Beilschmiedia rugosa van der Werff, 2003

Werff, Henk van der, 2003, A synopsis of the genus Beilschmiedia (Lauraceae) in Madagascar, Adansonia (3) 25 (1), pp. 77-92 : 86-88

6. Beilschmiedia rugosa van der Werff , sp. nov.

A congeneris madagascariensibus foliis rugosis facile distinguenda est.

TYPUS. — Turk, Randrianasolo & Solo 288, Madagascar, Prov. Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park , 21°15'30''S, 47°25'00''E, 950- 1150 m, 9 Feb. 1993, fl. (holo-, MO; iso-, TAN).

Tree, to 20 m. Twigs terete, densely browntomentose when young, glabrous and with pale bark on older twigs, terminal buds densely tomentellous. Leaves 9-15 × 5.5-9.5 cm, coriaceous, alternate and clustered near the tips of the branches, broadly obovate or broadly elliptic, the base acute, obtuse or rounded, the margin flat, the apex rounded or with a short tip, the upper surface shiny, the venation clearly impressed, the lower surface dull, glaucous, all veins prominently raised, the upper surface of mature leaves glabrous or with some remnants of a tomentellous indument near the base of the midrib, lower surface with tomentellous midrib and lateral veins, minor veins with a sparser indument, the lamina glabrous or nearly so; lateral veins 7-9 on each side; petioles 8-13 mm long, with a similar indument as the twigs. Inflorescences 3-8 cm long, paniculate, densely brown-tomentellous, in the axils of leaves or cataphylls. Flowers light green, c. 2 mm in diameter, pedicels 1-2 mm long. Tepals 6, c. 1.3 mm long, ovate, erect or curved upwards, pubescent on both surfaces; stamens 9, all 2- celled, the outer 6 c. 0.8 mm, filaments very short or lacking, the anther cells lateral-introrse, the inner 3 c. 1.2 mm, the pubescent filaments as long as the anthers, anther cells extrorse or extrorse-lateral, globose glands present at the base of the inner filaments; pistil 1.2 mm, glabrous, the ovary gradually narrowed in the style; receptacle deeply cup-shaped, pubescent inside. Fruits ellipsoid, 2.5 × 1.8 cm, the pedicel slightly thickened, tepals initially persisting at the base of the fruit, but ultimately falling off. — Fig. 4.

ECOLOGY. — Montane forests on the eastern slopes, 900-1150 m.

DISTRIBUTION. — Flowering and fruiting collections from the Ranomafana National Park; additional sterile collections from Antoetra near Ivato, Moramanga and along the road Anosibe- Moramanga. — Fig. 3.

PHENOLOGY. — Flowers in February; fruits in December.

Beilschmiedia rugosa is distinctive in its rugose leaves, with the veins impressed on the upper surface and prominently raised on the lower surface. Additional distinguishing characters are the tomentellous/tomentose indument on the young twigs and inflorescences, the glaucous lower leaf surface and the pubescent flowers with erect or ascending tepals. The alternate leaves, persistent tepals in fruit and erect tepals indicate that this species belongs in the group with B. madagascariensis and B. microphylla . Beilschmiedia velutina also has tomentose twigs and rather large leaves, but that species has larger flowers (8- 10 mm in diameter vs. 2 mm in B. rugosa ) with spreading tepals and lacks rugose leaves. The deep receptacle that encloses the pistil is a noteworthy feature of B. rugosa and approaches the condition found in Cryptocarya ; however, the fruits with the tepals at the base leave no doubt that this species belongs in Beilschmiedia . Two sterile collections from Ranomafana (Kotozafy & Rasabo 564, 565) are provisionally included here; they have larger leaves that are only weakly rugose. Such leaves may well be shade leaves; the common name (Sarivana) suggests B. rugosa . Several of the sterile collections had been previously identified as B. cf. cryptocaryoides , a species only known from the fruiting type collected in the basin of the Fananahana River near the Bay of Antongil. I consider B. cryptocaryoides an imperfectly known species; it differs from B. rugosa in its longer petioles (2-2.5 cm vs. 0.8-1.3 cm in B. rugosa ) and it does not have rugose leaves.

COMMON NAMES. — Sarivana, Sarivanana vaventiravina, Voakoromanga, Tavolompinengo, Voasary ala.

PARATYPES. — MADAGASCAR: Kotozafy & Rasabo 564, 565, Prov. Fianarantsoa, Parc National de Ranomafana , 21°16’S, 47°26’E, 900-1100 m, st. ( MO) ; Service Forestier 26355, Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana , st. ( P) ; Service Forestier 26337, Moramanga, Périnet , st. ( P) ; Service Forestier 26642, 26646, Ambositra, Antoetra , st. ( P) ; Service Forestier 26857, route Anosibe-Moramanga, PK 43, 700, 950- 1000 m, st. ( P) ; Turk & Bernardin 205, Fianarantsoa, Ranomafana National Park , 21°15'30''S, 47°25'00''E, 950-1150 m, fr. ( MO, P, TAN) .

Figures

Fig. 4. — Beilschmiedia rugosa: A, habit; B, details of leaf; C, inflorescence; D, inner stamen; E, outer stamen; F, fruit. (A, C, D, E, Turk et al. 288; B, F, Turk et al. 205).

Fig. 3. — Distribution of Beilschmiedia microphylla (*); B. moratii (✚); B. opposita (Δ); B. rugosa (•); B. sary ().