Micronychia macrophylla H. Perrier

Randrianasolo, Armand, 2000, A taxonomic revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Micronychia (Anacardiaceae), Adansonia (3) 22 (1), pp. 145-155 : 149-150

Micronychia macrophylla H. Perrier

Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris 18: 266 (1944). — Lectotype (here designated): Perrier de la Bâthie 12605, Madagascar, Fianarantsoa Prov., forêt orientale, bassin de Manampatra, 400 m, May 1929, fl. (P! [mounted on 2 sheets]).

Trees, ca. 5 m tall; young twigs pubescent and with lenticels, bark with white milky or translucid latex. Leaves alternate and clustered at the end of branches, simple, subcoriaceous to chartaceous, persistent; blades oblanceolate, 17.5- 53 cm long, 4.5-13 cm wide, apex shortly acuminate, base cuneate decurrent, margin entire; adaxial surface glabrous, pubescent or puberulous, abaxial surface pubescent or glabrous except the veins. Venation pinnate and cladodromous, midvein prominent below, 20-30 pairs of secondary veins, 1.5-15 mm apart, arcuate, prominent below, forming an obtuse angle with the midrib at the leaf base. Petiole 7-15 mm long, shallowly channeled, glabrescent or pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, pendent, paniculate, 10-40 cm long, pubescent; bracts triangular to deltate, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, pubescent on abaxial surface. Flowers 5-merous, unisexual; calyx lobes ovate to deltate, 1-2.5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, pubescent outside, imbricate, caducous; corolla lobes narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblong or narrowly ovate, 7-9 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, pubescent abaxially but only on the longitudinal main axis, red to pink, imbricate; stamens 5; in staminate flowers filaments 8-9 mm long, sigmoid, inserted basally on the outer surface of the disk, glabrous, white; anthers 2-2.5 mm long, ovate, yellow, glabrous, dorsifixed, introrse, dehiscent by longitudinal slits; disk dish-shaped and crenulate, 1.5-2 mm in diameter, glabrous, ovary redumentary; in pistillate flowers filaments 1.5-2 mm long, straight, flattened, and broadened at the base, glabrous, yellow, inserted basally on the outer surface of the disk; anthers 0.5-0.6 mm long, subglobose, yellow, glabrous; disk annular, cup-shaped, crenulate, glabrous; ovary transversally oblong, laterally compressed, and asymmetrically oblique, 1.5- 2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, glabrous, unilocular, ovule one, anatropous and with a long funicle, placentation parietal; the single style trifid and curved, lateral, 7-8 mm long, pubescent; stigma capitate and trilobed. Fruits 17 cm long, 11 cm broad (with 0.8 mm lateral width), mango-shaped and asymmetrical, glabrous with longitudinal striations, mesocarp resinous, endocarp.

HABITAT, DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY. — Micronychia macrophylla is a midstory species occurring from southeast lowland rainforest (100 m) to the eastern part of central plateau at 1000 m elevation ( Fig. 2 ). It has been collected with flowers in June and July, and with fruits in October and November.

VERNACULAR NAMES. — Sefana, Betamba.

This species has the largest leaf size in the genus, 17.5-53 cm long and 1.5-13 cm wide; it also has a relatively shallowly channeled and short petiole, and a very large inflorescence, from 10 to 40 cm long.

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — MADAGAS- CAR: Lewis et al. 80, Fianarantsoa Prov. , Ambalavao , Andringitra, Camp I, ca. 45 km S of Ambalavao, E bank of Iantara river , along Ambalamanenjana- Ambatomboay trail, edge of Andringitra Reserve , 22°13’20’’S, 47°01’29’E, 720 m, 15-21 Nov. 1993, fr. (MO, P, TAN); Daniels 73, Fianarantsoa Prov. , 7 km W of Ranomafana, just S of Namorona River , Duke University Primate Center study site, 21°16’S, 47°25’E, 1000 m, 27 Sep. 1987, fr. (MO, P, TAN); Decary 5719, Farafangana: massif de l’Ikongo, 17 Oct. 1926, fr. (P); Decary 14191, Nosy-Varika, vallée de Sakaleona (forêt orientale), 11 June 1939, fl. (P); Guillaumet 3856, Toliara, Fort-Dauphin: bord de rivière, lieu dit Bekazaha, rebord orientale des chaînes anosyennes à l’ouest de Manantenina, 100 m, 10 July 1971, yg. fr. (P); Kotozafy 35, Parc national Ranomafana , parcelle n° 3, Talatakely, 21°15’S, 47°27’E, 800-1000 m, 15-30 June 1993, fl. (MO, P, TAN); Kremen et al. 18, Ifanadiana : 7 km SW of town of Ranomafana , in proposed Ranomafana National park , rainforest, 21°16’S, 47°25’E, 1000-1100 m, 5 Feb. 1990 (MO); Lowry 4360, Ranomafana along R.N.45 between Fianarantsoa and Ifanadiana, along escarpement of central plateau, somewhat disturbed wet forest along trail toward the Primatologists camp ca. 5 km above the village, 1150 m, 17 Aug. 1987, fr. (MO, P, TAN); Lowry 4525A, 4525, Ranomafana National Park , ca. 7 km W of town of Ranomafana , on hillside behind Duke/DEF field building, wet primary forest on slope, 21°16’S, 47°25’E, 950-1000 m, 17 May 1990, fl. (MO, P, TAN); Malcomber et al. 1012, R.N. 45, Parc National Ranomafana , between Fianarantsoa and Ifanadiana, disturbed forest area around cabine de recherche, S of Namorona river, 21°15’S, 47°27’E, ca. 900 m, 14 Nov. 1991, fr. (MO, P, TAN); Malcomber et al. 1526, NW of Tolagnaro, RNI n° 11 Andohahela, parcelle 1, forest bordering Andohahela river , canopy ca. 25 m., 27°36’S, 49°34’E, 200-500 m, 14-19 May 1992, fl. (MO, P, TAN); Randrianasolo et al. 494, Parc Ranomafana , roadside of R.N. 45.2 km before the Gite d’étape, 21°16’S, 47°25’E, ca. 1000 m, 7 Oct. 1996, fr. (MO, P, TAN); Schatz & Seigler 1403, Eastern Domain , 7 km W of Ranomafana, S of Namorona River , Duke University Primate Center study site, wet escarpement forest, 21°16’S, 47°25’E, 1000 m, 17 May 1987, fl. (MO, P, TAN); SF 2137, 2156, Fianarantsoa , fl. (P); SF 14426, Fort Carnot , Andrambovato, 10 May 1954, fl. (P); SF 14462, Fort Carnot, Amdrambovato, 12 June 1954, fl. (P); SF 15399, Fort Carnot: Andrambovato, 23 Aug. 1955, fr. (P); SF 26054, Elolo, RNI n° 11 Andohahela, 28 May 1966, fl. (P); SF 26436, Elolo, RNI n° 11 Andohahela, 3 July 1967, fl. (P) .

Figures

Fig. 2. — Geographic distribution of Micronychia acuminata, M. danguyana, and M. macrophylla.