Coccinia heterophylla (Hook.f.) Holstein, Kew Bull. 65(3): 435-441. 2010 [published in 2011].

Holstein, Norbert, 2015, Monograph of Coccinia (Cucurbitaceae), PhytoKeys 54, pp. 1-166 : 79-81

6. Coccinia heterophylla (Hook.f.) Holstein, Kew Bull. 65(3): 435-441. 2010 [published in 2011].

Physedra heterophylla Hook.f. in D.Oliv., F. T. A. 2: 553. 1871.

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. [Cuanza Norte]: Golungo Alto, along the banks of the stream Casaballa, at the base of the mountains in Sobato de Bumba, male, fl, Oct 1855, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Lectotype: BM! [BM000948006, digital image: BM, JPS], selected in Holstein and Renner (2010: 440); isolectotype p.p.: LISU! [LISU214547, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location, female, fr, Jan 1856, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: BM! [BM000948008, digital image: BM, JPS]). Type: Angola. In rugged places at Delamboa river, with Coffea melanocarpa , no clear date given, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: BM! [BM000948007, digital image: BM, JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location and date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: COI! [COI00005515, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location, male, fl, no date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: K! [K000313234, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location, female, fl, no date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214548, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location, female, fr, Jan 1856, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214549, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location, male, fl, no date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214550, digital image: JPS]). Type: Angola. In rugged places at Delamboa river, with Coffea melanocarpa , Sep 1855, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214551, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. At Delamboa river, no date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214552, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location and date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: LISU! [LISU214553, digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location and date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: P! [digital image: JPS]).

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. No detailed location and date, F.M.J. Welwitsch 791 (Syntype: G-DC!).

Coccinia heterophylla Physedra heterophylla var. hookeri Hiern in Cat. Welw. Afr. Pl. 1(2): 400. 1898.

Coccinia heterophylla Type: Angola. [Cuanza Norte]: Golungo Alto, near Ponte de Felix Simões, female, fl, Dec 1855, F.M.J. Welwitsch 792 (Holotype: BM! [BM000948009, digital image: BM]).

Description.

Perennial climber. Stem up to 5-6 m, glabrous, sometimes whitish-speckled. Petiole 1-2 cm long, puberulous on abaxial side with few tiny trichomes, rarely with up to 0.8 mm long, yellowish trichomes, sometimes white-speckled, on adaxial side with small, yellowish-dirty trichomes. Leaves 7.5-12.5 × 10-14 cm, cordate, deltoid-subhastate to 5 -lobate, auriculate, or 7-lobate. Lobes triangulate to ovoid. Leaf margin dentate, often serrate. Apex acute with final tooth to acuminate. Upper leaf surface glabrous, small hya line pustulate. Lower leaf surface glabrous often with blackish glands, nerves glabrous, except for basis with up to 0.8 mm long, yellowish trichomes and sometimes white-speckled. Probracts up to 5 mm. Tendrils bifid. Male flowers in short racemes. Common peduncle 2-13 mm long, not exceeding the pedicel bearing part in length, puberulous with tiny yellowish-dirty trichomes (magnifying glass!). Pedicels <4 mm, glabrous to puberulous. Bracts up to 3.5 mm. Perianth tube glabrous. Calyx lobes 5-7 mm, subulate, erect. Corolla up to 1.6 cm, dirty yellowish, dirty orange to reddish-orange. Corolla lobes 4-7 mm. Color of filament column, anther head, or pollen sacs not seen. Female flowers solitary or in short or long (up to 15 cm) racemes (Fig. 28). Raceme and bracts as in males, except raceme can be elongated (see remarks). Hypanthium glabrous, calyx lobes and corolla like male flowers. Ovary glabrous. Style columnar to 3-parted to the middle, color not seen. Stigma bulging, pale yellow. Fruits up to 4-6 × 2-2.5 cm, ovoid-elliptical to shortly cylindrical, glabrous. Fruits ripen from green? via orange-colored with longitudinal green bands, ripe fruits unknown. Seed size not known, rather symmetrically obovate, face flat.

Phenology.

Flowering time: February-April, June, September-December.

Distribution.

Fig. 29. Western Gabon (Estuaire), southern R. Congo (Kouilou), western D. R. Congo (Bas-Congo), western Angola (Cuanza Norte, Namibe). Elevation 10 to 900 m. Soil preference unknown. Transition between tropical lowland rainforest and woodlands, and its relict sites along the Angola highland escarpment, in secondary regrowths, on shrubs, along rivers.

Remarks.

The long, subulate calyx lobes are the only good character for distinguishing this species, which otherwise can be easily confused with Coccinia barteri . Female collections from Libreville (Gabon) and R. Congo have elongated racemes while the racemes are more condensed in the south. Whether this character shows affinity (introgression?) to Coccinia racemiflora , which also has elongated racemes, defines an own species, or is just a coincidental observation of intraspecific variation is not known.

Taxonomic remark.

This species is the type species of Physedra Hook.f. The genus was described by J. D. Hooker ( Bentham and Hooker 1867) with three species belonging to it. However, in Oliver’s Flora of Tropical Africa ( Hooker 1871), Hooker only describes two species, Physedra heterophylla and Physedra longipes . When Jeffrey (1962) transferred Physedra longipes into a new genus, Ruthalicia , he indirectly lectotypified Physedra .

Monique Kéraudren regarded Physedra heterophylla as synonymous to Coccinia barteri ( Kéraudren-Aymonin 1975a; Kéraudren 1967) from which it, in fact, differs by the long calyx lobes. This, however, led to the creation of Coccinia subhastata with short calyx lobes, which is a synonym to Coccinia barteri ( Holstein and Renner 2010).

Specimens examined.

(Selection; in total: 37) Angola. Cabinda: Maiombe [Forest], Belize, J. Gossweiler 7653 (COI, K, LISU). Cuanza Norte: Cazengo municipality, near Agricultural Station Cazengo, J. Gossweiler 5655 (COI, LISU [LISC 031407], LISC [LISC 031408], LISC [LISC 031409], LISC [LISC031410], LISC [LISC 031411], LISU]), and 5707 (COI, LISC [LISC 031412], LISU). Huíla: Châo da Chela, between [Lago] Tchivinguiro and Bruco, on middle slope of Serra da Chela escarpment, E.J. Mendes 925 (BM, COI, LISC); ibid. L.A. Grandvaux Barbosa 9448 (COI). D. R. Congo. Bas-Congo: Lukula territoire, Temvo, F.M.C. Vermoesen 1824 (BR, EA, WAG [WAG0225504]). R. Congo. Kouilou: on left bank of Kouilou river, 4 km upstream of Kakamoeka, Sounda on path to level meter, C. Farron 4980 (P [P05621154], P [P05621155], P [P05621156]). Gabon. Estuaire: Libreville, T.-J. Klaine 414 (P [P05620605], P [P05620610], P [P05621146], P [P05621147], P [P05621149], P [P05621150], P [P05621152], P [P05621153]); Libreville, I.R.A.F. building, 0°25'N, 9°26'E, J.M. Reitsma & B. Reitsma 2120 (MO, NY, WAG [WAG0225493]).