Letestudoxa Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 654, 1920

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 : 153-154

Letestudoxa Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 654, 1920

Type species.

Letestudoxa bella Pellegr.

Description.

Lianas, to 40 m tall, d.b.h. up to 4 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum of simple hairs. Leaves: petiole 3-12 mm long, 1-6 mm in diameter, pubescent to glabrous, slightly grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 5-28 cm long, 3-12 cm wide, elliptic to obovate to oblong, apex acuminate to emarginate, base rounded to cordate; secondary veins 11 to 20 pairs; tertiary venation percurrent to indistinct. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on old leafless branches, extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 per inflorescence; pedicel 3-11 mm long, 1-7 mm in diameter; in fruit 3-7 mm long, 1-3 mm in diameter; bracts 2, one basal and one upper towards the lower half of pedicel; sepals 3, valvate, completely fused forming a nearly closed cup but tearing open at anthesis, 10-20 mm long; petals free, outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, imbricate, 30-55 mm long, 15-55 mm wide, ovate, apex acute to rounded, base attenuate; inner petals 3, imbricate, 15-35 mm long, 10-25 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, apex acute, base attenuate to acute; stamens up to 800, in 16 to 20 rows, 2-10 mm long, broad; connective flattened, pubescent, red; staminodes absent; carpels free, 150-175, 2-2.5 mm long, stigma capitate, pubescent. [Fruits only known from L. bella ] Fruit pseudosyncarpous ca. 45 mm long, ca. 50 mm in diameter, globose; individual carpels sessile, 125 to 150 carpels, apex rounded to apiculate; seed 1, 15-16 mm long, 4-8 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril present.

A genus of lianas with three known species, from Angola (Cabinda), Cameroon, Gabon and Republic of Congo; in Cameroon two species, none endemic.

Lestestudoxa is distinguished by the lianescent habit and pseudosyncarpous fruits (carpels fusing after pollination to form a single fruiting unit, similar to those of the genus Duguetia , but the latter being trees) and the sepals completely fused around the floral bud and tearing at anthesis. The only other lianescent Annonaceae liana in Africa with pseudosyncarpous fruits is Pseudartabotrys , a monospecific genus endemic to Gabon ( Le Thomas 1969b).

Taxonomy.

Chatrou (1998).