Monanthotaxis klainei (Engl.) Verdc. var. lastoursvillensis (Pellegr.) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 30, 1971

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 : 213-217

Monanthotaxis klainei (Engl.) Verdc. var. lastoursvillensis (Pellegr.) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 30, 1971

Figs 61 , 62 ; Map 8C

≡ Popowia lastoursvillensis Pellegr., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 96: 213, 1949; Popowia klainei var. lastoursvillensis (Pellegr.) Le Thomas, Adansonia 3: 290, 1963.

Type.

Gabon. Ogooué-Lolo; région de Lastoursville, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 8595, 19 Dec 1930: lectotype, chosen by Le Thomas (1969b), p. 221: P[P00362624, P00362625]; isolectotypes: BM[BM000553844]; BR[BR0000008823748, BR0000008823847] .

Description.

Liana, 7 m tall, d.b.h. up to 4 cm. Indumentum of simple hairs; old leafless branches glabrous, young foliate branches pubescent with very short appressed yellowish to reddish brown hairs 0.1 mm long to glabrous. Leaves: petiole 3-9 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, glabrous, grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 9.8-26.8 cm long, 4.6-10.8 cm wide, obovate, apex acuminate to acute, acumen ca. 1.5 cm long, base rounded to subcordate, papyraceous, below sparsely pubescent when young and old, above glabrous when young and old, discolorous, whitish below; midrib sunken or flat, above glabrous when young and old, below sparsely pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 7 to 10 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation percurrent. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences cauliflorous or ramiflorous on old leafless branches, axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 3 per inflorescence; pedicel 0.5-3 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, densely pubescent with short appressed reddish brown hairs; in fruit 1-10 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter; basal bract 0.5-1 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide; upper bract 1-1.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, connate, ca. 1 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, ovate, apex obtuse, base truncate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside, margins flat; petals free, outer petals longer than inner, inner petals partly covered in bud; outer petals 3, 4.5 mm long, 2.6-2.9 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, apex acute, base truncate, red to yellow, margins flat, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 3.3-3.7 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide, elliptic, apex acute, base truncate, margins flat, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; stamens 9, in 1 row, ca. 1 mm long, oblong; thecae on the lateral inner side with transversal dehiscence; connective truncate, glabrous; staminodes 9, in one whorl alternating with the stamens, ca. 0.3 mm long, glabrous; carpels free, 16 to 26, ovary 0.5-1 mm long, stigma globose, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate, stipes 1-4 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diameter; monocarps 1 to 8, ca. 17 mm long, 7-8 mm in diameter, moniliform, ellipsoid, apex rounded to apiculate, pubescent, verrucose, yellow to red when ripe; seed 1 per monocarp, 10-12 mm long, 6-7 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril absent.

Distribution.

A central African species, from Cameroon to Angola; in Cameroon known from the East and South regions.

Habitat.

A rare taxon in Cameroon; in lowland primary rain forests, gallery forests, along river banks and forest edges along savannas. Altitude 100-450 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

Preliminary IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Hoekstra et al. 2021).

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

M. klainei is distinguished by its shortly and sparsely pubescent or glabrous branches and leaves, clearly obovate leaves which can be quite large (up to 26 cm long) and by having 9 stamens in a single row, with transversally dehiscent thecae. It has more carpels (16 to 26) than closely related species, such as M. vogelii (8 to 12) and M. aquila P.H.Hoekstra (12 to 13) and it has more staminodes (9 vs 6). However, M. aquila is not present in Cameroon (only known from the type in Ivory Coast)

The variety Monanthotaxis klainei (known from Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not found in Cameroon) was distinguished from the variety Popowia lastoursvillensis by Le Thomas (1969b, as Popowia klainii var. lastroursvillensis , p. 218) based on longer pedicels and a larger number of flowers per inflorescences when compared to var. Popowia klainii klainei . Based on more material Hoekstra et al. (2021) showed that the number of flowers per inflorescence is not a distinctive character. However, seed shape, globose in Congolese specimens of var. Popowia klainii klainei and ellipsoid in var. Popowia klainii lastoursvillensis , was added as an important distinction.

Specimens examined.

East Region: bezirk Molundu, 2.5°N, 15.25°E, 19 January 1911, Mildbraed G.W.J. 4286 (HBG). South Region : Bipindi, 3.05°N, 10.25°E, 01 January 1904, Zenker G.A. 2977 (BM,E) .

Figures

Map 8. A Monanthotaxis hexamera B Monanthotaxis hirsuta C Monanthotaxis klainei D Monanthotaxis laurentii E Monanthotaxis letouzeyi F Monanthotaxis montana G Monanthotaxis paniculata H Monanthotaxis pellegrinii I Monanthotaxis pynaertii. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 61. Monanthotaxis klainei var. lastoursvillensis A leaves B flower bud seen from above C outer petal inner side view D inner petal, inner view E flower with petals removed F stamen, inner outter views G staminodes H carpel and longitudinal section of carpel. Monanthotaxis klainei var. klainei (not in Cameroon) I fruits. Monanthotaxis laurentii J flowering branch K outer petal inner side view L inner petal, inner view M flower with petals removed N stamens outer and inner views O carpel and longitudinal section of carpel A-H from Klaine 2662 I from Klaine 1539 J-O from Le Testu 4512. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 39, p. 219).

Figure 62. Monanthotaxis klainei var. lastoursvillensis A leaf, lower side B base of leaf blade, upper side C base of leaf blade, lower side. Monanthotaxis laurentii D Leaf, upper side E base of leaf blade, lower side F base of leaf blade, upper side G outer petals, inner and outer views, and inner petals, lower part of photo H young fruit, sepals persistent A-C Couvreur 599, Gabon D-H Couvreur 1056, Mt Cameroon. Photos Thomas L. P. Couvreur.