Xylopia sericolampra Diels, 1925

Johnson, David M. & Murray, Nancy A., 2020, A revision of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae): the species of Madagascar and the Mascarene islands, Adansonia 42 (1), pp. 1-88 : 36-38

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5252/adansonia2020v42a1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/417D87A4-FFD8-FFCB-FC14-566E304AFA2D
treatment provided by	Tatiana
scientific name	Xylopia sericolampra Diels
status

Treatment

10. Xylopia sericolampra Diels View in CoL

( Figs 6H View FIG ; 13 View FIG )

Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 9: 353 (1925). — Type: Madagascar. Prov. Mahajanga [“Madagascaria occidentalis”], Boina, Bongolava , in silvis sabulosis aridis, X.1907 (fl.), Perrier de la Bâthie 4966 (holo-, B!; iso-, P[P030425, P00364248]!).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Madagascar. Prov. Mahajanga. Canton Tsaramandroso, District A[mba]to Boina, Antongomlilanivy de Ankarafantsika, 5.X.1948 (fl.), Réserves Naturelles [Ramamanjisoa] 1665 RN (K n.v., OWU, P[P01953995, P01953996, P02133042]); R. N. 7, Canton Tsaramandroso, District Ambato-Boeni, 10.XI.1952 (fl.), Ramamanjisoa 4737 RN (K, P[P01953991, P01953992, P02133041]); Ampijoroa, Ankarafantsika, J. Botanique, on gentle slope 1 mi from lake, 26.VII.1970 (buds), Richard 429 (K); Without definite locality, s. d. (fr.), Service Forestier 114 SF (P[P00524384, P01953990]).

DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION STATUS. — Xylopia sericolampra is known only from a small area of dry forest on sand in northwestern Madagascar ( Fig. 30 View FIG ). Specimens with flowers have been collected in October and November; the one specimen with fruits is undated. Several iNaturalist postings from the vicinity of Sofia show new flushes of leafy shoots and flowers appearing in late September and November, and an apparently mature fruit in January ( Fig. 6H View FIG ). In the September photographs the leaves of the previous growing season are still present, but in the November photographs they have been shed from the plant. With an EOO and AOO estimated as 859 km 2 and 20 km 2, respectively, it is given a preliminary conservation assessment of Endangered ( Table 2 View TABLE ).

LOCAL NAME. — Lompingo (Réserves Naturelles [Ramamanjisoa] 1665 RN). According to Baron (1890), this name is also given to a species of Diospyros.

DESCRIPTION

Shrub up to 4 m tall.

Twigs short silvery appressed-pubescent, the hairs 0.1-0.2 mm long, eventually glabrate; nodes with one axillary branch.

Leaves with larger blades 4.7-7.2 cm long, 2.0-3.0 cm wide, subcoriaceous, discolorous, gray to brown and shiny adaxially, dull grayish tan abaxially, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes slightly emarginate, base truncate or sometimes rounded, margin flat to slightly revolute, glabrous adaxially, sparsely and finely appressed-pubescent abaxially; midrib pinkish brown toward the base adaxially, secondary veins weakly brochidodromous, 9-14 per side, diverging at 45-60° from midrib, these and higher-order veins plane and indistinct on both surfaces; petiole 1.8-3.5 mm long, semi-terete, longitudinally wrinkled, glabrate or with a few sparse hairs.

Inflorescences arising from axils of the first 3-4 bracts of newly expanding shoots, 1-flowered, not pedunculate, densely sericeous; pedicels 1.7-3.2 mm long, c. 1.0 mm thick; bracts 3-4, evenly spaced on pedicel, proximal bracts usually caducous,

distal bract 2.3-4 mm long, orbicular to reniform; buds lanceolate, apex obtuse, sometimes slightly falciform.

Sepals slightly spreading at anthesis, ¼-¾-connate, 3.0- 4.2 mm long, 2.9-4 mm wide, coriaceous, broadly ovate, apex acute or apiculate, densely sericeous abaxially.

Petals yellow in vivo; outer petals spreading at anthesis, 13.9- 17.4 mm long, 2.4-2.9 mm wide at base, 1.0- 1.6 mm wide at midpoint, coriaceous, linear-lanceolate, flat, apex acute, densely puberulent except at base adaxially, densely sericeous abaxially; inner petals more or less spreading at anthesis, 10- 15.8 mm long, 1.5-2.2 mm wide at base, 0.7-0.8 mm wide at midpoint, slightly fleshy, linear, faintly keeled on both surfaces, apex acute, base concave with undifferentiated margin, thinly puberulent except at base adaxially, more densely puberulent but sparse toward base abaxially.

Stamens c. 100; fertile stamens 1.2-1.3 mm long, narrowly oblong, anther connective apex c. 0.1 mm long, conical or slightly bifid, rudimentary, not overhanging anther thecae, glabrous, anthers c. 10-locellate, filament 0.5-0.6 mm long; outer stami- nodes (loose in packet) c. 1.4 mm long, clavate, apex obtuse; inner staminodes (loose in packet) c. 1.0 mm long, oblong, apex obliquely truncate; staminal cone rudimentary or absent.

Carpel 1, c. 1.7 mm long, lanceolate; ovary and stigma continuous, apex obtuse, pilose.

Fruit a single monocarp borne on a pedicel 3 mm long, 3.5 mm thick, pubescent; torus c. 4.2 mm in diameter, not expanded; monocarp with peach-colored exterior in vivo, 2.5-4.8 cm long, 2.0- 2.5 cm wide, 1.9-2.5 cm thick, pyriform, oblong, or ovoid, not torulose, apex rounded, base sessile, rounded or slightly tapered, smooth or slightly wrinkled, surface marked by a pattern of raised longitudinal veins, pubescent; pericarp c. 3.4 mm thick.

Seeds c. 3 per monocarp, in a single row, lying perpendicular to long axis, c. 15.4 mm long, 12-13.9 mm wide, 8.8-9 mm thick, ellipsoid, irregularly elliptic in cross-section, light brown, smooth, dull, perichalazal ring not elevated; sarcotesta presence or absence undeterminable; aril absent, micropylar end of seed marked by a light brown smooth area.

NOTES

Xylopia sericolampra is distinguished from other Madagascar species by the combination of silvery indument of the new shoots and inflorescences, the shiny leaves with blunt apices and truncate bases, and the remarkable single ovoid monocarp with raised venation on its surface. The raised monocarp venation is shared with X. mwasumbii of coastal Tanzania, but the latter has flattened rather than ovoid monocarps. Xylopia sericolampra differs from the second Madagascar species of section Verdcourtia , X. sahafariensis , the fruits of which are unknown, by its longer and narrower petals, truncate leaf bases, and indument of silver hairs on the young growth. Its inflorescences appear with the expansion of the new vegetative shoots, which are enclosed by overlapping conduplicate leaves. The label of the type specimen reports the bark to be black.