Aspidostemon longipedicellatum Van der Werff, 2006

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2006, A revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter (Lauraceae), Adansonia (3) 28 (1), pp. 7-44 : 29-30

15. Aspidostemon longipedicellatum Van der Werff , sp. nov. ( Figs 7C ; 9C )

A congeneris inflorescentiis glabris, staminibus tribus, pedicellis longis recedit.

TYPUS. — Madagascar. Toamasina, Nosy Mangabe , 15°30’S, 49°46’E, 0-300 m, 4.XI.1992, fl., Van der Werff ,

Schatz, Gray & Razafimandimbison 12838 (holo-, MO; iso-, KUN, MO, P, QRS, TAN).

PARATYPES. — Madagascar. Forêt d’Ibanda, au SW d’Antambe , [16°23’S, 49°43’30”E], fl., Raharimalala 446 ( P) . — Toamasina, Nosy Mangabe , 15°30’S, 49°46’E, fr. buds, Schatz 2739 ( MO, P, TAN) . — Bords de piste Andrahanjo-Antongondrika , [14°18’30”S, 49°46’E], fr., Service Forestier 732 ( P) . — Massif d’Amnohitsitondroina de Mahalevona, N de la presqu’île du Masoala , [14°18’30”S, 49°46’E], 600 m, fl., Service Forestier 8689 ( MO, P, TEF) . — Masoala Peninsula , S of Ambanizana, [15°38’S, 49°58’E], ster., Vasey & Velo 28 ( MO) . — Masoala Peninsula , S of Ambanizana, [15°38’S, 49°58’E], fr., Vasey & Behasy 52 ( MO, P) . — Masoala Peninsula , S of Ambanizana, [15°38’S, 49°58’E], fr., Vasey & Velo 88 ( MO, P) . — Masoala Peninsula , S of Ambanizana, [15°38’S, 49°58’E], buds, Vasey & Behasy 108 ( MO, P) .

DESCRIPTION

Tree, 20 m. Twigs terete, glabrous, lenticellate; teminal buds glabrous. Leaves opposite, 7.5-11 × 2.5-4 cm, glabrous, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, papyraceous, the base acute, apex acuminate, acumen 7-12 mm long, margin flat, reticulation immersed on the upper surface, faintly raised on the lower surface, lateral veins difficult to separate from the tertiary veins; petioles 5-8 mm long, canaliculate. Inflorescences to 1.5 cm long, glabrous; pedicels 4-5 mm long. Flowers 2-2.5 mm in diam., 1.5 mm long, glabrous, tepals about as wide as long, erect, the outer tepals thickened at their base and slightly bulging outwards; stamens 3, thick, but their tips not peltate, locelli apical, readily visible, staminodia II not seen, either lacking, reduced to a few hairs at the base of the inner tepals or fused completely with the staminodia III; staminodia III with their tips flattened, fused into a flat-topped column, and not covering any part of the stamens. Fruits ellipsoid, 2.3 × 1.2 cm, smooth, the floral remnants persisting on top.

REMARKS

Aspidostemon longipedicellatum can be confused with A. trianthera ; both species have basally thickened tepals that bulge outwards. The tepals in A. trianthera are more strongly thickened and give the flowers a 6-lobed appearance.Other differences are the longer pedicels in A. longipedicellatum , the fused staminodia III in A. longipedicellatum (free in A. trianthera ), the apical locelli in A. longipedicellatum (introrse in A. trianthera ) and the absence of visible hairs in the flowers of A. longipedicellatum (although a few hairs are present, but hidden, inside the flowers and are covered by the staminodia III). It is only known from the NE part of Madagascar ( Fig. 10 ).

The fruiting paratype was initially identified by Kostermans (in sched.) as a new species; later he cited it as a paratype of A. trianthera .

ALTITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION

0-600 m.

PHENOLOGY

Flowers: February, November, December; fruits: November.

VERNACULAR NAME

Tapiramena.

Figures

FIG. 7. — Scanning electron microscope images of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. grayi Van der Werff; B, A. humbertianum (Kosterm.) Rohwer; C, A. longipedicellatum Van der Werff; D, A. masoalense Van der Werff.A, Van der Werff et al. 12747, MO; B, Turk & Randrianasolo 583, MO; C, Van der Werff 12838, MO; D, Schatz & Modeste 3057, MO. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 9. — Species of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. insigne Van der Werff; B, A. litorale Van der Werff; C, A. longipedicellatum Van der Werff; D, A. lucens Van der Werff. A, Service Forestier 28138, MO; B, Rabevohitra et al. 4246, MO; C, Van der Werff et al. 12838, MO; D, Service Forestier 20009, MO.

FIG. 10. — Distribution of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter in Madagascar: ▲, A. insigne Van der Werff; Ϙ, A. litorale Van der Werff; ■, A. longipedicellatum Van der Werff; ■, A. lucens Van der Werff.