Diario del proyecto Searsia in southern Africa

Some genera are easy to ID, and others are problematic. How does Searsia fare?

Below are the some of the misidentifications on iNat at present (click the blue to see full details, and select the tab "Similar Species").
The numbers are the number of mis-identifications of the top species.
Clearly, identification of Searsias is not simple, or for the fainthearted.

• Searsia lucida Glossy Currantrhus 19 species (incl.) 114 S glauca, 96 S laevigata, 93 S pallens, 40 S crenata, 13 S pyroides)
• Searsia glauca Blue Kunirhus 12 species (114 S lucida, 37 S crenata, 33 S pallens, 28 S undulata, 23 S laevigata)
• Searsia laevigata Dune Currantrhus 14 species (incl. 96 S lucida, 23 S rehmanniana, 23 S glauca, 22 S tomentosa, 14 S pyroides)
• Searsia pyroides Common Currantrhus 18 species (incl. 14 S laevigata, 13 S lucida, 9 S tomentosa)

• Searsia tomentosa Bicolour Currantrhus 13 species (incl. 22 S laevigata, 13 S incisa, 12 S angustifolia, 9 S pyroides, 8 S rehmanniana)
  .

• Searsia lancea Karee 10 species (incl. 31 S pendulina, 29 S leptodictya, 15 S angustifolia, 5 Olea europaea)
• Searsia crenata Bluefruit Currantrhus 13 species (incl 40 S lucida, 37 S glauca, 10 S laevigata.)
• Searsia chirindensis Red Currant-Rhus 6 species(incl. 4 S tomentosa, 3 S pyroides, 3 Vepris lanceolata)
• Searsia pallens Ribbed Kunirhus 14 species(incl. 93 S lucida, 33 S glauca, 26 S undulata, 15 S longispina)

• Searsia rosmarinifolia Rosemary Currantrhus 3 species (nothing significant)
  .

• Searsia angustifolia Willow Karee 7 species (incl. 15 S lancea, 12 S tomentosa)
• Searsia dentata Nana Currantrhus 4 species (nothing significant)
• Searsia magalismontana Mountain Currantrhus 2 species (nothing significant)
• Searsia leptodictya Mountain Karree 6 species (incl. 29 S lancea, 5 S pendulina)

• Searsia discolor Grassveld Currantrhus 3 species (nothing significant)
  .

• Searsia pendulina White Karee 4 species (incl. 31 S lancea, 5 S leptodictya, 4 Olea europaea)
• Searsia rigida Rock Currantrhus 1 species (nothing significant)
• Searsia undulata Namaqua Kunirhus 9 species(incl. 28 S glauca, 26 S pallens, 12 S longispina, 6 S lucida, 6 S burchellii, 6 S laevigata)
• Searsia incisa Rubrub Currantrhus 7 species (incl. 16 S refracta, 13 S tomentosa)

• Searsia pterota Wing Currantrhus 7 species (incl. 41 S longispina, 5 S pallens, 4 S lucida)
  .

• Searsia scytophylla Redflower Currantrhus 3 species (incl. 10 Searsia lucida)
• Searsia burchellii Karoo Kunirhus 5 species (incl. 9 S longispina, 6 S undulata)
• Searsia rehmanniana Bluntleaf Currantrhus 7 species (incl. 23 S laevigata, 8 S lucida, 8 S tomentosa, 5 S incisa)

• Searsia longispina Thorn Currantrhus 11 species (incl. 41 S pterota, 16 S refracta, 15 S pallens, 12 S undulata, 9 S burchellii)
  &

• Searsia refracta Roughleaf Currantrhus 7 species (incl. 16 S longispina, 16 S incisa, 5 S pyroides)

Status as at April 2024

27,022 observations by 3,093 observers

71 species with 49,091 identifiications by 733 identifiers.

