Greenwayodendron Verdc., Adansonia ser . 2, 9: 89, 1969

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 : 110

Greenwayodendron Verdc., Adansonia ser. 2, 9: 89, 1969

≡ Polyalthia sect. Afropolyalthia Engler & Prantl., Leipzig, W. Engelmann.160, 1897.

Type species.

Greenwayodendron suaveolens (Engl. & Diels) Verdc.

Description.

Trees, 7-45 m tall, d.b.h. 3-125 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum of simple hairs. Leaves: petiole 2-8 mm long, 1-3 mm in diameter, blade 6.5-16.2 cm long, 2-6.7 cm wide, elliptic to oblong, apex acuminate to caudate, base cuneate to rounded, concolorous; midrib sunken or flat; secondary veins 5 to 18 pairs; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals androdioecious; male and bisexual inflorescences similar in appearance, ramiflorous on young foliate branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 4 per inflorescence; pedicel 4-6 mm long; in fruit 6-13 mm long; bracts 2, one basal and one upper, 1-2 mm long; sepals 3, valvate, free, 2-4 mm long, ovate, apex acuminate, base truncate; petals free; outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, valvate, 8-18 mm long, 2.3-2.6 mm wide, oblong to elliptic, apex acuminate, base rounded; inner petals 3, valvate, 8-18 mm long, 1.3-2.6 mm wide, ovate to elliptic, apex acuminate, base rounded; stamens 15 to 25, in 4 to 5 rows, ovary 1-2 mm long, elongated; connective tongue-shaped, glabrous; staminodes absent; carpels free, 10 to 20, 1-2 mm long, stigma ovoid, pubescent. Fruits apocarpous, monocarps stipitate, stipes 5-10 mm long, monocarps 2 to 8, 8-21 mm long, 7-21 mm in diameter, ellipsoid to globose, apex rounded, smooth, green turning wine red when ripe; seed 1 to 4, 3-13 mm long, 3-13 mm in diameter, ellipsoid to flattened ellipsoid; aril absent.

A genus of six currently described species distributed across Africa. Two species are known from Cameroon, none endemic. Onana (2011) mentions Greenwayodendron oliveri (Engl.) Verdc. from Cameroon, but this is not confirmed here. The latter species is a West African endemic ( Lissambou et al. 2018); several specimens from coastal Gabon previously identified as G. oliveri are now separated as a different species: G. littorale Lissambou, Dauby & Couvreur ( Lissambou et al. 2018, 2019). Neither species is known from Cameroon to date.

Taxonomy.

Lissambou et al. (2018).