Background-A novelty was discovered by the first author during fieldwork in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After comparing to herbarium collections in BR, K and WAG it is described. Methods-Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied. Key results-A new species, Pancovia lubiniana Belesi, is described and illustrated. The species is found in the lowland forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. It is particular by its number of leaflets and the surface sculpturing of its fruits. © 2011 National Botanic Garden of Belgium and Royal Botanical Society of Belgium.