Ocotea thouvenotii (Danguy) Kosterm.

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2013, A revision of the genus Ocotea Aubl. (Lauraceae) in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, Adansonia (3) 35 (2), pp. 235-279 : 270-271

31. Ocotea thouvenotii (Danguy) Kosterm.

( Fig. 11 )

Notulae systematicae 8: 78 (1939).

Mespilodaphne thouvenotii Danguy, Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris 26: 561 (1920) .

— Typus: Madagascar, Analamazaotra , XI.1919, fls, Thouvenot 33 (holo-, P [ P00573067 ]! ; iso-, K, MO, P [ P00541557 , P00573066 ]!) .

Ocotea capuronii Kosterm. , Communication (Pengumuman) of the Forest Research Institute, Indonesia, 60: 7 (1957).

— Typus: Madagascar, Bassin de Fananehana, 600 m, II.1954, fr., Service Forestier (Capuron) 8978 (holo-, P [ P00541603 ]! ; iso-, K, MO!, P [ P00541604 , P00541605 !]) .

SELECTED SPECIMENS SEEN. — Toamasina.Fiv.deToamasina II, commune Anterina, RNI Zahamena , Andrianjafy et al. 238 (MO) ; Toamasina. 7.5 km E of the turnoff to Andasibe on Route nationale 2, at km 144, Miller et al. 8766 (MO, TAN) ; Toamasina, Préf. Fénérive Est, Vavatenina , Commune Ambodimangavalo , Andrianjafy 307 (MO, P[P01977677]) .

DISTRIBUTION. — This species occurs in eastern forests, collected in Périnet, Ambatondrazaka, vicinity of Tamatave north to the basin of the Fananehana between 600 and 1100 m altitude.

PHENOLOGY. — Flowers: November-January: fruits: February, June, September, October.

VERNACULAR NAMES. — Varongy ravimanga, antafonona, varongy fotsy, varongy, antafonana.

DESCRIPTION

Tree or shrub, to 22 m tall. Twigs angular, densely (rufous) brown-tomentellous, terminal buds densely tomentellous. Leaves (sub)opposite, firmly chartaceous, 11-20 × 5-8 cm, elliptic, apex and base acute, upper surface glabrous or with remnants of a tomentellous indument on midrib and lateral veins, lower surface with a short, erect indument, surface visible, indument much denser along midrib and lateral veins, domatia present in axils of the main lateral veins, consisting of a shallow pocket covered by a tuft of reddish hairs; lateral veins 6-8 on each side, immersed on upper surface, raised on lower surface, tertiary venation raised on lower surface. Petioles 1.4-1.8 cm long, with similar indument as twigs. Inflorescences in the axils of leaves, paniculate, brown-tomentellous, 5-10 cm long. Flowers 5 mm in diameter, tomentellous; tepals 6, densely pubescent on inner surface, 2 mm long, half-erect at anthesis. Stamens 9, all 4-celled, 1 mm long, filaments short, pubescent, anthers papillose,staminodia 3, pubescent. Receptacle densely pubescent inside, ovary sparsely pubescent, c. 1 mm long, gradually narrowed into the 1 mm long style. Cupule cupshaped, 1.5 cm in diameter, pedicel somewhat thickened in fruit.

REMARKS

Ocotea thouvenotii is one of the two Ocotea species with (sub) opposite leaves and domatia. The other species, O. corethroides , differs in its very short, ± appressed indument on the lower leaf surface or glabrous leaves, in its generally deep domatia with slit-like opening, and the absence of a tuft of red hairs in or surrounding the domatia. The papillose anthers are unusual among the Ocotea species from Madagascar. Vegetatively, O. thouvenotii is similar to O. longipes , but the latter species has alternate leaves and is restricted to the Massif de Tsaratanana and the adjacent basin of the Maeverano. Kostermans (1957) considered O. longipes a synonym of O. thouvenotii . The differences between these two species are not very strong. The leaf position is not always easy to verify, especially when some of the leaves have fallen off and leaf position is only indicated by their scars. The geographic separation is also not absolute. A collection from Vavatenina, Rakotondrafara 127, (in the distribution range of O. thouvenotii ) has alternate leaves, while Antilahimena 2714 from Maroantsetra has opposite leaves. Because the great majority of the collections show that mid-altitude plants with a southern distribution have opposite leaves and high-altitude plants with a northern distribution have alternate leaves, I recognize O. thouvenotii and O. longipes as distinct species. Kostermans (1939) indicated that O. thouvenotii was possibly only a variety of O. humblotii , but this latter species has slit-domatia and alternate, nearly glabrous leaves.

Kostermans recognized O. capuronii based on differences in leaves and indument, but did not indicate what these differences were. In my opinion, O. capuronii falls within the variation of O. thouvenotii .

Figures

Fig. 11. Distribution of Ocotea malcomberi van der Werff (N), O. perforata Kosterm. (p), O. spanantha van der Werff (l) and O. thouvenotii (Danguy) Kosterm. (Ì).