Astropanax urostachyus (Harms) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin, 2017

Lowry Ii, Porter P., Plunkett, Gregory M., Gostel, Morgan R. & Frodin, David G., 2017, A synopsis of the Afro-Malagasy species previously included in Schefflera (Araliaceae): resurrection of the genera Astropanax and Neocussonia, Candollea 72 (2), pp. 265-282 : 274

A14. Astropanax urostachyus (Harms) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin , comb. nov.

÷ Schefflera urostachya Harms in Wiss. Ergebn. Deut. Zentr.-Afr. Exped., Bot. 2: 591, tab. 78. 1913. ÷ Schefflera barteri var. urostachya (Harms) Tennant in Kew Bull. 15: 333. 1961.

Lectotypus (designated here): Tab. 78 from the protologue, based on the type collection, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Muera , I.1908 , Mildbraed 2185 (holotype: B †) .

= Schefflera tridentata De Wild. in Rev. Zool. Bot. Africaines 8: 13. 1920. Lectotypus (designated here): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Prov. Kivu-Nord: Angi , Territoire Rutshuru, 20.IX.1914, bud, Bequaert 5790 (BR [ BR00582516 ]!; isolecto-: BR [ BR00582381 , BR00582414 ]!).

Habitat and distribution. – Astropanax urostachyus is restricted to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda and northwestern Tanzania ( BAMPS, 1974b; APD, 2017; TROPICOS, 2017), where it occurs in humid and gallery forests from 700 to 1,700 m elevation.

Notes. – The holotype of Schefflera urostachya Harms was presumably at B and thus would have been destroyed. No isotypes or any other original material is known, so we have chosen to designate as the lectotype the excellent plate that accompanies the description, which surely must have been based on the holotype.

The type material of Schefflera tridentata De Wild. comprises three specimens at BR, one of which bears Bequaert’s original label and has thus been selected as the lectotype .