Review of Cephalanthus (Rubiaceae), with the segregation of the new African genus Sylvainia

Resumen

The genus Cephalanthus belongs to the tribe Naucleeae along with 26 other genera. Members o f Cephalanthus grow mainly in températe and subtropical wetlands in the Americas and Asia, but there is a single African species that is associated with forest maigins and rocky outcrops in humid températe grasslands. The genus comprises six species with a markedly disjunct distribution: three species are from the Americas: C. glabratus, C. occidentalis, and C. salicifolius-, two species are from tropical Asia: C. angustifolius and C. tetrandrus, and one species is from tropical Africa: C. natalensis. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have supported the monophyly of the genus, however, most morphological synapomorphies are absent in the single African species, which is sister to the remaining species o f the genus. The aim o f this paper is to provide a brief taxonomic revisión o f the genus Cephalanthus, considering previously undervalued or unconsidered morphological aspects, and to describe a new monospecific genus based on comparative morphological analyses. Vegetative and reproductive material o f all Cephalanthus species was analysed following conventional taxonomic techniques. We transferred C. natalensis to a new genus, Sylvainia, taking into account the morphological similarities and diíferences between Cephalanthus and the new genus. Cephalanthus glabrifolius, a little-known species previously considered synonymous with C. tetrandrus, is resurrected as a valid species, bringing the number of Cephalanthus species back to six. The subtribe Cephalanthinae now has two genera, its type Cephalanthus with six species, and a new monospecific genus Sylvainia endemic to southeastem Africa. Based on the modified description of Cephalanthus, now absent from Alfica, the generic concept is substantially modified, being now represented by three American and three Asian species.