Anisophyllea obanica Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He, 2015

Chen, Xin, He, Hai & Zhang, Li-Bing, 2015, A monograph of the Anisophylleaceae (Cucurbitales) with description of 18 new species of Anisophyllea, Phytotaxa 229 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

46. Anisophyllea obanica Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He , sp. nov. ( Figure 90 )

Type:— NIGERIA. Cross River: Cross River National Park, Oban Hills , ca. 10 km ESE of Neghe, 05°12’03”N 008°40’08”E, 08 February 1995, K . Schmitt & T. O . Ibiang 373 (holotype MO!) .

Diagnosis:— Anisophyllea obanica is most similar to A. cuneata in leaves sparsely hirsute abaxially with hairs more than 1 mm long when mature, but the former has small leaves deltoid and large leaves strongly oblique at base with different outlines on two sides (auriculate at one side and rounded at another side), while the latter has small leaves narrowly lanceolate and large leaves broadly cuneate or rounded at base (with two side not extremely different in outline).

Trees; young branches densely manicate and hirsute with yellowish or reddish hairs (manicate with hairs ca. 0.16 mm long and last longer period; hirsute with hairs up to 2.4 mm long, patent or ascending, early deciduous), glabrescent when mature; aged branches with orbicular leaf scars; buds densely hirsute. Leaves dimorphic, internodes between similar types of leaves 1.0– 1.6 cm, between two adjacent different types of leaves 2–6 mm; small leaves caducous, sessile, leaf blade deltoid, 4–6 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, base cordate, apex acuminate, glabrous on both surfaces, margins pilose-ciliate with hairs to 1.1 mm long, main veins 7, impressed adaxially and raised abaxially, midrib straight and lateral veins curved, all reaching blade apex and ending at a thickened glandular point; large leaves petiolate, petiole 0.8–2.0 mm, densely hairy as young branches; leaf blade ovate-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 5.5–9.0 cm long, 2.5–4.0 cm wide, base strongly oblique, one side auriculate and another side rounded, apex acute or acuminate, margin slightly revolute, thickly chartaceous, glabrous adaxially, sparsely hirsute abaxially with hairs 0.5–2.1 mm long; main longitudinal veins 5–7, springing from blade base, innermost lateral veins merged with midrib to 2.5 cm above blade base before separated, impressed adaxially and distinctly elevated abaxially, outermost two lateral veins rather fine, close to blade margins and usually disappearing into blade margins, flat adaxially and prominent abaxially; transverse veins parallel, unequal in thickness, some much bold than others, at angles of 60–75° with midrib; veinlets reticulate, obscure adaxially and slightly prominent abaxially. Flowers and fruits unknown.

Flowering and fruiting: —Unknown.

120 • Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press

CHEN ET AL.

MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 121

Habitat and distribution: — Lowland forests;? 100–250 m. Nigeria (Cross River) ( Figure 91 ) .

Taxonomic notes: — Anisophyllea obanica is also similar to A. cordata in the shape of large leaves, but it can be easily distinguished by the deltoid and caducous small leaves, by the shortly petiolate large leaves with strongly different outlines on two sides of blade base (one side auriculate and another rounded), and by the up to 2.1 mm long stiff hairs (hirsute) on abaxial surface of mature large leaves.

The epithet is from the name of the type locality, Oban Hills in Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria .

Additional specimens examined: — NIGERIA. Cross River : Cross River National Park, Oban Hills. Forest , ca. 7 km NNE of Mkoptl, 05°43’01”N 008°43’06”E, 21 February 1995, K. Schmitt, H. Ndoma & T. O. Ibiang 500 ( MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 90. Anisophyllea obanica Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He. Leafy branch (K. Schmitt & T. O. Ibiang 373; holotype, MO).

FIGURE 91. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea obanica Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He.