Compilation
Blaeria spicata

USES. None recorded on herbarium specimensCONSERVATION Least concern (LC) as it occurs in a common habitat range, over a wide altitude range This group was in utter confusion until Hedberg, in A.V.P. (1957), made a critical study of a large amount of material from the afro-alpine zone and showed variation (between what were six species) is continuous. He decided to use the name Blaeria johnstonii. I have followed him gratefully, and gone further in uniting the subspecies he proposed; subsp. keniensis was distinguished by having rather more spaced leaves, but Hedberg already indicated that intermediates occurred and that some specimens were only referable to subspecies by locality. Since Hedberg’ s treatment more intermediate collections have been made.I have also added to the synonymy many taxa that Hedberg did not treat, as they occur at lower altitudes; their measurements and descriptions merge gradually with the those of the upper group. Every attempt to distinguish (and write keys to) varieties has failed, though I have tried hard to distinguish groups based on such characters as the shallowly cup-shaped corolla (‘ patula’ ). Therefore I treat this as a widespread, very variable taxon.Variation can be great in the type and degree of indument: this can consist of only stalked glandular hairs (simple or with side branches near base) to a mixture of minute simple hairs and dendritic hairs; the hairs can be sparse or dense, and on the leaves they can be distributed all over or restricted to margins and apex. Sepal shape can vary from linear to narrowly triangular to slightly spatulate; and the shape of the corolla is what most ‘ species’ were based on, varying from less than 1 mm and obconic to shallowly cup-shaped at one end of the range ( patula ) to over 4 mm and distinctly tubular and infundibuliform ( johnstonii and spicata ).At lower altitudes there is a tendency to smaller flowers with concomitant smaller anthers and style, but it is all very gradual and with intermediates for all characters. In this I agree with and follow Ross in Bol. Soc. Brot. ser. 2, 53: 123– 149 (1981), who discusses the F.Z. representatives of this group. He studied what he calls Blaeria kingaensis (including subverticillata, patula, tenuifolia, stolzii and the Zimbabwean B. friesii ); and reported this is a species which encompasses great variation in indument type as well as corolla length, with ± continuous variation, and no recognizable subgroups. Ross sees the corolla as varying from 1– 3 mm, with the shortest ones bowl-shaped without a basal tubular portion. Ross states Blaeria johnstonii differs from his B. kingaensis in having leaves with a smaller maximum size that are usually incurved; also, though the marginal hairs on their leaves are always < 0.5 mm long, they normally bear side branches on their lower part (these side branches are only rarely found in the FZ area and in SW Tanzania, and then in hairs > 0.5 mm long). I have been unable to uphold this distinction.Several synonyms are slightly suspect, as the types have been destroyed . From the description in the protologue, B. subverticillata belongs here. From the description in the protologue and Engler’ s thereto I also believe B. breviflora is a synonym.The hitherto separate northern taxa, Blaeria spicata = Erica tenuipilosa, fall into line as well. The only differences with the more southern specimens are a generally slightly longer calyx and corolla, but while extreme specimens can be separated easily, there is again a whole host of intermediates. While the epithet is the oldest available within Blaeria, it has been taken up in Erica and so cannot be used.Among the oldest available names is the one used by Hedberg, Blaeria johnstonii, so the species really should be called Erica johnstonii. However, there already exists an Erica johnstoniana Britten; recommendation 23A.2 of the Code says such similarity should be avoided; hence, I have chosen to use a name from among the oldest ones available, in fact as old as Hedbergs chosen epithet. “ silvatica” is not a very appropriate name, but the alternatives were names with types destroyed or only known from fragments. Blaeria patula var. minima Brenan; type: Malawi, Nyika Plateau, Brass 17291 (K!, holo.) – looks slightly different; it has flat leaves, not succulent and recurved as usual, the flowers are solitary and axillary and spaced; the corolla is shallowly cup-shaped; stamens 5; style 0.3 mm. This would be in the ‘ patula’ series of the species but for the strange leaves.