Sylvainia natalensis (Oliv.) M.F.Romero & R.M.Salas, 2023

Romero, Maria Florencia, Gonzalez, Ana Maria & Salas, Roberto Manuel, 2023, Sylvainia, a new monospecific genus within the subtribe Cephalanthinae (Rubiaceae, Naucleeae), Plant Ecology and Evolution 156 (1), pp. 85-111 : 85

Sylvainia natalensis (Oliv.) M.F.Romero & R.M.Salas comb. nov.

Figs 11A-M , 12

Cephalanthus natalensis Oliv., Hooker’s Icones Plantarum 14: 22-23, t. 1331. 1881. ( Oliver 1881).

Type.

SOUTH AFRICA • Natal; Gerrard 1495; lectotype: first-step lectotype (designate by Ridsdale 1976): K; second-step lectotype (designated here): K [K000394935] ("Natal; Gerrard 1945; received 1865"); isolectotype: K [K000394934] (" Natal & Zulu-Land; Coll. Gerrard, purchased 1872"); syntype : SOUTH AFRICA • Transvaal , chiefly near Lydenburg; Dec. 1873; Atherstone s.n.; K [K000394933] .

Description.

Shrub or small tree 3-4 m tall, much-branched, occasionally climbing up to 12 m high or even reaching the canopy in forest. Stems pubescent, sparsely covered with lenticels. Leaves opposite, pseudopetiolate; pseudopetiole puberulous, 4-7 mm long; blades ovate or ovate-oblong, base rounded, cordate or acute, apex acute or obtuse, glabrous, 2-5 × 1-2.5 cm; principal lateral veins 4-6 on both sides, visible abaxially, leaf domatia present as crypts, internally pilose; stipules acuminate, tardily deciduous, dark colleters absent, only with light colleters on the ventral (inner) side. Inflorescences pedunculate; peduncle 2-5 cm long, pubescent, bracteate, bracteoles filiform or spatulate, puberulous, dark colleters absent. Flowers sessile; calyx 4- or 5-lobed, hypanthium cupuliform, puberulous, 0.9-1.9 mm long; lobes ovate, puberulous, 0.1-1 mm long; corolla tubular, 4- or 5-lobed, 6-11 mm long, without dark colleters, lobes oblong, with margin rolled inwards, internally pubescent, externally glabrous, 0.6-1.1 mm long, tube internally and externally glabrous; stamens 4 or 5, filaments filiform 1.2-1.4 mm long, glabrous, anthers subsessile, sagittate, 1-1.3 mm long; ovary 2-carpellate, 2-locular, each locule 1-ovulate; style filiform, 7-15 mm long; stigma slightly claviform to almost inconspicuous, exserted at flower maturity. Fruits fleshy, 3-4 mm long, obovate or ovate, glabrous, lilac, white to pink, with a coriaceous pericarp when dry. Seeds concave-convex, sub-rhomboid in outline, surface minutely reticulate, 1-1.5 mm long; aril 0.4-0.5 mm long, white, slightly rough and spongy.

Habitat and ecology.

Sylvainia natalensis grows in humid forest, commonly found in forest edges and occasionally reaching the canopy of associated trees (of 12 m in height). It also grows in grassland and savanna, usually associated with fire-protected rocky outcrops, but as a much-branched shrub. It grows at elevations between 1500 and 2000 m. The fruits are endozoochorous; they are consumed by fruit-eating animals, notably birds, baboons, and monkeys ( Boon 2010; Van Wyk and Van Wyk 2013).

Phenology.

Flowers from August to January, mainly in the middle of spring; bearing fruit mainly from December to March, extending to May and June.

Vernacular names.

Strawberry bush, tree-strawberry, quinine berry (English); witaarbeibos, witpruim (Afrikaans); mothotwe, motlholobu (Northern Sotho); murondo, mutsanda (Tshivenda); umfomfo (Siswati); umfimfi, isamfomfo, umfomamasi, umkhombe (isiZulu); morodwe (Balobedu); musipwe, umfunfu (Shona) ( Nenungwi 2017).

