Rhodolaena acutifolia Baker, 1884

Schatz, George E., Lowry Ii, Porter P. & Wolf, Anne-Elizabeth, 2000, Endemic families of Madagascar. VI. A synoptic revision of Rhodolaena (Sarcolaenaceae), Adansonia (3) 22 (2), pp. 239-252 : 242-243

1. Rhodolaena acutifolia Baker

J. Linn. Soc., Bot., 21: 322-323 (1884).

TYPE. — Baron 2427, Madagascar, without precise locality (holo-, K!) .

Rhodolaena acutifolia occurs in mid-elevation humid to subhumid forest from Zahamena RNI and the Maningory River valley ( Fig. 1 ). It is distinguished by it relatively small, subcoriaceous, elliptic leaves, with an acuminate apex and acute base, and its sepals with dense, short, appressed indument on the portion covered by the adjacent overlapping sepal in bud. The leaves of R. acutifolia dry maroon-brownish, the secondary veins are usually obscure on the dull upper surface, and the tertiary veins form a dense reticulated network on the lower surface (characters shared with R. altivola – see below). This species has recently been collected at Zahamena RNI.

V E R N AC U L A R N A M E S.— Anjananjana,

Tsimahamasakatsokina.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Baron 2427, 6086, without precise locality; Cours 1553, Tsonsona; Herb. Inst. Sci. Madag. 4454, Zahamena RNI; Malcomber 2513A, Zahamena RNI; Perrier de la Bâthie 2224, Maningory; Réserves Naturelles 3163, 10487, Zahamena RNI; Service Forestier 26090, Zahamena RNI.

Figures

Fig. 1. — Distributions of Rhodolaena, mapped on the bioclimatic zones of Madagascar (after CORNET 1974; see SCHATZ 2000). R. acutifolia (•), R. altivola (*), R. bakeriana (Δ), R. leroyana (-).