Studies in the genus Lotononis (Crotalarieae, Fabaceae). VIII. A new species of the L. corymbosa group and notes on the taxonomy of the section Lipozygis

The section Lipozygis (E. Mey.) Benth. of Lotononis (DC.) Eckl. & Zeyh. is shown to be an artificial group that should be divided into two distinct and geographically isolated sections. L. pentaphylla (E. Mey.) Benth., L. polycephala (E. Mey.) Benth. and other annuals from the western Cape Province are to be excluded from the section. The remaining species [L. corymbosa (E. Mey.) Benth. and its allies] are all perennial pyrophytes from grassland areas along the eastern parts of southern Africa. A new species of this group, L. difformis B-E. van Wyk, is described. The unusual inflorescence of the new species provides a possible explanation for the evolutionary origin of the inflorescence structure in Lipozygis sensu stricto and related groups