Artabotrys R.Br., Bot. Reg. 5: 423, 1820

= Ropalopetalum Griff. Not. Pl. Asiat. 4: 716, 1854.

Description.

Lianas, up to 30 m tall, d.b.h. up to 20 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum of simple hairs or absent. Leaves: petiole 1-15 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter; blade 7-26 cm long, 2.5-14 cm wide, elliptic to ovate to obovate to oblong, apex acuminate to acute, base decurrent to subcordate, concolorous; midrib sunken or flat; secondary veins 7 to 16 pairs; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on old or young foliate branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 90 per inflorescence; pedicel 2-25 mm long; in fruit 2-25 mm long; bracts 2, all basal, minute, soon falling; sepals 3, valvate, free, 1-15 mm long, triangular, apex acute, base truncate; petals free, sub equal; outer petals 3, valvate, 5-35 mm long, 1-14 mm wide, ovate to elliptic to linear to tubular, apex acute to rounded, base broad and concave; inner petals 3, valvate, 5-30 mm long, 1-9 mm wide, ovate to elliptic to linear to tubular, apex acute to rounded, base broad and concave, forming a pollination chamber over the receptacle; stamens 15 to 70, in 2 to 5 rows, 2-3 mm long, linear or cuneiform; connective discoid, glabrous or pubescent; staminodes absent; carpels free, 3 to 32, ovary 1-4 mm long, stigma bilobed or cylindrical, pubescent or glabrous. Monocarps sessile or substipitate, stipe, when present 1-25 mm long, 1 to 20 monocarps, 6-60 mm long, 5-25 mm in diameter, ellipsoid to obovoid, apex rounded to apiculate, smooth or verrucose; seed 1 to 2, 5-25 mm long, 5-15 mm in diameter, ellipsoid or flattened ellipsoid; aril absent.

Type species.

Artabotrys odoratissimus R.Br., nom. illegit. (≡ Annona hexapetala L.f., ≡ Artabotrys hexapetalus (L.f.) Bhandari).

A genus of lianas with around 105 species distributed across the paleotropics in South East Asia, Australia, Madagascar and Africa (Chen et al. 2019); eight species occur in Cameroon, one endemic.

Genus easily identifiable by its lianescent habit with the presence of characteristic inflorescences in form of a hook (the peduncle) and flowers that have a broad and concave base.

Taxonomy.

To date there are no taxonomic revisions for Artabotrys in Africa, but see Le Thomas (1969b), Boutique (1951b) and Paiva (1966).