Uvariodendron fuscum var. giganteum (Engl.) Dagallier & Couvreur, 2022

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 : 396-399

Uvariodendron fuscum var. giganteum (Engl.) Dagallier & Couvreur comb. nov.

Figs 123 , 124 ; Map 15F

≡ Uvariodendron giganteum (Engl.) R.E.Fr., Acta Horti Berg. 10: 62, 1930; Uvaria gigantea Engl., Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 2: 292, 1899; Uva gigantea (Engl.) Kuntze, Deutsche Bot. Monatsschr. 21: 173, 1903.

Type.

Cameroon. Central Region ; Yaoundé, Zenker G.A. & Staudt A. 108, 1895: lectotype designated by Fries (1930), p. 62, sheet destroyed at B, sheet here designated: P[P00362654]; isolectotype: COI[COI00004926] .

Description.

Differs from the type variety in having young branches and petioles covered with long soft hairs producing a whitish appearance quickly falling off (vs. young branches and petiole sparsely pubescent to glabrous); leaves 30-70 cm long and 8.2-22.5 cm wide (vs. 15.9-45 cm long and 4.3-11.8 cm wide), secondary veins 22 to 33 (vs. 15 to 24), and flowers with sepals 21-30 mm long (vs. 11-23 mm long); carpels 33 to 104 (vs. 20 to 70).

Distribution.

From southern Nigeria to Gabon and Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon known from the East, South, Central and South-West regions.

Habitat.

a common variety; in lowland or premontane primary or old secondary rain forests, on inundated soils or along streams or rivers. Altitude: 100-1300 m a.s.l.

Vernacular names (as assigned to U. giganteum ): Obom, ossoé ( Yaoundé, Biholong 279), Limboto (Bakweri, van Andel 3761).

IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Cheek 2014b).

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

This variety is more common and widespread than the type variety. Most of these characters provided above overlap with the type variety. Without the young branches covered with long soft hairs it can be hard to identify some specimens as var. Uvariodendron giganteum giganteum with certainty.

The specimen Zenker G.A. & Staudt A. 108, defined to be the type specimen by Fries (1930), was not found in B (lost or destroyed), so we make the duplicate from P as the lectotype and the duplicate from COI as the isolectotype.

Selected specimens examined.

Central Region: Mont Mbam Minkon on trail 5 km from Nkol Nyada village , 3.96°N, 11.40°E, 21 March 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 419 (WAG,YA); Yaoundé, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, 1895, Zenker G.A. 108 (P); Yaundé, 3.86°N, 11.51°E, Feburary 1895, Zenker G.A. 698 (K) . East Region: 80 km south of Yokadouma 30 km after Ngato 15 km after river ALPICAM 'base de vie’ then 40 km on forestry road starting 4 km before Masea village , 3.16°N, 14.70°E, 05 March 2019, Couvreur T.L.P. 1206 (MPU,WAG,YA); 66 km south of Yokadouma 30 km after Ngato 15 km after river ALPICAM 'base de vie’ then 40 km on forestry road starting 4 km before Masea village , 3.08°N, 14.67°E, 08 March 2019, Couvreur T.L.P. 1229 (MPU,WAG,YA) . South Region: Près d’Alati-Ancienne piste Alati-Mintom II, 2.2°N, 13.42°E, 17 January 1973, Biholong M. 279 (P,YA); Massif de Ngovayang village de Atog Boga, 3.22°N, 10.50°E, 04 September 2015, Droissart V. 2125 (BRLU); Bipindi, 3.08°N, 10.41°E, 1898, Zenker G.A. 1438 (L) . South-West Region: Nyasoso village on max’s trail to Mt 4.82°N, 9.699°E, 05 April 2016, Couvreur T.L.P. 1057 (WAG,YA); on trail from Ekongo village located 5 km before the entrance to Limbe 7 km on secondary road On flank of Mt Etinde 100 m in Mont Cameroon National Park , 4.07°N, 9.133°E, 16 October 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 512 (WAG,YA); Bakossi Mountains 1-8 km NNE of Menyum Village, 5.05°N, 9.612°E, 22 May 1987, Doumenge C. 473 (L,P); Ebondji, 4.76°N, 9.598°E, 08 June 2017, Kamdem N. 557 (YA); Forest trail 2 km south from Etube-Tape village , 4.85°N, 9.7°E, 02 February 1995, Lane P. 501 (K,WAG,YA); Cameroon Mountain, 4.12°N, 9.187°E, 21 June 2001, van Andel T.R. 3761 (U,WAG) .

Figures

Map 15. A Uvariastrum zenkeri B Uvariodendron angustifolium C Uvariodendron calophyllum D Uvariodendron conniven s E Uvariodendron fuscum F Uvariodendron fuscum var. giganteum G Uvariodendron molundense H Uvariopsis bakeriana I Uvariopsis citrata. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 123. Uvariodendron fuscum var. giganteum A leaf B flower bud, side view C flower bud, side view D detail of receptacle, two outer and one inner petals removed E outer petal, outer view F inner petal, outer view G stamen H carpel, side view and detail of ovules I longitudinal section of receptacle J floral diagram K fruit, longitudinal sections of monocarps A-K from Halle 3156 (as U. giganteum). Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 50, p. 279).

Figure 124. Uvariodendron fuscum var. giganteum A leaf, hand for size B detail of young branch, note pubescence of long whitish appressed hairs C base of leaf blade, lower side D base of leaf base, upper side E flower, side view F flower, top view G young fruit A, C-G Couvreur 1057, Mt Cameroon B Couvreur 1206, Masea, Cameroon. Photos Thomas L. P. Couvreur.