Cola cauliflora Mast., 1868

Breteler, Frans J., 2014, The identity and geography of Cola cauliflora Mast. (Malvaceae formerly Sterculiaceae) and its substitute for Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, Adansonia (3) 36 (1), pp. 113-119 : 117

Cola cauliflora Mast.

( Figs 1 ; 3)

In Oliver, Flora of Tropical Africa 1: 221 (1868).

TYPUS. — Cameroon. Batanga , VI.1861, fl., Mann 967 (lecto-, K!, designated by N. Hallé [1962]).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Cameroon. South Province, just E of Kribi, 29.IX.1969, fl., Bos 5425 (BR!, C, K, MA, MO, P[P00583494], PRE, SRGH, WAG!, YA); 6 km S of Kribi, 17.VIII.1970, fr., Bos 7094 (WAG!); Campo Ma’an area, 18.II.2000, fr., Elad et al. 1340 (WAG!); Campo Ma’an area, Biboulman, 24.XI.2002, fl., Tchouto et al., Bibox 94 (WAG!).

ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Primary and secondary forest in the South Province of Cameroon between Kribi and Campo. Alt. up to 600 m.

DESCRIPTION

Shrub-treelet, 3-4 m tall. Branchlets, stipules, and petioles tomentose, hairs ± scaly, stellate, soon glabrescent or not. Stipules soon deciduous, narrowly triangular, slightly boat-shaped, 5-8 mm long. Leaves: petiole subterete, 0.4-5(-10) cm long; lamina elliptic to slightly obovate, (1.5-)2-2.5(-3) times as long as wide, (8-)11-25(-31) × (4-)7-11(- 14) cm, cuneate to rounded to subcordate at base, shortly acuminate at the apex, the acumen 0.5- 1.5(-3) cm long, glabrous both sides, the midrib and the (5-)7-8(-9) pairs of main lateral nerves prominent both sides. Flowers fasciculate, cauliflorous or axillary, stellate-hairy. Pedicel 2-4 (-6) mm long, stellate-hairy, the male slightly longer than the female. Calyx 13-15 mm long, stellate-hairy outside; lobes spreading to somewhat reflexed, ± oblanceolate, 6-10 mm long, ± fringed, glabrous inside. Androphore 4-5 mm long, glabrous; anthers 8-10, sessile, 1-1.5 mm long. Carpels 4-5, ovoid with recurved stigma, stellate-hairy, with a ring

FIG. 3. ― Sampling points of Cola cauliflora Mast. (�) and of Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov. (☆).

of indehiscent anthers at base. Fruit scarlet at maturity, 4-5 folliculate; follicles subellipsoid-ovoid, 1-1.5 cm beaked, 1.5-2 cm stipitate, slightly flattened, sparsely scaly, stellate-hairy, very irregularly ruminately ridged, 3-5 × 2-3 × 1.5 cm, exclusive of stipe and beak.

Figures

FIG. 1 ― Cola cauliflora Mast.: A, leafy branch; B, apex of branchlet showing stipules; C, inflorescence; D, opened up male flower, sepals partly removed; E, pistillodium of male flower; F, opened up female flower, 1 sepal removed; G, stellate hairs from female calyx; H, carpels in fruit. A, D, F, G, Mann 967; B, C, E, Bos 5425; H, Bos 7094. Scales: A, H, 3 cm; B, C, 1 cm; D, F, 3 mm; E, 1 mm; G, 0.25 mm. Drawn by H. de Vries.