Achyranthes talbotii Hutch. & Dalziel

Sukhorukov, Alexander P., Kushunina, Maria, Nilova, Maya V., Baider, Cláudia & Sennikov, Alexander N., 2024, Africa and Arabia encompass a much greater species diversity in the Achyranthes aspera aggregate (Amaranthaceae, achyranthoid clade): Evidence from morphological and chorological data, PhytoKeys 250, pp. 21-94 : 21-94

Achyranthes talbotii Hutch. & Dalziel , Fl. W. Tr. Afr.: 127 (1927).

Holotype.

Nigeria, [probably Osun State] Oran district , 1911–1912, P. A. Talbot s. n. ( K 000243719 !).

Habitat.

Forests and along streams, often on rocky or volcanic substrates at elevations of 0–1000 m a. s. l. as in J. P. M. Brenan 9497 (in many herbaria), who adds: “ Lava rocks by cataracts above water level, frequent; perennial herb with woody base, ± cespitose stem, purplish-green; leaves papery, dull green ± purple tinged; inflorescence erect, pale green ”. M. Cheek et al. 10401 ( K 000051090 & WAG 1404466) also added: “ Lowland evergreen forest around series of waterfalls in river gorge; rheophyte erect herb 15–45 cm tall, rooting in rock crevices and on the surface ”.

Distribution.

(Fig. 20 ). Cameroon: [West Region] Toké, 20 Mar 1948, J. P. M. Brenan 9497 ( BM, BR 0000013708900, K 000025614, M, P 06651712); [Littoral Region] Loum, 20 Dec 1957, H. C. D. de Wit 392 ( WAG 0185720); [Littoral Region] 35 km E of Yabassi, 9 Jan 1972, R. Letouzey 10938 ( K, P 06651714, YA); Southwest Region, Mt. Cameroon, 350 m a. s. l., 20 Oct 1993, M. Cheek & al. 5013 ( BR 0000005004102, K 000518867, WAG 0255392); Southwest Region, Mokoko, 280 m a. s. l., 26 May 1994, D. W. Thomas 10167 ( K 000875887); Southwest Region, Mount Cameroon, Bomana, 400 m a. s. l., 20 Oct 1993, N. Ndam 742 ( K 000518868); Kupe-Muanenguba Division, Baseng, 750 m a. s. l., 16 Dec 1999, M. Cheek & al. 10401 ( K 000051090, WAG 1404466); [Southwest Region] Kumba to Loum, 26 Jan 1986, H. Breyne 5062 ( BR 0000013709051, YA); Northwest Region, Bamenda, 620 m a. s. l., 14 Nov 2000, B. J. Pollard 483 ( K 001422626); Southwest Region, Mbu River, 27 Nov 2000, M. Cheek & al. 10635 ( K 001422627, P 00940016); Southwest Region, Nyandong, 400 m a. s. l., 27 Mar 2003, M. Cheek & al. 11466 ( K 001518827).

Note. Two additional records kept at YA (bank of Nkam River, near Sake, 3 km southwest of Nkondjok, 4 ° 77 ' N, 10 ° 17 ' E, 07 Jan 1972, R. Letouzey 11163; Kombon at the bank of Kombon River, 4 ° 59 ' N, 9 ° 26 ' E, 23 Mar 2011, F. Kuetegue 316) and cited by Kuetegue et al. (2019) were also added to the Fig. 20 .

Liberia: 30 miles W of Bomi Hills, bank of Lofa River, 12 Nov 1969, J. W. A. Jansen 1486 ( BR 0000013833961, K);

Nigeria: see holotype.

General distribution.

Tropical West Africa. Probably present at least in the countries located between Liberia and Nigeria ( Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo) with a similar climate and vegetation. A specimen from Nigeria (Ogoja Prov., Ikom distr., 17 Dec 1950, R. W. J. Keay 26284, K 000243718!) with wider oblong leaves was noted by Suessenguth as Achyranthes talbotii var. ogojensis Suess. A similar specimen was also collected in Cameroon (Mount Cameroon, 1830 m a. s. l., 4 Feb 1962, F. J. Breteler & al. 202, K 000025642!) with a short annotation: “ Herb up to 1 m high, stems obscurely quadrangular, green, above the nodes dark red, leaves dark green, paler beneath, frequent ”. The taxonomic status of such plants has not been evaluated so far (records of both specimens are not mapped here).

