PlantLife Volume 60.6, December 2025. Cyphias of Mpumalanga and Eswatini

 

Cyphias of Mpumalanga and Eswatini

Steyn, H.M.

Summary

Of the ca. 60 Cyphia species occurring in southern Africa, 16 are found in Mpumalanga and Eswatini, especially along the escarpment. At present there are observations of only seven of these on iNaturalist. This paper looks at the species currently known to occur in Mpumalanga and Eswatini and provides an identification key for the 16 species. [Identification sheets are also included to help the reader distinguish between morphologically similar species.]

 

Introduction

Cyphia (baroes, Afrikaans) is a genus of flowering plants in the Lobeliaceae (sometimes included in the Campanulaceae) or in its own family, Cyphiaceae (Figure 1). It is confined to southern and tropical Africa, with the majority of the ca. 80 species occurring in southern Africa.

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Figure 1. Cyphia oblongifolia subsp. nov. with a visiting bee caught by a crab spider.

From the 208 iNaturalist observations of cyphias in Mpumalanga and Eswatini (Figure 2) as on 29 September 2025, it is clear that the genus prefers the escarpment, as there are very few observations from lower-lying areas.

Figure 2. Distribution of Cyphia observations in Mpumalanga and Eswatini

These iNaturalist observations were identified as nine species (see Figure 3). However, the observation identified as C. longifolia from Makobulaan Nature Reserve (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/257453054) is misidentified and is C. stenopetala, and the observation of C. transvaalensis from Eswatini (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39242191) is difficult to identify positively as one needs to see the anthers to use Wimmer’s key (Wimmer 1968). It is probably C. corylifolia, although the latter is reported to occur in KwaZulu-Natal only. Therefore, only seven species from Mpumalanga and Eswatini currently appear on iNaturalist. It is important to note that ± 70% of Cyphia observations on iNaturalist are incorrectly identified as it is very often not possible to identify a Cyphia to species level from an image only. Characters needed to identify species, including shape and size of calyx lobes, length of the anthers, and the absence or presence of hairs on the back of the anthers, are often not clear from images.

Figure 3. Cyphia observations on iNaturalist for Mpumalanga and Eswatini have been identified as nine different species but only seven species can be confirmed.

Based on a recent study of the Cyphia elata complex (Steyn & Van Wyk 2025) and herbarium specimens from various herbaria in South Africa, there are currently 16 Cyphia species (excluding intraspecific taxa) known to occur in Mpumalanga and Eswatini – more than double the number of species represented on iNaturalist. These 16 species include four twiners and 14 erect herbs with flowers ranging from white, yellow to mauve, with various markings on the inside of the corolla.

 

How to recognise members of Cyphia

Morphologically, Cyphia species vary considerably but they have the following characters in common: herbaceous, perennial plants with underground tubers; stems twining or erect; flowers upright (they are upside down in Lobelia), usually strongly irregular with a five-lobed corolla in shades of white to magenta with various markings on the petals; anthers free (not fused as in Lobelia) and variously hairy on the back; the fruit is a dehiscent capsule with numerous small seeds; seeds  with or without wings. 

A typical Cyphia flower is borne in the axil of a bract; it has two bracteoles on the pedicel and five calyx lobes surrounding the corolla (Figure 4). In dense inflorescences (see Cyphia elata) it can be tricky to distinguish between the bracts and bracteoles of the individual flowers.

Figure 4. A typical Cyphia flower showing the bract, the two bracteoles, calyx and corolla.

How to identify a specific Cyphia species

Taxonomically significant characters used to distinguish between Cyphia species include: whether stems are twining or erect; morphology of the leaves, inflorescences, bracts, bracteoles and calyx lobes; whether calyx lobes are erect or bent backwards; colour/markings of the corolla; hairiness of the anthers; and the length of stamens relative to the corolla.

 

Key to the Cyphia species from Mpumalanga and Eswatini:

1. Twiners (climbing herbs)......................................................... 2

- Erect (non-climbing) herbs........................................................ 5

 

2. Leaves ovate to broadly lanceolate; flowers borne in groups (fascicles)................................................................................. 3

- Leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate; flowers solitary.................... 4

 

3. Leaves elliptic to broadly lanceolate, leaf base tapering gradually; flowers on peduncle 20–40 mm long................................................ 1. C. deltoidea

- Leaves ovate, leaf base rounded; flowers subsessile (on short peduncle)

.................................................................................... 2. C. corylifolia??