3,194 identified to Genus (12%) Help ID them here
7,451 identified to species (28%), but needing confirmation Help confirm them here
18,705 identified to Research Grade (69%) Help review them here

Top Species

2317 Searsia lucida Glossy Currantrhus

1721 Searsia laevigata Dune Currantrhus
1719 Searsia glauca Blue Kunirhus
1571 Searsia pyroides Common Currantrhus

1436 Searsia lancea Karee
1417 Searsia tomentosa Bicolour Currantrhus
1376 Searsia crenata Bluefruit Currantrhus
1194 Searsia chirindensis Red Currant-Rhus
1060 Searsia pallens Ribbed Kunirhus
1036 Searsia rosmarinifolia Rosemary Currantrhus

917 Searsia angustifolia Willow Karee
664 Searsia dentata Nana Currantrhus
614 Searsia magalismontana Mountain Currantrhus
557 Searsia leptodictya Mountain Karree
509 Searsia discolor Grassveld Currantrhus

475 Searsia pendulina White Karee
466 Searsia rigida Rock Currantrhus
446 Searsia undulata Namaqua Kunirhus
399 Searsia incisa Rubrub Currantrhus
393 Searsia pterota Wing Currantrhus
333 Searsia burchellii Karoo Kunirhus
330 Searsia scytophylla Redflower Currantrhus

276 Searsia rehmanniana Bluntleaf Currantrhus
259 Searsia dissecta Langsteel Currantrhus
254 Searsia longispina Thorn Currantrhus
220 Searsia zeyheri Blue Currantrhus
209 Searsia erosa Broom Karree

152 Searsia pentheri Common Crowberry
140 Searsia refracta Roughleaf Currantrhus
135 Searsia cuneifolia Kogelberg Currantrhus
131 Searsia tumulicola Hardleaf Currantrhus
107 Searsia nebulosa Coastal Currantrhus
106 Searsia gueinzii Thorny Karee

We have a rudimentary field guide. Anyone wanting to help with getting it useful is welcome.

https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/18203?view=card

What is needed?

• Tidy up scientific name display;
• Add in some diagnostics in the text
• Create a table of feature x species that we can add in to use as a key.

Anyone keen.

Leaflet venation

(from Moffett)
In the description of the taxa, the following terms, after Hickey (1973), are used to describe the various forms of pinnate venation of the leaflets:

Craspedodromous

secondary veins terminating at the margin.

• Simple: all of the secondary veins and their branches terminating at the margin.
• Semi-: secondaries branching just within the margin, one of the branches terminating at the margin, the other joining the superadjacent secondary.
• Mixed: some of the secondaries terminating at the margin and an approximately equal number of (usually inter-vening) secondaries otherwise.

Camptodromous

secondary veins not terminating at the margin.

• Brochidodromous: secondaries joined together in a series of prominent arches.
• Reticulodromous: secondaries losing their identity towards the leaf margin by repeated branching into a vein reticulum.
• Kladodromous: secondaries freely ramified toward the margin.

Hyphodromous

all but the primary vein absent, rudimentary or concealed within the coriaceous mesophyll.

Status as at October 2023

22,908 observations by 2,714 observers

70 species with 37,391 identifiications by 664 identifiers.

• 4,248 identified to Genus (19%) Help ID them here
• 6,070 identified to species (26%), but needing confirmation Help confirm them here
• 12,044 identified to Research Grade (53%) Help review them here

Top Species

1801 Searsia lucida Glossy Currantrhus

1399 Searsia glauca Blue Kunirhus
1358 Searsia laevigata Dune Currantrhus
1239 Searsia lancea Karee
1207 Searsia crenata Bluefruit Currantrhus

1184 Searsia tomentosa Bicolour Currantrhus
1085 Searsia pyroides Common Currantrhus
1027 Searsia chirindensis Red Currant-Rhus

962 Searsia rosmarinifolia Rosemary Currantrhus
804 Searsia pallens Ribbed Kunirhus
741 Searsia angustifolia Willow Karee

459 Searsia dentata Nana Currantrhus
444 Searsia leptodictya Mountain Karree

399 Searsia magalismontana Mountain Currantrhus
380 Searsia pendulina White Karee
333 Searsia discolor Grassveld Currantrhus
313 Searsia incisa Rubrub Currantrhus