Note.

A report of A. talbotii from Madagascar and Europa Islands ( Cavaco 1962) is unlikely because of different habitats (open grassy vegetation) and a location very remote from the West Tropical Africa. According to Jean Hivert (pers. comm.), the plants from the French Overseas territories belong to a distinct species.

Nomina incertae sedis vel excludenda

Many names in Achyranthes have not been resolved yet owing to the absence of their type material in major herbaria. Some authentic specimens of unresolved names may be dispersed through many herbaria, e. g. those of Burman f. ( Wijnands 1992), that makes them difficult to trace when the type material was not recognised and remains unavailable electronically. Among species described from Africa, little is known about A. frumentacea Burm. f. , A. pedicellata Lopr. , A. rubrolutea Lopr. , A. viridis Lopr. , and A. winteri Schinz . They are shortly discussed below.

Achyranthes frumentacea Burm. f. , Fl. Ind. [N. L. Burman] Prodr. Fl. Cap.: 7 (1768).

The protologue in “ Prodromus Florae Capensis ” is very short and incomplete ( Burman 1768), and the most informative phrase is “ spicis gracilibus frumentaceis ” [spikes subtile, grain-like]. The frumentaceous spikes may refer to the small grain-like diaspores that are present, e. g., in Achyranthes annua , a reinstated species also known in South Africa (present paper). Nevertheless, this assumption cannot be confirmed at present, and there are no specimens named as A. frumentacea in G-PREL (Nicolas Fumeaux, pers. comm.), the major Burman collection in Europe, as well as in Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France (Sabrina Castandet-Le Bris, pers. comm.). This forgotten name was only mentioned in van Hall (1830) who doubted that the plant described is referable to Achyranthes .

Achyranthes pedicellata Lopr. , Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 27 (1–2): 56 (1899).

Lopriore (1899) described this Central African species in the following way: subshrubby; leaves short (up to 3 cm long); bracteoles hairy; flowers very shortly pedicellate; perianth hairy. The description does not match any Achyranthes in a traditional sense. Baker and Clarke (1909) and Cavaco (1962) noted that this name may belong to Pandiaka , although Klopper et al. (2006) left it under Achyranthes as insufficiently known species.

Achyranthes rubrolutea Lopr. , Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 27 (1–2): 57 (1899). [“ rubro-lutea ”]

This species has been transferred to the genus Pandiaka ( Townsend 1980 a, as P. rubrolutea (Lopr.) C. C. Towns. ) based on the syntypes seen at Z. Therefore, we exclude this species from Achyranthes .

Achyranthes viridis Lopr. , Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 27 (1–2): 56 (1899).

This species described by Lopriore (1899) from Tanzania is characterized by short (up to 2.5 cm) internodes and capitate inflorescences up to 1 cm long consisting of densely arranged flowers with glabrous perianth segments. Cavaco (1962) thought that A. viridis more likely belongs to A. aspera var. sicula , but the short internodes and capitate inflorescences are not characteristic of any Achyranthes and may refer to Alternanthera , although Klopper et al. (2006) left it under Achyranthes as insufficiently known species.

Achyranthes winteri Schinz ex Peter , Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg., Beiheft 40 (2, 3): 240 (1938), nom. inval. Schinz (in Peter 1938) briefly described this new species (in German) as having ovate leaves and solitary flowers with fimbriae. Such characters are not informative, and the species is absent in a diagnostic key provided by Peter (1938). The key includes Achyranthes in a traditional sense as well as the species with a pubescent perianth (not belonging to Achyranthes s. str.) and Centrostachys aquatica . Klopper et al. (2006) consider it as an insufficiently known species, probably based on Townsend (1985) who noted that the original specimens cited in the protologue ( Peter 1938) were probably destroyed in Berlin during the WW 2.

Figures

Figure 20. Distribution map of Achyranthes talbotii.