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Issue: Vol. 763 No. 3: 24 Jun. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-24
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.763.3.6
Page range: 273-282
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Crassula tanzae (Crassulaceae subfam. Crassuloideae), a new aquatic species in Crassula sect. Helophytum from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre, southern Africa

Biodiversity Research; Assessment and Monitoring; South African National Biodiversity Institute; P.O. Box 52099; Berea Road; Durban 4007; South Africa
Ria Olivier Herbarium; Department of Botany; Nelson Mandela University; P.O. Box 77000; Gqeberha; 6031 South Africa
Eudicots Crassula natans endemism Lesotho South Africa typification

Abstract

A new aquatic species, Crassula tanzae (Crassulaceae subfam. Crassuloideae), is described from high altitude tarns and pans in the south-central Maloti-Drakensberg of South Africa and neighbouring Lesotho, to which region it is restricted. This new taxon is allied to C. natans, from which it is readily separable on a combination of vegetative and reproductive characters. A key diagnostic character of C. tanzae is its substantially swollen and short-internoded basal stem portion, with nodes along this stem section conspicuously constricted, and adjacent internodes bulging. The typification of the name C. natans is corrected.

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How to Cite

Crouch, N.R. & Smith, G.F. (2026) Crassula tanzae (Crassulaceae subfam. Crassuloideae), a new aquatic species in Crassula sect. Helophytum from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre, southern Africa. Phytotaxa 763 (3): 273–282. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.763.3.6