Uses.

The fruits are occasionally eaten by people, either fresh or made into a preserve; the flavour is bittersweet, with a slight touch of lemon peel, but extremely bitter when not ripe, or when bruised or stored for a long time ( Fox and Norwood Young 1982). The specimen Bull s.n. (K000394931) mentions: "plant produces a good edible fruit". A similar observation is mentioned on Galpin 534 (K000394932): "fruit said to resemble a strawberry in appearance and to be edible". In traditional ethnoveterinary uses, the leaves are ground into powder and used to treat eye problems in cattle ( Coates Palgrave 1997; Boon 2010; Van Wyk and Van Wyk 2013). In gardening, it can be used in pots or flower beds ( Johnson et al. 2002).

IUCN conservation assessment.

Categorized as LC (Least Concern) ( Foden and Potter 2005).

Additional material examined.

ESWATINI • Fortesberg [interpreted]; 7 Mar. 1964; Bayliss 2063 ; US [ US 02370618] • Mbabane , Forest arms, Red Hills, rocky hill in the forest plantation c/ Pinus spp.; 26°26 ’59” S, 31°1 ’0” E; 20 Mar. 1983; Groenendijk & Koning 262; WAG [WAG.1543215] .

MALAWI • Southern Mt Mulanje, Big Ruo Valley ; 1800 m; 3 Nov. 1988; J.D. Chapman & E.G. Chapman 9390; K, MO .

MOZAMBIQUE - Manica • Sussundenga Dist., Chimanimani mountains, Chindoro area , massif. wp125; 19°48 ’59” S, 33°06 ’17” E; 1593 m; 2 Nov. 2014; Timberlake & Chipanga 6042; BR [BR0000025607932V], K .

SOUTH AFRICA • Natal; 17 Mar. 1880; Bull s.n.; K [K000394931] • In colle saxoso Van Reenen, Natal; 1524-1829 m; 16 Nov. 1897; Wood 6621; BR [BR0000017839945] , US [ US 02370622]. - Limpopo • [Soutpansberg] About 15 miles from Sibasa into Zoutpansberg Mountains toward Lake Funduzi; 1524 m; 12 Mar. 1948; Rodin 4109 ; US [ US 02370617] • Soutpansberg ; 9 Aug. 1937; Smuts 3283; K. - Mpumalanga • Graskop , Diepdrift , Department of Forestry , Eucalyptus plantation; 11 Sep. 1975; Balsinhas 2771; PRE, WAG [WAG.1543224] • Badplaas (eManzana), Plaas Makatula , ca 6 km vanaf Badplaas-Machadodorp road; 3 Feb. 1987; Behr & Crosby 922; PRE • Transvaal orientalis, in regione civitatis Graskop, in collibus fruticosis et herbosis; 1200-1500 m; 10 Jul. 1962; Bernardi 8978; G , US [ US 02370619] • [Louwsburg] Ngotshe District , ca 55 km ESE of Vryheid and 31 km WNW of Nongoma, Farm Isihlengeni 689; 27°50 ’11.0” S, 31°20 ’22.6” E; 1186 m; 16 Feb. 2010; Bester 9869; PRE • Mountainsides Barberton; 914 m; Sep.-Oct. 1889; Galpin 534; K • 2 miles N of Potholes; 6 Mar. 1968; Leistner & Mauve 3261; K, PRE, WAG [WAG.1543221] • Sabie, Langverwag; 24 Aug. 1963; Louw 2836; AAU • Mariepskop, state forest; 24°34 ’57.9” S, 30°51 ’45.0” E; 1337 m; 6 Oct. 2007; Maurin & Bank 1583; JRAU, WAG [WAG.1488521] • Pilgrim’s Rest; Nov. 1915; Rogers 14845 ; US [ US 02370620] • Barberton ; 2 Feb. 1922; Rogers 21605; K • Waterval Onder; 1 Oct. 1979; Ruprossev 1227; K • east Transvaal, Sabie, Frankfort-plantasie; 13 Jan. 1963; Sijde 115; L [L.2853524] • Nkangala; 12 Jun. 1932; Smuts 21; K • Transvaal, District Lydenburg, bei der Stadt Lyndenburg; Jan. 1886; Wilms 1815; AMD [AMD.116809] .

