Anisophyllea obtusifolia Engler & von Brehmer (1917: 372)

Chen, Xin, He, Hai & Zhang, Li-Bing, 2015, A monograph of the Anisophylleaceae (Cucurbitales) with description of 18 new species of Anisophyllea, Phytotaxa 229 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

47. Anisophyllea obtusifolia Engler & von Brehmer (1917: 372) ( Figure 92 )

Type:— TANZANIA. Tanga: E. Usambara Mts., Derema, 05°05’S 038°39’E, 26 March 1900, Scheffler 228 (neotype P-00374861!, here designated, isoneotypes BM-902021!, BR-6272746!, K-000075954!, K-000075955!). Syntypes: G. Scheffler 208, Busse 2204, Engler 492, and Zimmermann 281 and 2938 .

Trees to 45 m tall; young branches tenuous, brown, longitudinally striate, ±densely pilose with hairs up to 1.8(–2.8) mm long and concurringly pubescent with hairs ca. 0.25 mm long, all hairs lustrous, yellowish-brown, erect or appressed, glabrescent when mature; buds densely pilose, with hairs to 0.5 mm long. Leaves dimorphic, internodes between similar types of leaves 1.2–2.0 cm long, between two adjacent different types of leaves to 7 mm long; small leaves caducous, shortly petiolate, petiole to 1 mm long; leaf blade ovate, 7–20 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, base obtuse, apex acuminate, glabrous adaxially and sparsely long-pilose abaxially, lateral veins 2–3, springing from blade base, obscure adaxially and distinct prominent abaxially; large leaves petiolate, petioles 2–5 mm long, to 0.9 mm in diam., brown, pilose as young branches; leaf blade elongated-ovate, 7.0– 8.5 cm long, 3.0– 3.5 cm

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MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 123 wide, base usually oblique, broadly obtuse, apex ±acuminate, margins often slightly revolute, thinly coriaceous, densely pilose with yellowish long hairs on both surfaces when young, glabrescent and ±glossy adaxially, sparsely pilose abaxially (hairy remaining along main veins when mature); main longitudinal veins 5–6, springing from blade base, two inner lateral veins merged with midrib at 0.3–0.8 cm above blade base before separated, outermost two lateral veins very fine, 1–2 mm distant from margins at blade base, distally almost confluent with blade margins and an outmost one vein often disappearing into blade margin when 6 main veins present, inner veins impressed adaxially and distinctly raised abaxially, outer veins slightly prominent on both surfaces; transverse veins parallel, at angles of 80–90° with main veins, obscure adaxially and prominent abaxially; veinlets reticulate. Inflorescence an axillary spike, ascending, tenuous; rachis 3–6 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diam., mixed with brownish dimorphic hairs (of pannose with short and tortuous hairs ca. 0.3 mm long, of pilose with patent hairs up to 1 mm long); unevenly and remotely with flowers, floral internodes 1–7 mm distant; bracts large, broadly lanceolate, to 3.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, apex ±acute, glabrous adaxially and sparsely pilose abaxially, early deciduous, each with one axillary flower; floral buds sub-globose, 4-angular, sparsely pubescent and farinose; flowers bisexual, 4- merous, sessile, receptacle obovate, to 0.5 mm long, 1 mm in diam., densely pilose with hairs to 0.8 mm long; sepals deltoid, 1.3–1.5 mm long, apex acuminate, margins shortly ciliate, glabrous adaxially, farinose abaxially; petals 1.6–2.0 mm long, irregularly laciniate from middle or rarely lower, entire part oblong, ca. 0.8 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, laciniae 5, glabrous; stamens 8, free, shorter than petals, filaments ca. 0.54 mm long, base dilated, distally attenuate, anthers ±globose, ca. 0.3 mm long; disk not obvious; styles 4, to 1.5 mm long, base free, conical, ca. 0.54 mm in diam., distally attenuate, glabrous, stigmas thickened. Fruit a drupe, ca. 2 cm long, 1 cm in diam. (immature), base obtuse, apex attenuate, with persistent floral parts.

Flowering and fruiting: —Flowering in January–March; fruiting in March or?later.

Habitat and distribution: — In forests; 800–1100 m. Sierra Lione ( Koinadugu ); Tanzania (Tanga) ( Figure 93 ) .

Taxonomic notes: — Anisophyllea obtusifolia had been identified as A. laurina before its publication, and it differs from the latter, apart from the nature of styles as suggested by Engler & von Brehmer (1917), by the type and length of hairs on the young branches and buds, the shape and size of blades of large leaves, and the rachis length of inflorescences. Its difference with A. strychonoides can also be proved by its mixture of hairs on young

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branches and by its longer bracts than flower ( Engler & von Brehmer 1917, Engler 1921). The transverse veins of this plant are at angles of 80–90° with the midrib which is reminiscent of A. polyneura , and the latter has enlarged glandular ends at apices of its petal laciniae.

In the protologue, six gatherings were cited. We did not find any of these syntypes, though two of them (Zimmermann 281 and 2938) were reported to be deposited at EA (National Museum of Kenya) (Levis 1956). Notably, one of the syntypes, Scheffler 208, was collected in January 1900. We found five duplicates of Scheffler 228 collected in March 1900 in the same locality as Scheffler 208 in Tanzania and deposited at different herbaria. This gathering is consistent with the description of this species and here we designate the duplicate at P as the neotype.

Additional specimens examined: — SIERRA LIONE. Koinadugu: Kalaba, Mt. Loma , 24 December 1965, Jacques-Georges 22755 ( MO). TANZANIA. Tanga: Amani , below Rest house on road to Kwamkoro , Lushoto Distr. , 1030 m, 14 March 1985, Mwasumbi & Mndolwa 12760 ( MO); Amani Nature Reserve , 6 September 2002 , S. Renner 2708 ( MO); Muhenza , E Usambara Mountains, Shembangeda Forest under Derema Tea Estate, 3 km W of Derema workers camp, 05°03’S 038°38’E, 1050 m, 21 March 2006 , M. A. Mwangoka & J. Hall 4718 ( MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 92. Anisophyllea obtusifolia Engler & von Brehmer. —A. Flowering branches (G. Scheffler 228; lectotype, P-00374861). —B. Flower. —C. Petals. —D. Stamen. —E. Receptable with pistils (B–E artist unknown; reproduced and modified from Engler in Engler & Drude (eds.), Die Vegetation der Erde-Sammlung Pflanzengeographischer Monographien 9(3/2): 676: B–F. 1921).

FIGURE 93. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea obtusifolia Engler & von Brehmer.