297 Searsia pterota Wing Currantrhus
293 Searsia undulata Namaqua Kunirhus
270 Searsia scytophylla Redflower Currantrhus
267 Searsia rigida Rock Currantrhus
262 Searsia burchellii Karoo Kunirhus
205 Searsia dissecta Langsteel Currantrhus

189 Searsia erosa Broom Karree
189 Searsia longispina Thorn Currantrhus
189 Searsia rehmanniana Bluntleaf Currantrhus
164 Searsia zeyheri Blue Currantrhus

105 Searsia pentheri Common Crowberry
101 Searsia cuneifolia Kogelberg Currantrhus
101 Searsia tumulicola Hardleaf Currantrhus

*** too few observations to train the CV AI ***
95 Searsia nebulosa Coastal Currantrhus
89 Searsia gueinzii Thorny Karee
73 Searsia refracta Roughleaf Currantrhus
64 Searsia populifolia Gariep Currantrhus
54 Searsia ciliata Sour Kunirhus
52 Searsia natalensis Natal Karreerhus

48 Searsia tenuinervis Roll-leaf Currantrhus
38 Searsia transvaalensis Transvaal Currantrhus
37 Searsia divaricata Rustyleaf Currantrhus
35 Searsia pondoensis Pondo Currantrhus
35 Searsia keetii Slender Currantrhus

27 Searsia rimosa Cederberg Currantrhus
20 Searsia rudatisii Rough Dwarf Currantrhus
19 Searsia acocksii Pondo Climbing Currantrhus
19 Searsia carnosula False Nanaberry

16 Searsia dregeana Wire Kunirhus
15 Searsia rogersii
14 Searsia grandidens Sharptooth Currantrhus
14 Searsia montana Drakensberg Karree

13 Searsia gerrardii River Currantrhus
13 Searsia marlothii Bitter Karree
12 Searsia batophylla Bramble Currantrhus
11 Searsia harveyi Harveys Currantrhus
10 Searsia tridactyla Sour Karee

9 Searsia pygmaea
8 Searsia longipes Longstalk Currantrhus
7 Searsia horrida Redthorn Currantrhus
6 Searsia engleri Velvet Karee
6 Searsia gracillima
6 Searsia kwazuluana
6 Searsia sekhukhuniensis Sekhukhuni Karee
6 Searsia wilmsii

3 Searsia albomarginata White-edge Currantrhus
3 Searsia fastigata Broom Currantrhus
3 Searsia stenophylla Small-leaf Currantrhus
2 Searsia bolusii
2 Searsia krebsiana False Sour Currantrhus

1 Searsia dracomontana Drakensberg Dwarf Currantrhus
1 Searsia problematodes
1 Searsia crenulata

Not recorded yet:
0 Searsia lucens (Zambezi Karee)
0 Searsia maricoana
0 Searsia quartiniana (Glossy Velvet Karee)
0 Searsia volkii (Naukluft Crowberry)

References:

• A taxonomic study of Rhus (Anacardiaceae) in Southern Africa R.O. Moffett. 1990. PhD Thesis, Univ Stellenbosch - not digiitized, but: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/ffc2b4f0-b8c0-4fdc-89d4-d467d3f42af6
• Flora of southern Africa 19 (3)(1): Anacardiaceae. Rhys by R.O. Moffett 1993. - https://archive.org/stream/floraofsoutherna1931unse/floraofsoutherna1931unse_djvu.txt (no illustrations).
• Names of the southern African species of Rhus (Anacardiaceae) and their etymology. R.O. Moffett. 1994. Bothalia 24: 67-76 https://journals.abcjournal.aosis.co.za/index.php/abc/article/view/753/704
• Name changes in the Old World Rhus and recognition of Searsia (Anacardiaceae) R.O. Moffett. 2007. Bothalia 37: 165-175 http://opus.sanbi.org/bitstream/20.500.12143/7586/1/Bothalia37_2_2007.pdf

Notes: