Taxonomic studies of Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy region. IV. Synoptic revision of the Squamosa group in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands
Author
Schatz, George E.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63110 (United States) george. schatz @ mobot. org
george.schatz@mobot.org
Author
Lowry II, Porter P.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63110 (United States) and Institut de Systématique, Évolution et Biodiversité, ISYEB – Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Centre national de la Recherche scientifique, Sorbonne Université, École pratique des Hautes Études, Université des Antilles
pete.lowry@mobot.org
text
Adansonia
2020
3
2020-07-20
42
9
201
218
journal article
21446
10.5252/adansonia2020v42a10
4f2bbc27-03f2-46a2-a461-9995a8a5a5fd
1639-4798
3953000
Diospyros phillipsonii
G.E. Schatz & Lowry,
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 9
)
Diospyros phillipsonii
G.E. Schatz & Lowry
,
sp. nov.
is distinguished from other species in the Squamosa group by its oblong leaves with a length:width ratio of 3-4:1 and a usually rounded apex.
TYPUS
. —
Madagascar
.
Melaky Region
[Prov.
Mahajanga
], Réserve naturelle
de Bemaraha
,
SE of Antsalova
,
18°45’S
,
44°48’E
,
400 m
,
23.VIII.1987
, fr.,
Phillipson 2238
(holo-,
MO
[
MO3514688
]!;
iso-,
K
!,
P
[
P04539530
]!,
TAN
[
TAN001834
]!)
.
PARATYPES
. —
Madagascar
.
Melaky
Region [Prov.
Mahajanga
]:
Beanka
, partie centrale,
Andranatsiritsy
, forêt galerie, dans le cours d’eau,
17°58’23”S
,
44°29’43”E
,
206 m
,
12.XII.2011
, fr.,
Nusbaumer
et al. 3090
(
G
,
MO
,
P
[
P00872431
],
TEF
)
;
Rives
boisées de
l’Anapondy
, affluent de droite de la
Sofia
, [
15°26’S
,
47°20’E
],
VIII.1905
,
♀
fl.,
Perrier de la Bâthie
8774
(
P
[
P00541700
,
P00541701
])
;
Rocailles
près des torrents, bassin moyen du
Bemarivo
(
Boina
), sur gneiss, [
16°58’12”S
,
44°24’00”E
],
600 m
,
IX.1907
,
♀
fl.,
Perrier de la Bâthie
8784
(
P
[
P00541702
,
P00541703
,
P00541704
])
;
Bemaraha
RNI,
28.II.1960
, fr.,
Réserves Naturelles
11132
(
P
[
P04539531
])
.
ETYMOLOGY. — This species is named in honor of our good friend and colleague Peter B. Phillipson, with whom we have had the pleasure of collaborating since 1987, when he first started working in
Madagascar
at the Beza Mahafaly Reserve. Pete joined the staff of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2003, and has contributed in numerous ways to our growing knowledge of the Malagasy flora, including through his field work, especially in the drier parts of the island, as well as taxonomic studies of dozens of groups, and has played a key role in the development of the on-line
Catalogue of the Plants of
Madagascar
.
DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. —
Diospyros phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
is distributed along rivers in dry forest in western
Madagascar
from Bemaraha to the Sofia River basin (
Fig. 2
), from
206 to 600 m
elevation.
PHENOLOGY. —
Diospyros phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
has been recorded in flower in August and September, and in fruit in August and December.
VERNACULAR NAME. — Lepingo (
RN 11132
).
CONSERVATION STATUS. —
Diospyros phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
has a geographic range in the form of an EOO of 36
124 km
2
and a minimum area of occupancy of
16 km
2. It is present in the protected areas of Beanka, Bemaraha, and Bemarivo. Outside of these protected areas it is threatened by fire, forest clearing for agriculture, and collection of firewood and construction material. With respect to the principal threat of forest clearing for agriculture,
D. phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
exists at four locations. With projected continuing decline in habitat quality,
D. phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
can therefore be assessed for its risk of extinction as Endangered [EN B2ab(iiii)] (
IUCN 2012
).
DESCRIPTION
Shrub to tree
4-15 m
tall. Young stems densely covered with very short (
0.1-0.2 mm
), erect gray trichomes or glabrous. Lamina 4.2-10.3 ×
1.1-3.8 cm
, oblong, the first leaves of a shoot 4.0-4.5 ×
2.4 cm
, ovate, coriaceous, with scattered very short erect gray trichomes above or glabrous, base rounded to obtuse, margin slightly revolute, apex rounded to rarely acute and then the acumen rounded, midrib slightly sunken above, covered with dense, matted, appressed gray trichomes or glabrous, raised below, venation weakly brochidodromous, with 11-13 secondary veins per side, faintly visible and only slightly raised above and below; petiole
3-5 mm
, densely covered with short erect gray trichomes or glabrous, terete to slightly flattened above. Male flowers not seen. Female flowers in axillary, 1-3-flowered inflorescences from axils of fallen leaves, enclosed within 11-15, distichous, overlapping, cucullate bracts, collectively broadly ovate, 8 ×
12 mm
, the largest bract 6 ×
6 mm
, triangular to rounded, densely covered with semi-appressed, golden trichomes
0.5-0.8 mm
long both inside and outside; peduncle
2-4 mm
,
2-3 mm
in diam.; flowers sessile; calyx urceolate to globose,
10-12 mm
tall,
10-12 mm
in diam., with 4 broadly triangular lobes, 4 ×
9 mm
, densely covered with semi-appressed, golden trichomes, less densely so just below the rim of calyx; corolla
10 mm
tall, fused for basal
2-3 mm
, the 4 lobes broadly triangular, 7 ×
5 mm
, base of the lobes auriculate, apex obtuse, glabrous, minutely verruculose outside; staminodia 4, 4 mm long, attached at the base of the corolla, filament
2 mm
, antherode
2 mm
; ovary globose,
3.5 mm
,
3.5 mm
in diam., verruculose, style
2.5-3 mm
long,
1.5 mm
in diam.; stigma 4-lobed, the lobes narrowly triangular, 1 ×
0.6 mm
. Pedicel in fruit
3-4 mm
×
2.5-3 mm
; calyx in young fruit densely covered with very short golden, semi-appressed trichomes, in mature fruit the calyx lobes 7 ×
12-15 mm
, the apex and margins reflexed, the apex rounded to obtuse, the fused portion of the calyx
10-12 mm
tall, the surface with 4 ridges extending from each sinus to the base; fruit
20-25 mm
tall,
20 mm
in diam., glaucous.
FIG. 9. —
Diospyros phillipsonii
G.E. Schatz & Lowry
,
sp. nov.
:
A
, fruiting branch;
B
, fruit from side (note bract scars on pedicel);
C
, fruit from top;
D
, detail of leaf venation (adaxial surface).
A-D
,
Nusbaumer et al. 3090
(P00872431). Illustration by A. Jouy. Scale bars: A, 4 cm; B, C, 12 mm; D, 2 cm.
NOTES
Diospyros phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
can be recognized from other members of the Squamosa group by its oblong leaves with a length:width ratio of 3-4:1 and a usually rounded apex, the latter feature shared with
D. sennenii
,
sp. nov.
which, however, has elliptic lamina with a length:width ratio of 2-3:1. As here circumscribed,
D. phillipsonii
,
sp. nov.
includes two of the original
syntypes
of
D. cinnamomoides
H. Perrier
(
Perrier de la Bâthie 8774
and
8784
), which were excluded at the time that species was lectotypified (
Schatz & Lowry 2011
).