Comparative morphological studies of specimens included in Dioscorea gillettii from Kenya and Ethiopia show differentiation between a northern group of populations in Sidamo and Bale Provinces in Ethiopia and near Moyale in northern Kenya and a southern group found in Kitui and Meru Districts of Kenya. Thus the southern element is described as a new species. The two species also differ in their pollen morphology. An illustration, distribution map, and a conservation status assessment are provided for D. kituiensis, and its mode of speciation is discussed.
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1 October 2009
A New Species of Yam from Kenya, Dioscorea kituiensis: Pollen Morphology, Conservation Status, and Speciation
Paul Wilkin,
A. Muthama Muasya,
Hannah Banks,
Carol A. Furness,
Kai Vollesen,
Odile Weber,
Sebsebe Demissew
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conservation status
Dioscoreales
Kenyan endemic
new species
pollen morphology
speciation