Letestudoxa bella Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 655, 1920

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 : 154-156

Letestudoxa bella Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 655, 1920

Figs 42 , 43 ; Map 5I

= Letestudoxa grandifolia Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 656, 1920. Type. Gabon. Nyanga, Ilou Micongo, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 1442, 4 Nov 1908: holotype: P[P00364780]; isotype: BM[BM000546387].

= Pachypodanthium simiarum Exell & Mendonça, J. Bot. 74 (Suppl.): 14, 1936. Type. Angola. Maiombe, Belize, Gossweiler J. 6971, 16 Fev 1917: holotype: BM[BM000067635]; isotypes: COI[COI00004878]; LISC[LISC000102, LISC000101, LISC000098, LISC000099, LISC000100].

Type.

Gabon. Nyanga; Midounga, near Tchibanga, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 1637, 24 Oct 1910: holotype: P[P00364779]; isotype: BM[BM000546388] .

Description.

Liana, 16-40 m tall, d.b.h. up to 4 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum of simple hairs; old leafless branches glabrous, young foliate branches densely pubescent. Leaves: petiole 3-10 mm long, 1-4 mm in diameter, pubescent to glabrous, slightly grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 5-18 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, elliptic to obovate, apex acuminate to emarginate, acumen 0.5-1 cm long, base rounded to cordate, coriaceous, below densely pubescent when young, densely pubescent when old, above glabrous when young and old, concolorous; midrib sunken or flat, above glabrous when young and old, below pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 12 to 20 pairs, pubescent below; tertiary venation percurrent to indistinct. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on old leafless branches, extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 per inflorescence; pedicel 3-6 mm long, 1-3 mm in diameter, pubescent; in fruit 3-7 mm long, 1-3 mm in diameter, pubescent; bracts 2, one basal and one upper towards the lower half of pedicel, basal bract 5-7 mm long, 3-5 mm wide; upper bract 6-12 mm long, 4-7 mm wide, not clasping the flower bud; sepals 3, valvate, completely fused, tearing at anthesis, 10-20 mm long, base truncate, brown, densely pubescent outside, densely pubescent inside, margins flat; petals free, outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, 30-55 mm long, 15-55 mm wide, ovate, apex acute, base attenuate, yellow to orange with pinkish margins, margins crisped, densely pubescent outside, pubescent inside; inner petals 3, imbricate, 15-30 mm long, 10-25 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, apex acute, base attenuate to acute, yellow to orange with red marginal zone, margins wavy, densely pubescent outside, pubescent inside; stamens numerous, 2-3 mm long, broad; connective flattened, pubescent, red; staminodes absent; carpels free, around 175, ovary ca. 2 mm long, stigma capitate, pubescent. Fruit pseudosyncarpous, ca. 45 mm long, ca. 50 mm in diameter in total, globose; individual carpels sessile, 125 to 150 carpels, obovoid to obtrulloid, apex rounded to apiculate, sparsely pubescent, 6 to 7 ribbed, green turning red when ripe; seed 1 per monocarp, 15-16 mm long, 4-8 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril present, light brown.

Distribution.

Known from Angola, Cameroon to Gabon and in the Republic of Congo; in Cameroon known from the South region.

Habitat.

Growing in lowland primary and secondary rain forests. Altitude 50-750 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

Not evaluated.

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Letestudoxa bella is characterized by its mostly elliptic leaves (sometimes obovate too) which are generally smaller (5-18 cm) than those of L. lanuginosa (15-28 cm). In addition, in fresh material, L. lanuginosa has a bullate upper surface (versus a more leathery smooth upper surface in L. bella ). In flower, L. lanuginosa is characterized by the upper bract clasping the flower bud, which is not the case in L. bella .

Specimens examined.

South Region: 26 km E of confluent Ntem River and Akom River near Ebolowa, 2.29°N, 11.86°E, 05 March 1970, Letouzey R. 10097 (BR,P,P,YA); Tom (Nyabessan), 2.43°N, 10.52°E, 04 March 1963, Raynal J. 10195 (P,YA) .

Figures

Map 5. A Isolona congolana B Isolona cooperi C Isolona dewevrei D Isolona hexaloba E Isolona pilosa F Isolona pleurocarpa G Isolona thonneri H Isolona zenkeri I Letestudoxa bella. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 42. Letestudoxa lanuginosa A flowering branch, with one open flower and one flower bud, note sepals completely fused B detail of lower side of leaf blade showing dense pubescence C flower, bottom view D stamens, side and front views E carpels, note long elongated stigma F longitudinal section of receptacle G flower diagram. Letestudoxa bella H detail of lower side of leaf blade showing pubescence I flower bud, note sepals completely fused A-G from Le Testu 9320; 8 - 9 from Le Testu 8362. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 17, p. 99).

Figure 43. Letestudoxa bella A leaf, upper side B fruit, a pseudosyncarpous fruit C fruit, top view, note the large sepal remains. Letestudoxa lanuginosa D habit, liana climbing on tree trunk E leaf, upper side F leaf, lower side G detail of young flower bud, not completely enclosing sepals A-C Couvreur 600, Gabon D-G Couvreur 1148, Ma'an, Cameroon. Photos Thomas L. P. Couvreur.