Weinmannia venusta Bernardi

Bradford, Jason C. & Miller, James S., 2001, New taxa and nomenclatural notes on the flora of the Marojejy massif, Madagascar. V. Cunoniaceae: Weinmannia, Adansonia (3) 23 (2), pp. 219-236 : 235

Weinmannia venusta Bernardi (species-group B)

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 83: 156 (1961). — Type: Humbert & Capuron 21944, Madagascar, Prov. Antsiranana, environs d’Andapa, bassin de la Lokoho, 400-600 m (holo-, P; iso-, TEF) .

Weinmannia venusta is known from one collection from Marojejy and a few others from the surrounding area. It likely occurs at relatively low elevations, probably from near sea level upwards to a few hundred meters.

The original description of Weinmannia venusta ( BERNARDI 1964) is based on a single specimen from Marojejy. Collections of W. venusta not cited by BERNARDI (1964, 1965) are: S.F. 17231, S.F. 17610, and S.F. 27632. BERNARDI (1965) later included numerous other specimens under the name W. venusta , some of which should be considered distinct and represent an undescribed species with an unusual, highly clustered arrangement of flowers along decussate-branching inflorescence axes (see Bradford 654b, Bradford 655, Bradford 659, Raharimalala 295, R.N. 111, R.N. 2853, S.F. 5464, and S.F. 24061). This apparently related species occurs at low elevations along the east coast, south of the range of W. venusta . In BERNARDI (1965), figure X: 2 & 5b shows the normal leaf and fruit form of the undescribed species, not of W. venusta .

Poorly known species and collections with uncertain affinities

An as yet unidentified species is represented by four collections (Bradford & Rafamantanantsoa 677, 681, 684 and 716), ranging from 800- 1340 m in elevation. All specimens are sterile except Bradford 681, which has parts of old infructescences that place it in species-group G. Bradford 716 was made from the site from which the only record of W. sanguisugarum was collected and consisted of a large population of conspecifics, c. 5 m tall, along the edges of regenerating gap above the third camp.

Bradford & Rafamantanantsoa 723 may be conspecific with Bradford 681, but differs in having deeply serrated leaves. It was collected at 1520-1600 m along a creek near the fourth camp.

Bradford & Rafamantanantsoa 705 was collected at 1800 m and is somewhat similar to collections identified as W. stenostachya , but differs by having smaller leaves. The collections cited as W. stenostachya are from lower elevations and Bradford 705 may simply be a high elevation form of this.

Another pair of sterile collections, Bradford & Rafamantanantsoa 679 and 687, made near the escarpment above camp 2 (c. 750 m), may represent another undescribed species. The leaves are usually 7-foliolate, with a glabrous lamina, leaflets that are entire except near the apex, and a rachis that is slender, barely winged, and pubescent.