Cryptocarya glabriflora Van der Werff, 2008

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2008, A new species and new combinations in Cryptocarya from Madagascar, Adansonia (3) 30 (1), pp. 41-46 : 42

Cryptocarya glabriflora Van der Werff , sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 ) Cryptocaryae alseodaphnifoliae affinis, sed foliis obovatis, coriaceis, subtus glandulo-punctatis, inflorescentiis majoribus, ad 9 cm longis recedit.

TYPUS. — Madagascar. Toamasina, Vatomandry, Commune Ambalabe, W of Sahamahirana stream, 19°09’33’’S, 48°34’40’’E, 21.XI.2004 , A. Randrianasolo , R. Ranaivojaona & A. Razanatsima 902 (holo-, TAN; iso-, G, MO, P, US) .

DESCRIPTION

Tree, to 30 m. Twigs angular or terete, glabrous, terminal buds densely and minutely puberulous. Leaves alternate, obovate to obovate-elliptic, 6-11 × 3-6 cm, glabrous, stiffly coriaceous, the base acute, rarely obtuse, margin flat, the apex rounded, the lower surface minutely but densely gland-dotted, lateral veins 4-6 on each side, reticulation raised on both surfaces, petioles glabrous, 9-14 mm long. Inflorescences 3.5-9 cm long, paniculate, branched from the base, glabrous; bracts along inflorescences mostly deciduous, 1.5 mm long, linear, pubescent. Flowers yellow-green, externally glabrous, tepals initially half-erect, in old flowers spreading, flowers 4-5 mm in diameter; pedicels short, from half the length of the floral tube to equaling it; tepals 6, equal, narrowly ovate, 1.5-2 mm long, glabrous outside, puberulous inside; stamens 9, all 2-celled, pubescent, c. 1 mm long, the filament very short, 0.1-0.2 mm, the anther cells large, the connectives slightly prolonged beyond the anther cells; stamens with the same length and width as the tepals and hidden behind them; 2 small globose glands present at the base of the inner three stamens; staminodia small, narrowly ovate, pubescent; pistil glabrous, the style to 1 mm exserted, receptacle tubular, pubescent near the rim, otherwise glabrous. Fruits unknown.

REMARKS

Only two species of Cryptocarya from Madagascar (including those previously placed Ravensara ) have the combination of glabrous twigs and leaves and raised reticulation on both surfaces of the leaves. Of these two, Ravensara macrophylla Kosterm. , only known from the fruiting type, differs in leaf shape (elliptic) and size (16-20 cm long). The other species, C. alseodaphnifolia Kosterm. , is known only from the flowering type collection. Like C. glabriflora , it has glabrous flowers, a feature unknown in other members of the genus on Madagascar (although flowers are unknown in 13 species, their types having fruits only). Cryptocarya glabriflora differs in having stiffly coriaceous leaves (chartaceous in C. alseodaphnifolia , although Kostermans (1957) described them as coriaceous), leaves that are obovate to obovate-elliptic (elliptic to broadly elliptic in C. alseodaphnifolia ), and densely and minutely gland-dotted on the lower surface (without gland-dots in C. alseodaphnifolia ), and the inflorescences are 3.5 to 9 cm long (1-3 cm in C. alseodaphnifolia according to Kostermans (1957) although the isotype I have seen did not have inflorescences longer than 1.5 cm). Cryptocarya glabriflora is only known from the type collection, made in primary forest near Ambalabe, at mid-elevation on the east coast of central Madagascar.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Cryptocarya glabriflora Van der Werff:A, habit;B, flower;C, opened flower showing arrangement of stamens and staminodia; D, detail of lower leaf surface showing gland dots. Randrianasolo et al. 902. Scale bars: A, 2 cm; B-D, 1 mm.