Xylopia talbotii Exell, J. Bot. 69: 98-99. 1931.

Johnson, David M. & Murray, Nancy A., 2018, A revision of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae): the species of Tropical Africa, PhytoKeys 97, pp. 1-252 : 167

41. Xylopia talbotii Exell, J. Bot. 69: 98-99. 1931. Fig. 39F

Type.

NIGERIA. Cross River State, Oban, S. Nigeria, 1912, P. A. Talbot 1601 (holotype: BM! (photos GH, NY); isotype: K! [000199068]) .

Description.

Tree up to 5 m tall; branches slender and somewhat flexuous. Twigs light brown, prominently ferruginous-pilose, with sparser hairs 1.5-2 mm long mixed with denser hairs 0.2-0.4 mm long, at length gray-brown, glabrate; no nodes seen with two axillary branches. Leaf with larger blades 9.2-12.5 cm long, 3.0-4.2 cm wide, chartaceous, concolorous to discolorous, lanceolate-oblong to elliptic, occasionally elliptic-oblanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate, apex acuminate, the acumen 9-17 mm long, base cuneate to rounded, glabrous except for the ferruginous-pubescent midrib adaxially, thinly sericeous to coarsely villous, especially along midrib, abaxially; midrib plane adaxially, raised abaxially, secondary veins weakly brochidodromous, 11-15 per side, diverging at 50-75° from the midrib, these and higher-order veins indistinct to slightly raised adaxially, slightly raised abaxially; petiole 2.5-5 mm long, shallowly canaliculate, ferruginous-pilose. Inflorescences axillary, 1-flowered, ferruginous-pilose; peduncles absent; pedicels 3.0-5.5 mm long, 1.3-1.5 mm thick; bracts 2-3, evenly spaced along pedicel, persistent, 2.8-4 mm long, ovate to broadly circular, apex acute to obtuse; buds lanceolate, apex acute and sometimes falciform. Sepals erect to slightly spreading at anthesis, 1/4-connate, 4-6 mm long, 3.1-3.8 mm wide, coriaceous, triangular to ovate, apex acute to acuminate, densely ferruginous-pubescent abaxially. Petal color in vivo unknown; outer petals slightly spreading at anthesis, 32-38 mm long, 3.1-3.3 mm wide at base, 2.0-3.0 mm wide at midpoint, coriaceous, linear, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes with a faint line down the center of the petal adaxially, with a weak longitudinal ridge abaxially, glabrous from base to one-third of length and then densely puberulent adaxially, sericeous abaxially; inner petals more or less erect at anthesis, 23-25 mm long, 2.4-3.3 mm wide at base, 1-1.5 mm wide at midpoint, coriaceous, linear, apex acute, base with undifferentiated margin, longitudinally ridged on both surfaces, densely gray-puberulent on both surfaces except for the glabrous base. Stamens ca. 120; fertile stamens 0.9-1.6 mm long, narrowly oblong, apex of connective 0.1-0.2 mm long, shieldlike, overhanging anther thecae, minutely papillate, anthers ca. 10-12-locellate, filament 0.3-0.4 mm long; outer staminodes 1.2-1.8 mm long, clavate to oblong, apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate; inner staminodes 1.1-1.2 mm long, clavate to oblong, apex truncate; staminal cone 1.3 mm in diameter, 1-1.1 mm high, concealing lower half of ovaries, rim laciniate. Carpels at least 8; ovaries ca. 1.3 mm long, oblong, pubescent, stigmas connivent, ca. 2.5-3 mm long, linear, a little bent at midpoint, glabrous except for apical tuft of hairs. Torus flat, 1.5-2.0 mm in diameter. Only immature fruit (< 6 mm long) seen, so pedicel and torus not expanded; Monocarps 8, clavate and somewhat falcate, apex with small curved beak, stipitate, sparsely pubescent. Seeds unknown.

Phenology.

Specimens with flowers have been collected in late November or December, and between late February and early April; immature fruits were collected in May.

Distribution

(Fig. 46 ). Occurs from southeastern Nigeria to Equatorial Guinea in gallery or lowland forest at ca. 50 m.

Additional specimens examined.

NIGERIA. Eket District , S. Nigeria, 1912-1913, Talbot & Talbot 3209 (BM, MO) . CAMEROON. About 10 km from Kribi , S of Lolodorf road, 2°58'N, 9°58'E, gallery forest on N bank of Kienke River , 27 May 1969 (yg fr), Bos 4650 (BR, MO, P, WAG); Southwest Province, Korup National Park, 5°03'N, 8°48'E, 50 m, 28 Feb-3 April 1984 (fl), Thomas 3204 (K, MO) . EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Bebai , Camposgebiet , Weg u. [along Cameroon border, Tessmann 1913; locality is in NE corner of modern Equatorial Guinea], 23 Nov or Dec 1908 (fl), Tessmann 747 (K) .

Xylopia talbotii is a species of the X. acutiflora subgroup, readily distinguished by the striking and persistent ferruginous pubescence of the twigs, petioles, pedicels, and calyx, and the long-acuminate leaves. Exell compared the species to X. villosa , which has a similar pubescence and overlaps somewhat in distribution, but X. talbotii differs in the sparser, coarser, and more erect indument of the abaxial leaf surface, versus the dense fine golden-sericeous indument of X. villosa , as well as inflorescences consisting of a single flower, rather than up to 8 flowers. The specimen Tessmann 747 from Equatorial Guinea differs from the other specimens in the less pronounced leaf acumen and twig indument but is otherwise similar.

We calculated an EOO of 27,199 km 2 and an AOO of 20 km 2 for Xylopia talbotii . It is one of several central African species that are represented in herbarium collections by a small number of specimens collected over a relatively wide area.

Figures

Figure 39. Xylopia thomsonii, X. monticola, X. talbotii, and X. dinklagei. A-C X. thomsonii A Fruit B Leaf C Flower D-E X. monticola D Flower E Leaf and fruit F X. talbotii, flower, side view G-I X. dinklagei G Leaf H Flower I Fruit. A from de Wilde & de Wilde-Duyfjes 2703 (K) B, C from Talbot & Talbot 3267 (BM) D from Chapman 3755 (K) E from Thomas et al. 7400 (MO) F from Thomas 3204 (MO) G, H from Dinklage 1840 (A) I from Baldwin 10805 (K).

Figure 46. Distributions of Xylopia talbotii and X. mildbraedii. Bolder lines represent country borders, fainter lines lakes and major rivers.