Beilschmiedia sericans Kosterm.

Werff, Henk van der, 2003, A synopsis of the genus Beilschmiedia (Lauraceae) in Madagascar, Adansonia (3) 25 (1), pp. 77-92 : 89-90

8. Beilschmiedia sericans Kosterm.

J. Sci. Res. (Jakarta) 1: 115 (1952). — Apollonias sericea Kosterm., Notul. Syst. (Paris) 8: 70 (1939), non Beilschmiedia sericea Teschn. — TYPE: Louvel 218, Madagascar, forêts côtières et forêts montagneuses (holo-, P!; iso- U!).

Tree. Twigs roundly angled, densely appressedtomentellous, glabrescent with age. Terminal buds densely brown pubescent. Leaves alternate, chartaceous, 9-20 × 2.5-7 cm, narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate to elliptic or obovate, the base acute, the tip acute or acuminate, the upper surface glabrous or with appressed pubescence on the main veins, lower surface densely sericeous pubescent, in older leaves sericeous and glaucous, lateral veins 7-10 on each side; veins immersed on upper surface, midrib and lateral veins raised, tertiary venation immersed on lower surface. Petioles 1-2.5 cm long, with similar indument as twigs. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, browntomentellous, c. 10 cm long, bracts frequently present, those near the base of the inflorescence c. 5 mm long, ovate-elliptic, brown-tomentellous, those on the distal part of the inflorescence smaller. Pedicels 5-10-(15) mm long. Flowers depressed globose, brown-tomentellous. Tepals 6, equal, incurved, 2-3 mm long, densely tomentellous inside. Stamens 9, 2-celled, glabrous, the outer 6 with lateral-introrse cells, c. 0.7 mm long, the inner 3 columnar, the cells lateral, glands inconspicuous. Staminodia 3, small, glabrous. Pistil with basal 1/3 pubescent, otherwise glabrous. Receptacle shallow, pubescent. Fruit roundish, c. 3 cm in diameter, tepals not deciduous, but persisting and ultimately wearing off.

ECOLOGY. — Coastal forests.

DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from 3 collections, one from Ampasimanolotra, one from the Masoala Peninsula and one without locality data. — Fig. 2.

PHENOLOGY. — Flowers in June; fruits in November.

Beilschmiedia sericans is closely related to B. velutina , from which it differs by its sericeous indument of the leaves and by its longer pedicels. The floral structure is very similar to that of B. velutina . KOSTERMANS (1957) gave a description of the fruits based on two fruiting collections [Service Forestier (Capuron) 843 and Humbert & Capuron 24277)]. However, leaves of these specimens lack the sericeous indument; instead, the glaucous lower leaf surface carries some erect trichomes and I therefore include these collections in B. velutina . The holotype of B. sericans in P does not give the collector's name, but the octagonal label with a blue margin is identical to those found on other Louvel collections, and Louvel is indicated as the collector on the isotype in U. KOSTERMANS gave as type locality Analamazaotra, but the types only state “forêts côtières et forêts montagneuses”. Because the other two collections of this species are both from coastal localities, I assume that the type also comes from coastal forests and that KOSTERMANS mistakenly indicated Analamazaotra as type locality.

COMMON NAMES. — Voakoromanga, sary.

SPECIMENS STUDIED. — MADAGASCAR: Louvel 218, coastal and montane forests, fl. (P, U); Service Forestier 10969, Andriantantely, Brickaville, st. (MO, P, TEF); Vasey & Velo 153, Masoala Peninsula, south of Ambanizana, fr. (MO).

Figures

Fig. 2. — Distribution of Beilschmiedia in Madagascar: B. madagascariensis (*); B. pedicellata (✚); B. pedicellata with dimerous flowers (); B. sericans (Δ); B. velutina (•).