 

4. Leaves shortly petiolate; corolla 9–11 mm long............... 3. C. rogersii

- Leaves sessile; corolla 11–21 mm long............................ 4. C. stenopetala

 

5. Flowers longer than 12 mm..................................................... 6

- Flowers shorter than 12 mm..................................................... 7

 

6. Corolla with long, narrow tube; calyx lobes bent backwards; only known from escarpment east of Dullstroom......................................... 5. C. belfastica

- Corolla urn-shaped; calyx lobes erect; endemic to Eswatini........................................................................ 6. C. pectinata

 

7. Scape (= naked peduncle) with cauline leaves absent or reduced (needle-like)....................................................................................... 8

- Peduncle with cauline leaves present, decreasing in size towards the top........................................................................................ 10

 

8. Leaves linear, < 2 mm wide; inflorescence lax; flowers 4–6 mm long; flowering November to January; Wakkerstroom area........................ 7. C. sp. nov. D

- Leaves narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate; inflorescence lax to semi-dense; flowers 5–7 mm long; Mpumalanga escarpment, Barberton area and Eswatini................................................................................. 9

 

9. Plants up to 15 cm high; calyx lobes with 2 pairs of teeth along margin; flowering January; Steenkampsberg area......................... 8. C. sp. nov. B

- Plants up to 65 cm high; calyx lobes with entire margin; flowering time October to December; Kaapsehoop and Barberton areas, and Eswatini (Mbabane area)........................................................................... 9. C. bolusii

 

10. Leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate.................................... 11

- Leaves lanceolate, oblong to ovate......................................... 12

 

11. Bracts with 4 or 5 teeth per side; petals with villose patch confined to just below tip on inside; stamens longer than half the corolla length; Barberton and Graskop areas........................................................... 10. C. stenophylla

- Bracts with entire margin or 1(or 2) very small teeth; petals villose from below tip on inside almost to base; stamens shorter or equal to half the corolla length; Graskop area............................................................ 11. C. sp. nov. A

 

12. Inflorescences semi-dense to dense, flowers often clustered in C. elata var. gerrardii; petals glabrous to pubescent within; stamens equal to or longer than half the length of corolla; anthers shorter than filaments; widespread in eastern parts of Flora of southern Africa (FSA) region................. 12. C. elata (with two varieties in Mpumalanga)

- Inflorescences lax to dense; petals usually villose within; stamens equal to or shorter than half the length of corolla; anthers longer than filaments; Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal border, Barberton area, and Eswatini............................................................................. 13

 

13. Inflorescences lax; bracteoles 0.3–0.6 mm wide; petals subglabrous to pubescent (rarely villose) towards base within, with tip clearly thickened; Volksrust and Utrecht districts. .....................................13. C. sp. nov. C

- Inflorescence lax to dense; bracteoles wider than 0.6 mm; petals villose within; Barberton area, Mpumalanga escarpment and Eswatini............................................................................... 14

 

14. Inflorescence lax; bracts narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 0.9–1.2 mm wide; petals recurved; Barberton area and Eswatini................. 14. C. deliae

- Inflorescence semi-dense to dense; bracts lanceolate to ovate, 1.0–4.4 mm wide; petals spreading to recurved (coiled); Mpumalanga escarpment and Eswatini............................................................................... 15

 

15. Flowers nearly always pink or mauve; petal tips strongly recurved (coiled) when open, pubescent to villous inside, ± 0.3–0.5 mm of tip subglabrous; Mpumalanga escarpment........................................... 15. C. smutsii

- Flowers usually white to rarely pale pink; petal tips usually spreading to slightly recurved when open, subglabrous to pubescent inside, ± 1.0–1.5 mm of tip subglabrous; Mpumalanga, (possibly KwaZulu-Natal) and Eswatini.................................. 16. C. oblongifolia (with two subspecies in MP)

 

Acknowledgements

Thanks to my colleagues and friends who collected Cyphia specimens or let me use their photos; to the Botanical Education Trust and SANBI for helping fund the fieldwork; to Elizma Fouché for the graphic support; and to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency for the plant collecting permits.

References

Steyn HM, Van Wyk AE (2025) Towards a revision of the Cyphia elata complex (Campanulaceae: Cyphioideae) in southern Africa, with a provisional key to the species. Kew Bulletin, 80: 599–624.

Wimmer FE (1968) Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae supplementum et Campanulaceaea-Cyphioideae. In: Stubbe H (Ed.) Das Pflanzenreich IV(276c): 935–1024.

About the author: 

Hester Steyn is based at the National Herbarium in Pretoria where she curates the Acanthaceae, Campanulaceae, Lobeliaceae and Rubiaceae. Her interests include managing collection databases and doing fieldwork in the dry northwestern areas of South Africa.

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ID Sheets