| Abstract: | As a result of ongoing studies of the Rubiaceae of Gabon, the new species
Colletoecema gabonensis is here described and illustrated. It is endemic to Gabon,
where it is the only species of the genus, and is so far only known from three collections
from the Ogooué-Lolo and Ngounié provinces. The new species is morphologically
intermediate between its two congeners, C. dewevrei (from Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, and Angola) and C. magna
(endemic to Cameroon). The new species agrees with C. dewevrei in having flowers
with exserted anthers and style, but differs in its sessile flowers and fruits. In the latter
characters, it resembles C. magna, from which it can be separated by its smaller fruits
and leaves, and by its different floral morphology. An IUCN conservation assessment
has been made and the species is provisionally assessed as Vulnerable, based on its
restricted area of occupancy and the small number of known locations
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