Endemic Families of Madagascar. IX. A new littoral forest species of Schizolaena (Sarcolaenaceae)

Schizolaena raymondii is described from a single stand of low-elevation littoral forest in NE Madagascar, one of the island’s floristically richest and most highly threatened ecosystems. The new species is illustrated and compared to other members of the genus; it most closely resembles three congeners with which it shares thick leaves with a rounded to acute apex, but is distinguished by having longer petals and a unique combination of leaf blade and peduncle lengths. Schizolaena raymondii is assigned a preliminary conservation status of Critically Endangered using the IUCN Red List criteria.