Uvaria anonoides Baker f., Cat. Pl. Oban: 2, 1913

Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Dagallier, Leo-Paul M. J., Crozier, Francoise, Ghogue, Jean-Paul, Hoekstra, Paul H., Kamdem, Narcisse G., Johnson, David M., Murray, Nancy A. & Sonke, Bonaventure, 2022, Flora of Cameroon - Annonaceae Vol 45, PhytoKeys 207, pp. 1-532 : 337-339

Uvaria anonoides Baker f., Cat. Pl. Oban: 2, 1913

Fig. 105 ; Map 13C

= Uvaria platyphylla Boutique, Fl. Congo Belge & Ruanda-Urundi ii: 296, 1951; Annona latifolia Scott Elliot; J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 30: 69, 1895; Uvaria latifolia (Scott Elliot) Engl. & Diels (non Blume, Fl. Javae Anon., vol. 2, 37, 1828), Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen.-Fam. 6: 22, 1901. Type. Sierra Leone. Northern Province, near Kafogo in Limba country, Scott Elliot C.F. 5617, 06 Apr 1892: lectotype, here designed: K[K000198787]; isolectotype: B[B 10 0153108]

Type.

Nigeria. Cross River State; Oban, Talbot P.A. 1558, 1912: lectotype, sheet here designated: K[K000198786]; isotypes: K[K000198786] .

Description.

Liana, unknown height, d.b.h. unknown. Indumentum of stellate, minute hairs; old leafless branches sparsely pubescent, young foliate branches tomentose. Leaves: petiole 4-8 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, tomentose, grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 7-25 cm long, 5-13 cm wide, obovate to oblong or elliptic, apex acuminate, acumen 1.5-2 cm long, base rounded to cordate, coriaceous, below densely pubescent when young, pubescent to sparsely pubescent when old, above densely pubescent quickly becoming glabrous when young, glabrous when old; midrib sunken or flat, above densely pubescent, at least towards the base when young and old, below densely pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 10 to 15 pairs, pubescent to glabrous above; tertiary venation percurrent. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young foliate branches and less often on old leafless branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 2 per inflorescence; pedicel 15-22 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, tomentose; in fruit 25-30 mm long, 3-4 mm in diameter, pubescent; bracts 2, one basal and one towards the lower half of pedicel, basal bract not seen (soon falling?); upper bract 2-4 mm long, 3-4 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, fused almost completely, but not tearing, 4-5 mm long, 8-10 mm wide, suborbicular, apex rounded, base truncate, densely pubescent outside, densely pubescent inside, margins flat; petals free, sub equal; outer petals 3, 17-20 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, ovate to oblong, apex rounded, base truncate, margins flat, tomentose outside, densely pubescent inside; inner petals 3, imbricate, 17-20 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, ovate to oblong, apex rounded, base truncate, margins flat, tomentose outside, densely pubescent inside; stamens 150 to 200, in 6 to 7 rows, 1-2 mm long, oblong; connective discoid, sparsely pubescent; staminodes absent; carpels free, 20 to 30, ovary 4-5 mm long, stigma coiled, densely pubescent. Monocarps stipitate, stipes 20-30 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, centrally inserted; monocarps 8 to 12, 20-22 mm long, 20-22 mm in diameter, globose, apex rounded, tomentose, verrucose to shortly echinate, not ribbed; seeds not seen.

Distribution.

A West and Central African species, known from Sierra Leone to Nigeria and Cameroon with a disjunct distribution in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon only known from the East and South West regions.

Habitat.

An uncommon species in Cameroon; mainly occurring in lowland rain forests. Altitude 600-800 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

Not evaluated.

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Uvaria anonoides is characterized by tomentose young branches, obovate leaves with a clearly cordate or rounded base and relatively few secondary veins (less than 16) and sepals almost completely fused but not enclosing the bud and not tearing apart at anthesis. In leaves longer than 5 cm the shape can vary from obovate to oblong or elliptical and with a larger cordate leaf base. Uvaria anonoides resembles U. obanensis in the shape and size of the leaves, but this latter species is almost glabrous, sepals are free and the monocarps are sessile and smooth.

Uvaria anonoides was first described by Baker (1913) who stated it to be morphologically similar to U. platyphylla (see below) but differing mainly by leaf size (more than 15 cm long in U. platyphylla versus less than 15 cm in U. anonoides ) a character (in addition to monocarp pubescence) also used by Le Thomas (1969b) in her key to the genus in the Flore du Gabon (although neither species occurs there). This distinction was also adopted by Hawthorne and Jongkind (2006). However, besides leaf size, there is no reliable distinguishing character between these two taxa, and we consider them as synonyms following previous authors ( Hutchinson and Dalziel 1936; Lebrun and Stork 1991). Uvaria anonoides is also close morphologically to U. mocoli De Wild. & T. Durand (not found in Cameroon to date) by the shape (obovate) and size of its leaves, as suggested by Le Thomas (1969b). U. mocoli however has sessile monocarps.

The name Uvaria latifolia was already published by Blume (1828) ( U. latifolia (Dunal) Blume) and thus Boutique (1951b, p. 256) provided a new name: U. platyphylla Boutique, which is younger than U. anonoides .

Uvaria platyphylla var. luluensis Engl. & Diels (under U. latifolia var. luluensis ) was also suggested to be synonym with U. anonoides but we have to disagree. After examination of the type (Pogge 636 (B)) there are a number of differences: young foliate branches, petioles and leaf blades are glabrous or very shortly and sparsely pubescent, the leaf base is acute to decurrent (versus cordate to rounded), and the sepals are free (versus clearly fused), suggesting this is quite different from U. anonoides . Rather, this taxon could belong to the U. muricata complex, possibly conspecific with U. muricata var. suaveolens (not in Cameoon; O. Lachenaud, pers. com.).

Specimens examined.

East Region: 60 km south of Yokadouma 5 km south of Maséa village, 3.10°N, 14.84°E, 06 March 2019, Couvreur T.L.P. 1208 (MPU,WAG,YA). South-West Region: Munyenge "trouble “trouble” village between liwenyi and Bonja, 4.41°N, 9.083°E, 20 March 1993, Tchouto Mbatchou G.P. 548 (K,YA) .

Figures

Map 13. A Uvaria angolensis B Uvaria anisotricha C Uvaria anonoides D Uvaria baumannii E Uvaria bipindensis F Uvaria buchholzii G Uvaria chamae H Uvaria comperei I Uvaria heterotricha. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 105. Uvaria bipindensis A leaf, upper view B detail of pubescence lower side of leaf blade C flower, note cauliflorous nature D flower, bottom view. Uvaria mollis E leaf, lower side F detail of pubescence, lower side of leaf blade G flower H inner petal, note ungulate base I stamen, side and front views. Uvaria anonoides J flower bud K detail of calyx, bottom view L outer petal, inner view M inner petal, inner view N stamen, front and side views O carpel, detail of ovules P longitudinal section of monocarp A-D from Brenan 9445 E-I from Zenker & Staudt 3 J-O Jaeger 9876 P from Jaeger 8800. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris.