Mischogyne michelioides Exell (1932: 213)

Gosline, George, Marshall, Andrew R. & Larridon, Isabel, 2019, Revision and new species of the African genus Mischogyne (Annonaceae), Kew Bulletin 74 (28), pp. 1-23 : 17-18

5. Mischogyne michelioides Exell (1932: 213) ;

Exell & Mendonça (1937, 1, 1: 30); Exell & Mendonça (1951, 1, 2: 356); Fries (1959: Tab. XIII); Paiva (1966: 105). Type: Angola, Quanza-Sul, Seles (Ucu) entre os rios Gunza e Cuvo , 8 Sept. 1930, Gossaeeiller 9379 (holotype BM! [ BM000547339 ]; isotypes COI * [ COI00071516 ], K! [ K000198792 ], LISC * [ K000198792 ], US * [ 00098848 ]) .

Deciduous sub-shrub or shrub 1 – 5 m tall usually branching from the base. Young branches and taeigs densely pubescent with hairs 0.5 – 1.1 mm long, quickly glabrescent. Bark grey, lightly fissured. Petioles 6 – 8 mm long, 1 – 3 mm in diam., pubescent with hairs 0.5 – 1.1 mm long, glabrescent. Leaoes deciduous, lamina obovate, oblong-obovate, rarely ovate to elliptic, 7 – 20 cm long, 4 – 8.5 cm wide, length:width ratio 2 – 2.5, apex attenuate to acuminate, rarely obtuse-rounded, base rounded to subcordate, less often cuneate at base, chartaceous, young leaves sparsely pubescent on both surfaces with hairs 0.2 – 0.8 mm long, becoming glabrous above and glabrescent below; midrib glabrous above glabrescent below; 8 – 16 pairs secondary veins ascendant at 45° – 60° to 30 – 50% of the leaf length indistinctly anastomosing at margin. Floaeers solitary, extra-axillary or terminal, in bud with old leaves, at anthesis with foliar buds and sometimes with young leaves. Flower bud ovoid, 1.5 – 3 cm long, 1 – 2 cm in diam., apex obtuse to acute. Bracts 1.5 – 2.5 mm. diam., caducous. Flowering pedicel 0.3 – 1 cm long, 0.2 – 0.3 cm in diam., densely oppressed pubescent, hairs 0.3 – 0.6 mm long, light brown, continuing onto sepals. Sepals broadly ovate-elliptic, 0.9 – 1.5 cm long, 0.5 – 1 cm long, length:width ratio 2 – 2.5, apex acute, deciduous, green-brown, densely oppressed pubescent on the outside and tomentose-whitish on the inside with hairs 0.08 – 0.2 mm long. Petals ovate, narrowly ovate, or oblong-elliptic, 3 – 4.5 cm long, 1.1 – 1.8 cm wide, length:width ratio 3.5 – 4, white, obtuse to rounded at apex, initially thick, becoming thin, densely pubescent on the outside with hairs 0.3 – 1 m long, puberulous on the inside with erect hairs 0.08 – 0.2 mm long, 7 – 8 ± parallel ribs from the base, at anthesis fully open and laxly spreading from the base of the torus. Torus cylindrical, 15 – 30 mm long, the thicker anther-bearing section at the base 40 – 60% of the length 2 – 2.5 m in diameter, pubescent with semi-erect hairs 0.2 – 0.3 mm long, tapering into a thin 0.8 – 1.2 mm diameter pubescent portion with dense white stiff erect hairs 0.3 – 0.6 mm long, bearing the spirally-arranged carpels at the top in an ascendant cluster, the pubescence carrying onto the carpels. Stamens numerous, 6 – 10 mm long, 0.3 – 0.6 mm wide, linear, flexible; connective glabrous, not extending above the thecae; filaments absent. Carpels 8 – 40, cylindrical, 4 – 6 mm long, densely pubescent with stiff white hairs 0.3 – 0.6 mm long. Stigmas sessile, bilobed, yellow in dried material. Fruit with pedicel 1 cm long, pubescent. Monocarps solitary, ovoid-ellipsoid, 5 – 6 × 2.5 – 3 cm, apiculate, densely tomentose, dehiscing on plant. Seeds 5 – 11, 2 – 2.5 × 1.5 cm, ellipsoid, glabrous (Description partly based on Paiva 1966) ( Fig. 8 ).

