Aspidostemon capuronii, 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 : 17-18

4. Aspidostemon capuronii

Van der Werff, sp. nov. ( Fig. 1D )

A congeneris floribus subsessilibus, inflorescentiis sparse puberulis, staminibus tribus et staminodiis connatis distinguenda.

TYPUS. — Madagascar. Antanandava , P.K. 45 de la route Moramanga-Anosibe, [19°26’S, 48°12’E], XI.1968, fl., Service Forestier 28458 (holo-, P; iso-, HBG, MO, P, TEF) .

PARATYPES. — Madagascar. Ankazomanitra , Anosibe , Moramanga, [19°26’S, 48°12’E], fl., Service Forestier 26825 ( MO, P, TEF) . — Antanandava , km 45 of the road Moramanga-Anosibe, [19°26’S, 48°12’E], fl., Service Forestier 28397 ( HBG, K, MO, P, TEF) . — Without locality, fl., coll. unknown 29 ( MO, P) .

DESCRIPTION

Trees, to 20 m or more.Twigs terete, glabrous, lenticellate; terminal buds glabrous. Leaves opposite, coriaceous or firmly chartaceous, often conduplicate, glabrous, elliptic, 8-12 × 3-4 cm, the base and apex acute, margin thickened, cartilaginous, reticulation immersed on the upper surface, weakly raised on the lower surface; petioles 5-8 mm long, canaliculate. Inflorescences 2-3.5 cm long, paniculate, sparsely puberulous, pedicels c. 1 mm long. Flowers 3 mm wide, 2.5-3 mm long, glabrous, gradually widened from the base, somewhat triangular when seen from above, tepals about as long as wide, not bulging, stamens 3, petaloid, the locelli introrse, staminodia II tightly pressed against staminodia III and covered by the tepals; staminodia III glabrous, with peltate apices, fused, forming a shield-like structure in the center of the flower; pistil and receptacle glabrous. Fruits unknown.

REMARKS

Aspidostemon capuronii is best recognized by its subsessile flowers, sparsely puberulous inflorescences, flowers with3 stamens, fused staminodia and introrse locelli. One of the collections placed here has less coriaceous, non conduplicate leaves, but it agrees in other characters with the type collection. The flowers are gradually widened from the pedicel upwards, the tepals forming a smooth continuation of the expanded hypanthium, giving the flower, when seen from the side, a conical appearance. Altitudinal distribution is not mentioned on the labels. It is apparently restricted to the East-Central slope ( Fig. 3 ).

PHENOLOGY

Flowers: November.

VERNACULAR NAMES

Longotramavokely, longotra fotsy.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Species of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter:A, A. andohahelense Van der Werff; B, A. antongilense Van der Werff; C, A. apiculatum Van der Werff; D, A. capuronii Van der Werff. A, Van der Werff et al. 12748, MO; B, Service Forestier 18319, MO; C, Service Forestier 15325, MO; D, Service Forestier 28458, MO.

FIG. 3. — Distribution of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter in Madagascar: Ϙ, A. andohahelense Van der Werff; Ϙ, A. antongilense Van der Werff; ▲, A. apiculatum Van der Werff; ▲, A. capuronii Van der Werff.