Aspidostemon glandulosum Rohwer

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2006, A revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter (Lauraceae), Adansonia (3) 28 (1), pp. 7-44 : 22-24

9. Aspidostemon glandulosum Rohwer ( Figs 2D ; 6A )

Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 109: 75 (1987) . — Type: Madagascar, Andranofotsy , Maroantsetra, [15°26’S, 49°48’E], 2.II .1957 , fl., Service Forestier 16534 (holo-, P; iso-, HBG, K, MO, P, TEF).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Madagascar. Andilambe, Maroantsetra, ster., Service Forestier 4-R-58 ( P, TEF) . — Jardin botanique de Farankaraina, Maroantsetra, ster., Service Forestier 37-R-139 ( P, TEF) . — Farankaraina, Maroantsetra, ster., Service Forestier 10937 ( MO, P) . — Farankaraina, Andranofotsy, Maroantsetra, fl., Service Forestier 16534 ( P, TEF) . — Tampolo, Fenerive, [17°17’S, 49°23’E], fl., Service Forestier 16642 ( MO, P, TEF) . — Ambanizana, Masoala Peninsula, fr., Vasey & Velo 219 ( MO, P) ; Vasey & Velo 263 ( MO, P) ; Vasey & Velo 387 ( MO, P) .

DESCRIPTION

Trees, to 15 m. Twigs terete to angular, initially moderately or sparsely appressed pubescent, becoming glabrous with age; terminal buds appressed pubescent. Leaves opposite, 6-12 × 1.5-3 cm, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, the upper surface glabrous, the lower surface sparsely appressed pubescent, especially along the midrib; the base attenuate, apex acute or obtuse, sometimes mucronate, margin flat, both surfaces mat or the upper surface with a little luster, reticulation immersed or nearly so; lateral veins scarcely distinguishable; petioles 6-8 mm long, canaliculate. Inflorescences 2-4 cm long, appressed pubescent, many-flowered, pedicels c. 1 mm long. Flowers 1-1.4 mm in diam., more or less globose, tepals glabrous, c. 1 mm long, about as wide as long, slightly longer than the hypanthium; stamens 3, petaloid, the locelli introrse, opening towards the tips of the anthers with only the flaps showing in open flowers; staminodia of whorl II covered by the tepals at anthesis and not visible; staminodia of whorl III tightly pressed together, papillose and forming a dome-shaped mass in the center of the flower; pistil and inside of the receptacle glabrous; the rim on top of the hypanthium, where tepals and stamens are inserted, with curly, reddish hairs. Fruits ellipsoid, 3 × 1.5 cm, smooth.

REMARKS

Aspidostemon glandulosum is a very distinct species due to its rather large, many-flowered inflorescences with small, globose flowers. The staminodia are distinctly papillose and dome-shaped, another useful character. It is known from four collections, the type, a flowering collection from Tampolo and two fruiting collections from Ambanizana on the Masoala Peninsula ( Fig. 8 ). The specimen from Tampolo differs from the type in having glaucous pedicels and flowers, with the pedicels less pubescent than the type. In all other characters it agrees very well with the type. The fruiting collections are identified based on leaf shape and pubescent terminal buds. Kostermans annotated both flowering collections as Beilschmiedia pachysandra Kostermans , a name which has remained unpublished. Three sterile collections are provisionally placed here based on their leaf shape and pubescent terminal buds.

The two flowering collections come from lowland sites, one from red soil, the other from sandy soil, but without indication of altitude. The fruiting collections were made near the coast, 110-260 m altitude.

ALTITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION

110-260 m.

mm

2

PHENOLOGY

Flowers: February, March; fruits: December.

VERNACULAR NAMES

Longotramena (for the type), Tapika.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Scanning electron microscope images of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. andohahelense Van der Werff;B, A. apiculatum Van der Werff; C, A. fungiforme Van der Werff;D, A. glandulosum Rohwer.A, Van der Werff et al. 12748, MO; B, Service Forestier 18319, MO; C, Schatz et al. 3804, MO; D, Service Forestier 16534, MO. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 6. — Species of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. glandulosum Rohwer; B, A. grayi Van der Werff; C, A. humbertianum (Kosterm.) Rohwer; D, A. inconspicuum Rohwer. A, Service Forestier 16534, MO; B, Van der Werff et al. 12747, MO; C, Turk & Randrianasolo 583, MO; D, Service Forestier 12355, P.

FIG. 8. — Distribution of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter in Madagascar:■, A.glandulosum Rohwer;▲, A. grayi Van der Werff;Ϙ, A. humbertianum (Kosterm.) Rohwer; Ϙ, A. inconspicuum Rohwer.