Xylopia section Verdcourtia D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray

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 : 35

II. Xylopia section Verdcourtia D.M.Johnson & N.A.Murray

PhytoKeys 97: 88, 89 (2018). — Type: Xylopia mwasumbii

D.M.Johnson.

DESCRIPTION

Nodes with branches from 2-3 axillary buds; outer and inner petals lanceolate, similar in length; inner petals flat at the base and lacking differentiated fleshy basal margins; anther connective apex rudimentary, not overhanging the anther thecae, staminal cone rudimentary, surrounding only the bases of the ovaries and rim laciniate, or cone absent; carpels 1-5, the stigmas sometimes thickened and falciform; seed (where known) bearing a cupular aril surrounding the base; seed coat smooth, sarcotesta absent. Three species in East Africa and two species on Madagascar, all at low elevations.

NOTES

Xylopia section Verdcourtia is characterized by a rudimentary anther connective apex, which does not overhang the anther thecae, a rudimentary or absent staminal cone, and a smooth fleshy white cupular aril ( Johnson & Murray 2018). Two Madagascar Xylopia species, X. sahafariensis and X. sericolampra , have this unusual androecium and are classified in the section even though their seeds are imperfectly known. An accession of X. sahafariensis was nested in a subclade with section members X. mwasumbii and X. lukei from East Africa in the molecular phylogeny of Stull et al. (2017).