DISTRIBUTION. Angola, altitude 700 – 1000 m, western foothills below the scarp of the Central African Plateau. This is the southern end of WWF’ s “Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands” biome (WWF n.d.) ( Map 1 ).

HABITAT. Riversides, rocky and sandy areas.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ANGOLA. Benguela Province: Cubal – Benguela, km 38, 850 m , fl, [13°2' 14°0'], 12 April 1973, P. Bamps 4459 ( WAG *) & J. B. Teixeira 1759 ( LISC *) ; Missão Católica do Cubal , 940 m, [13°1'48" 14°11'24"], 1 Aug. 1968, J. B. Damann 2557 ( LISC *); Seles, Vila Nova de Seles , 850 m, [11°24'44" 14°18'24"], 12 July 1937, A. W. Exell 3183 ( BM!, LISC *); Seles (Ucu), near Cambongo and Queve Rivers , 830 m, [11°24' 14°18'], 1 Jan. 1930, J. Gossaeeiler 9379 ( BM!, K!, LISC *); Chongoroi , andados 20 km de Chongoroi rumo a Benguela, 700 m, [13°21'36" 13°50'24"], 16 Nov. 1955, E. J. Mendes 626 ( LISC *, WAG *); na serra entre Chongoroi e Cubal ( Ganda ) andados 10 km do Chongoroi , 18 Nov. 1955, E. J. Mendes 678 ( LISC *, WAG *). Huíla Province: Chao de Chela, Mahila, Vila Arriaga , Bibala , 1000 m, [15°7'30" 13°12'], 18 Sept. 1941, J. Gossaeeiler 13221 ( LISC *). Namibe Province: Camucuio, a caminho do Mulovei, 700 m, [14°6'42" 13°14'25"], 29 Oct. 1962, O. J. A. Menezes 325 (K!, P*); Lungo, Posto Experimental , 688 m, [14°19'12" 13°12'], 5 March 1956, J. B. Teixeira 688 ( LISC *); Caconda, Camucuio, ao longo do Rio Camucuio , 700 m, [14°6' 13°18'], 19 Sept. 1959, J. B. Teixeira & A. M. Andrade 4589, ( LISC *); Mossamedes , 30 May 1938, G. de Abreu 54 ( BR!).

CONSERVATION STATUS. Specimens were last collected in 1973. Seven locations are known, all along the dry western foothills of the Angolan escarpment. Further research is needed to understand the degree to which these locations share common threats. Woody vegetation in this region is subject to intensive harvesting for charcoal production (Goyder pers. comm.). Existing specimens give an AOO of 48 km 2 and an EOO of 16,063 km 2. This number of locations and AOO indicate a preliminary category of Vulnerable: VU B1,2a,b(v).

PHENOLOGY. Flowering October – December, fruiting July – August. Deciduous and flowering when leafless or with young leaves flushing.

ETYMOLOGY. The specific epithet recognises the resemblance to the Magnoliaceae genus Michelia L., now usually treated as a synonym of Magnolia Plum ex L. “ The resemblance to the gynaecium of Michelia is particularly marked.” ( Exell 1932).

VERNACULAR NAMES. Munthu, Muntju (Muquilengue), Mundeau (Cubal), Chitundu (Umbundu).

USES. Used as medicine for swollen legs. A tea made from the roots is applied several times a day (Damann 2557). Used by Quimbanda cult against madness (Santos 252).

NOTES. Mischogyne michelioides is unique within the genus in its long (1 – 3 cm) and flexible torus, semidry habitat, and deciduous habit. Van Heusden (1992) describes the carpels as “long-stipitate”, but the stamens are mounted on the same stalk, so this is apparently an extended receptacle. The stamens (6 – 10 mm long) are, besides a few species of Uoaria, the longest in the family ( Heusden 1992).

Figures

Map 1. Distribution of all species of Mischogyne.

Fig. 8. Mischogyne michelioides. A flowering branch; B branch with bud; C flower with sepals prominent; D flower with 3 petals; E stamens; F carpels; G monocarp. A, B from Abreu 54; C, E, F from Mendes 678; D from A. Menezes 325; G from Santos 252. Scale bar A – D, G 2 cm; E, F 6 cm. Illustration from Paiva (1966) used with permission.