Turraea lescotiana Callm. & Nusb., 2024

Callmander, Martin W. & Nusbaumer, Louis, 2024, Descriptions of ten new species of Turraea L. (Meliaceae, Turraeeae) from Madagascar with notes on the species described by Buchenau, Adansonia (3) 46 (11), pp. 103-128 : 111

Turraea lescotiana Callm. & Nusb. , sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

DIAGNOSIS. — Turraea lescotiana sp. nov. can be distinguished by its small ([1-]1.5-2 × 1-2 cm), subcoriaceous pubescent leaves, its calyx with a deeply divided apical tooth (c. 2 mm long), and its pyriform staminal tubes with the anthers inserted on its distal edge. TYPUS. — Madagascar • Diana Region [Prov. Antsiranana], plateau terminal et pentes supérieures Nosiravo, Montagne des Français ; [12°19’30”S, 49°20’30”E]; 14.XII.1963; fl.; Service Forestier 23003 (holo-, P [ P00263855 ]!; iso-, G [ G00408539 ]!, K [ K004160914 ]!, MO!, P [ P00800350 ]!, TEF) .

PHENOLOGY. — Flowers and immature fruits in December.

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Turraea lescotiana sp. nov. appears to be endemic to the northern dry deciduous forests of Madagascar at an elevation between c. 200 to 300 m.

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet honours Michèle Lescot, formerly at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. Lescot has worked on several families for the Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêt-Nam and the Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. She has also extensively worked on the revision of the Meliaceae for Madagascar and described several new species with Leroy. She also took part of the Gazetteer to Malagasy Botanical Collecting Localities ( Schatz & Lescot 2003) which is still very useful today in finding localities in Madagascar.

CONSERVATION STATUS. — The new species is known from two localities, both of which are situated within the protected area network (Ankarana, Ambohitr’Antsingy). Despite its protection, the Ankarana and Ambohitr’Antsingy (Montagne des français) forests are threatened. The Ankarana massif is subject to wild fires whereas the montagne des Français forests are under extensive conversion for charcoal ( Goodman et al. 2018). With a minimum AOO of 8 km ² and serious plausible threats on its habitat, Turraea lescotiana sp. nov. is therefore preliminary assessed as “Endangered” [EN B1ab(i,iii,i v,v)+2ab(i,iii,iv,v)] in accordance with IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Madagascar • Diana Region [Prov. Antsiranana], plateau de l’Ankarana, au nord-est d’Ambondromifehy; [12°53’30”S, 49°12’00”E]; 26.XII.1963; fl., imm. fr.; Service Forestier 23160 ( G [ G00642053 ], P [ P00853237 ]) .

DESCRIPTION

Shrubs; young twigs puberulent becoming glabrescent. Leaves unifoliolate; immature leaf blade ovate to orbicular, subcoriaceous, pubescent becoming puberulent, (1-)1.5-2 × 1-2 cm, base obtuse, margin entire, revolute, apex attenuate to rounded, surfaces discolorous, brownish, paler abaxially, domatia absent; primary vein prominent, puberulous; secondary veins and reticulum visible on both surfaces; petiole 2-2.5 mm long, pubescent. Inflorescences pauciflorous, 1-3 flowers. Flowers 3-3.5 cm long; pedicel 3 mm long, tomentose. Calyx short cupuliform, 3-3.5 × 4 mm, 5-lobed, each lobe with a deeply divided apical tooth c. 2 mm long, tomentose outside, puberulent inside. Corollas white of 5 spathulate petals, as long as the staminal tube, 30-35 mm long, c. 1.5 mm wide at base, 3 mm wide in the proximal part, apex acute, puberulent proximally, pubescent distally with long hairs, c. 1 mm long outside. Staminal tubes narrowly cylindrical, 30 × 1 mm long, enlarged proximally at anthesis, pyriform, to 3.5 mm large proximally, glabrous; appendices absent; anthers 10, inserted on the distal edge of the staminal tube, elliptic, 1 × 0.5 mm, mucronulate, at anthesis curved backwards on the staminal tube; ovary sublobose, c. 1 mm in diam., villose, locules 8, each with 2 collateral ovules; style exserted 1-2 mm, beyond the staminal tube c. 0.2 mm in diam. Receptaculum pollinis oblate, 1 × 1.5 mm; stigma patelliform, 3 × 0.2 mm. Mature fruit unknown, immature fruits a capsule, subglobose, c. 5 mm diam., villous, calyx persistent. Seeds slightly reniform; testa tuberculate.

NOTES

This new species is very distinctive among the Malagasy Turraea species by the anthers inserted on its distal edge of the staminal tube giving a nail-shaped aspect and the enlarged staminal tube proximally at anthesis ( Fig. 5 ).

Turraea lescotiana sp. nov. was left unpublished by Lescot when she retired under the name “ Turraea vidalii ”. We did not know Jules Eugène Vidal (1914-2020) and his wife Yvette Vidal (1928-2017) who studied the southeastern Asian flora. Therefore, we chose to honour Michèle Lescot whom the authors met at her home in 2022 for this distinctive and nice species.

Figures

FIG. 5. — Turraea lescotiana Callm. & Nusb., sp. nov.: A, flowering stem; B, section of petiole; C, flower with a petal removed and open calyx; D, hair on corolla; E, transversal section of ovary; F, anthers; G, stigma; H, ovary; I, front side view of petal; J, immature fruit on the stem; K, fruit; L, open fruit; M, immature seed. A-M, Service Forestier 23003. Drawings: Jacqueline Lemeux. Scale bars: A, 2 cm; B, 0.4 mm; C, 50 mm; D, H, I, 0.5 mm; E, 1 mm; F, 5 mm; G, J, 2 mm; K, L, 2.5 mm; M, 0.75 mm.