Anisophyllea fruticulosa Engler & Gilg (1903: 313)

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

24. Anisophyllea fruticulosa Engler & Gilg (1903: 313) ( Figure 46 )

Type :— ANGOLA. Cuando Cubango : Am Quiriri bei Sakkemecho (on Quiriri at Sakkemencho), 1200 m, April 1900, Baum 808 (holotype? B, not found). ANGOLA. Cuando Cubango: Quiriri, 1906, M. J. Gossweiler 2856 (neotype LISC!, here designated) .

Rhizomatous shrubs with extensively caespitose stems ca. 30 cm tall; branches longitudinally striate, densely with leaves and inflorescences; young branches densely tomentose with rusty tortuous hairs thickly matted, ca. 0.4 mm long, and also moderately pilose with hairs to 0.6 mm long, hairs turning grayish much thinner when mature; buds densely tomentose. Leaves petiolate, petiole 1–2 mm long, ca. 0.8 mm in diam., densely tomentose; leaf blade ovate, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 3.0– 5.5 cm long, 1.5–2.2 cm wide, base ±oblique, narrowly acute, apex mucronate or mucronulate, coriaceous, thinly tomentose with hairs sparsely distributed or sub-glabrous and lustrous adaxially, densely tomentose abaxially with rusty tortuous hairs thickly matted, ca. 0.16 mm long; main longitudinal veins 5–6, inner 2–3 lateral veins starting 0.5–1.7 cm above blade base from midrib, outer lateral veins close to blade margins, springing from blade base or a little bit above, prominent on both surfaces; transverse veins sub-parallel or irregular, at angles of 60–75° with midrib; veinlets fewer, rather loosely reticulate, ±prominent on both surfaces. Inflorescence an axillary spike; rachis 4–6 cm long, densely tomentose with brownish hairs, crowded with flowers; bracts oblong, ca. 1.5 mm long; flowers 5-merous, sessile, yellowish; receptacle broadly ovate, to 1.5 mm long, densely tomentose; sepals ovate, to 1.5 mm long, acute at apex, tomentose abaxially; petals broadly ovate, shorter than sepals, distally 6–8 laciniate; stamens 10; ovary with scattered long hairs, styles 5, base connate, conical, gradually attenuate distally.

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MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

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Flowering and fruiting: —Flowering in April–September; fruits may persistent throughout the year.

Habitat and distribution: — Scrublands on sandy plains; ca. 1200 m. Angola (Benguela, Bié, Cuando Cubango , Lunda Norte) ( Figure 47 ) .

Vernacular names and local usage: — Angola: Bungo-bungo, Mufungo uamo tchana. Sweetly juiced fruits are edible.

Taxonomic notes: —It was suggested to be related to A. boehmii , but the latter has no rhizome and the styles are free throughout.

This species was validly published by Engler & Gilg in Baum (1903) based on a specimen (Baum 808) collected at Sakkemencho village along the Quiriri (most probably the name of a river). The name of the type locality now may be along the Cuiriri river , where it can be located to Cuando Cubango Province in the south of Angola. We could not find the type at B (possibly destroyed during the World War II). Here we designate a collection by M. J. Gossweiler from Cuiriri, Cuando Cubango, Angola, as the neotype .

Additional specimens examined: — ANGOLA. Benguela: country of the Ganguelias and Ambuelias , no date, M . J . Gossweiler 3766 ( K) . Bié: Cuemba, Margen do rio Samena , 31 August 1965, R . Mendes dos Santos 1775 ( LISC); 30 Agust 1965, R . Montoiro e Murta 1608 ( LISC). Cuando Cubango: Cuiriri , M . J . Gossweiler 3736 ( LISC); 5 October 1906, M . J . Gossweiler 4165 ( LISC) . Lunda Norte: Dundo, September 1964, 66 ( LISC) .

Figures

FIGURE 46. Anisophyllea fruticulosa Engler & Gilg. Flowering and leafy branches (M. J. Gossweiler 3766; K-H2008/00218-166).

FIGURE 47. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea fruticulosa Engler & Gilg.