Anisophyllea brachystila Engler & von Brehmer (1917: 378)

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

7. Anisophyllea brachystila Engler & von Brehmer (1917: 378) ( Figure 14 )

Type :— DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Kinshasa: Dolo, June 1899, F. R. R. Schlechter 12450 (lectotype P-00374856!, here designated, isolectotypes BR-8975690!, BR-8975713!, P-00374855!, P-00374856!, PRE-0594709-0!, WAG-0100428-!) .

Small shrubs 25–35 cm tall; young branches tenuous, with brown longitudinal striae pilose and ±grayish-pilose when mature. Leaves dimorphic, small leaves caducous; larger leaves petiolate, petiole 2–3 mm long, tomentose; leaf blade broadly lanceolate or oblanceolate, 4–6 cm long (or often shorter), 1–2 cm wide, base narrowly acuminate, apex obtuse or broadly acute, occasionally mucronate, thickly chartaceous, sub-lustrous, ±pilose on both surfaces; main longitudinal veins 5–7, two innermost veins merged with midrib at 1–2 cm above blade base before separated, two outer veins starting from blade base or slightly above, two outermost veins (if 7 main veins present) very fine and usually disappearing at lower half of blade margins, distinctly prominent on both surfaces; transverse veins ±parallel, at angles of 45°–80° with midrib; veinlets reticulate, slightly prominent on both surfaces. Inflorescence an axillary spike (or rarely flowers solitary), rachis ascending, tenuous, up to 4 cm long, remotely with a few flowers; bracts early deciduous; flower buds ±globose, sparsely pilose; flowers bisexual, 4- merous, sessile; sepals broadly ovate, ca. 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, apex acute, margins ciliate, shortly pilose abaxially; petals broadly obovate, ca. 3.25 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, laciniate from middle, rarely deeper, laciniae base broad, glabrous on both surfaces; stamens 8, free, ca. 2.2 mm long, filaments tenuously elongated, base not dilated, anthers small, ca. 0.4 mm long, thick and plump; disk thick, glabrous; styles 4, narrowly conical, ca. 1.5 times as long as wide, apex not tapered, not elongated, stigmas obsolete. Fruits unknown.

Flowering and fruiting: —Flowering in June; fruiting time unknown.

Habitat and distribution: —?In scrubland; elevation unknown. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) ( Figure 15 ).

Taxonomic notes: — Anisophyllea brachystila is a little-known species with only the type specimens available. According to Engler & von Brehmer (1917), it is morphologically related to A. fissipetala , from which it is different by having stamens with elongated filaments and smaller anthers, the less dissected petals, and the structure of styles. It is also similar to A. poggei , which however has much longer styles.

MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 29 30 • Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press

CHEN ET AL.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Anisophyllea brachystila Engler & von Brehmer. Flowering branches. (F. R. R. Schlechter 12450; lectotype, P- 00374856).

FIGURE 15. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea brachystila Engler & von Brehmer.