At the end of 2016, the Sino-Africa Joint Investigation Team, made up of the researchers from Wuhan Botanical Garden and National Museum of Kenya, conducted a large-scale field investigation in western Kenya. During the investigation, a special Zehneria with dominant leafy probract attracted the researchers’ attention for the first time. In following years, more specimens from different populations of this Zehneria were collected for in-depth study.    

Under the guidance of Prof. WANG Qingfeng and Prof. HU Guangwan, PhD student WEI Neng and other members from Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC), CAS carried out the comprehensive taxonomy study of the Zehneria species.    

After sufficient literature consultant, specimens examinations as well as the molecular phylogeny based on representative sampling, this species was finally confirmed to be new to science. The entitled paper, “Zehneria grandibracteata (Cucurbitaceae), an overlooked new species from western Kenyan forests”, was published at the latest issue of Phytokeys.   

This new species is named as Zehneria grandibracteata G.W. Hu, Neng Wei & Q. F. Wang, based on the characters of the obvious leafy probract. It is most similar to Z. scabra, but differs by its ovate leafy probract at the base of the inflorescences, subglabrous condition of the entire plant, shorter receptacle-tube and filaments, as well as denser and sessile inflorescences. 

The plate to show morphological character of new species, Zehneria grandibracteata (Image by SAJOREC )