm long; labellum yellow, with dark yellow nectar guide, funnel-shaped to horizontally flattened, broadly obovate when spread out, c. 50 by 50 mm; stamen yellow, c. 40 by 14 mm, apex recurved, anther 7–8 mm long. <i>Capsule</i> ellipsoid, c. 11 by 6 mm. <i>Seeds</i> c. 2 by 1.5 mm. Distribution — Central Africa (Cameroon). Habitat &amp; Ecology — In rainforest. At elevations of 800– 1000 m. Flowering and fruiting: January, May and October. IUCN Conservation Status — Based on an EOO of 1419 km 2 and an AOO of 12 km 2, occurring on 3 locations, none of which currently has a protected status and one might be already lost, we assess this species as Endangered (EN) B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+ 2ab(I,ii,iii,iv,v). <i>Other specimens examined.</i> CAMEROON, <b>Littoral Province</b>, Ebo proposed National Park, Yingui, CRES camp on trail to Iboti, 800 m, 23 Apr. 2005, <i>Cheek et al. 12498</i> (K, YA); Mont Nlonako, 5 km SSE of Nkongsamba, 1000 m, 17 Mar.1976, <i>Letouzey 14456</i> (K, P). <b>South-West Province</b>, Kupe- Muanenguba Division, Kupe Village, vicinity of saprophyte site on Daniel Ajang’s bush, 870 m, 20 May1996, <i>Cable et al. 2471</i> (K, U, WAG, YA). Note — The description is partly based on our observations on a living plant in Burgers’ Bush, vouchered as <i>Maas &amp; Maas 10575</i>.
description: Published as part of <i>Kamer 1, H. Maas-van de, Maas 1, P. J. M., Wieringa 1, J. J. &amp; Specht, C. D., 2016, Monograph of African Costaceae, pp. 280-318 in Blumea 61 (3)</i> on page 300, DOI: 10.3767/000651916X694445, http://zenodo.org/record/7570023