TANZANIA- Mbeya • Rungwe Livingstone Mountains, foot trail from Bumbigi on steep ridge top N of Isalala River; 9°11'S, 33°52'E; 1900 m; 3 Mar. 1991; Gereau & Kayombo 4174; MO. - Ruvuma • Nyassa Hochland, Station Kyimbila; 9°16 ’59” S, 33°37 ’0” E; Jan. 1912; Stolz 2164; L [L.2853522], U [U.1553392], WAG [WAG.1543216] .

ZAMBIA • Klein Australe ; Aug. 1930; Hutchinson & Gillet 4170; BR [BR0000017839884] .

ZIMBABWE • Gazaland, Hills overlooking Jusítu R. on North , Rhodesia, raspberry-like fruits, making excellent preserves, common in mountain forests, especially in Mountain Pene ; 5000 feet [1524 m]; 20 Sep. 1906; Swynnerton 654 ; US [ US 02370621] • District Melsetter , Jarka, in forest; 10 Oct. 1950; Wild 30393; BR [BR0000017839877] • District Umtali, Vumba Mountains, open grasslands; 5300 ft; 8 Feb. 1957; Chase 6740; BR [BR0000017839860] • S . Rhodesia, Viumba Mt. Insilimhumides; 10 Nov. 1938; Lanjouw 1312; U [U.1553393, U.1553394] .

Notes.

Schmidt et al. (2002) described the leaf domatia without any hairs inside. However, Romero et al. (2019), based on anatomical and micromorphological examination, stated them to be crypt domatia, internally pilose. According to the protologue of Cephalanthus natalensis , this taxon was described from two specimens: Gerrard 1495 and Atherstone s.n., both deposited in K. On the sheet of the type specimen, four branches were mounted; two of them correspond to the original material, Gerrard 1495 (K000394935 and K000394934), but the other branches do not and/or belong to other species. Ridsdale (1976) selected Gerrard 1495 as the lectotype, without distinguishing between the two specimens. He also mentioned that it is deposited in “CR”, which corresponds to the National Herbarium of Costa Rica (acronym according to Thiers 2023), which can be interpreted as a clerical error, because all the type specimens studied by Daniel Oliver are deposited in K ( Stafleu and Cowan 1981). The two collections of Gerrard 1495, mounted on the same sheet, can be identified as different specimens because they were incorporated in K at different times. One of the specimens was received in K in July 1865, and presents drawings made by the author of the species (K000394935), whereas the second specimen was acquired by the herbarium in March 1872 (K000394935). Although Ridsdale (1976) performed the lectotypification, he only mentioned " Gerrard 1495 (K)", without any mention that allows the two types to be differentiated. Thus, a second-step lectotype must be designated following Turland et al. (2018: article 9.17).

Figures

Figure 11. Sylvainia natalensis. A. Flower branch. B. Leaves. C. Stipule. D. Abaxial side of leaf with hairy crypt domatia. E. Adaxial side of leaf with bulges caused by domatia. F. Partial inflorescence. G. Perfect flower. H. Unfolded corolla. I. Style and stigma. J. Fruit, ventral side. K. Dorsal view of seed with reduced aril. L. Lateral view of seed with reduced aril. M. Longitudinal section through fruit and with one seed per locule. Drawn by Laura Simon.

Figure 12. Distribution map of Sylvainia natalensis.