The taxonomy of Vaccinium section Rigiolepis (Vaccinieae, Ericaceae)

Vaccinium section Rigiolepis (Hook.f.) Sleumer is revised for the Flora Malesiana region. In the introduction a short history of the genus (section) and its defining characters are presented followed by comments about Sleumer’s classification for this section. Numerical techniques using features suggested by Sleumer on ‘indet’ specimens at Leiden counsel a more conservative approach to species delimitation and the resultant revision for this section recognizes thirteen species including three new taxa, viz., V. crinigrum, V. suberosum, and V. linearifolium. Lectotypes for V. borneense W.W. Sm. and V. leptanthum Miq. are also proposed.