The genus Ehretia (Boraginaceae : Ehretioideae) in southern Africa

The genus Ehretia P.Browne in southern Africa is revised. Six species and f ive subspecies of Ehretia are currently recognized in southern Africa, of w hich E. alba Retief & A.E.van Wyk, E. namibiensis Retief & A.E.van Wyk subs p. namibiensis, E. namibiensis subsp. kaokoensis Retief & A.E.van Wyk, E. r igida subsp. silvatica Retief & A.E.van Wyk and E. rigida subsp. nervifolia Retief & A.E.van Wyk are newly described. The genus is widely distributed in the region and occurs in a variety of habitats, ranging from the forests of the Eastern Cape to the hot, arid, semidesert parts of Namibia. Members of Ehretia in southern Africa are predominantly multistemmed shrubs or sma ll trees. Characters of the leaf, the trichome complement, inflorescence an d corolla are used to distinguish between the different species. A key to t he species, distribution maps and illustrations of various micro- and macro morphological as well as palynological features are provided.