Cleistopholis Pierre ex Engl., Nat. Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. I: 160, 1897

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 : 86

Cleistopholis Pierre ex Engl., Nat. Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. I: 160, 1897

Type species.

Cleistopholis glauca Pierre ex Engl. & Diels.

Description.

Trees, 15-35 m tall, d.b.h. 30-80 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent, trunk white or brown. Indumentum of simple hairs when present, but species generally glabrous. Leaves: petiole 3-20 mm long, 1-3 mm in diameter, blade 4.5-31 cm long, 2-6.5 cm wide, elliptic to obovate to oblong, apex acuminate, base acute to rounded, discolorous, whitish below or concolorous; midrib sunken or flat; secondary veins 8 to 24 pairs; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on old or young foliate branches, axillary, occurring or not on a short peduncle. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 2 to 9 per inflorescence; pedicel 10-25 mm long; in fruit 15-35 mm long; bracts 2 to 3, all basal, 1-2 mm long; sepals 3, valvate, free, 2-3 mm long, triangular to ovate, apex acute, sometimes rounded, base truncate; petals free; outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, valvate, 7-20 mm long, 2-7 mm wide, oblong to elliptic to obovate to linear, apex acute to rounded to obtuse, base truncate; inner petals 3, imbricate, 2-4 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, ovate to suborbicular, apex acute to obtuse, base truncate; stamens 20 to 40, in 3 to 4 rows, ca. 1 mm long, broad; connective discoid, glabrous; staminodes absent; carpels free, 10 to 24, ca. 1 mm long, stigma flat to capitate, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate, stipes 1-50 mm long, 3 to 18 monocarps, 15-30 mm long, 10-25 mm in diameter, globose to ellipsoid to obovoid, apex rounded, smooth, bumpy or constricted around the seeds, glabrous; seeds 1 to 2, 12-25 mm long, 8-12 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril absent.

A genus with four accepted species, two widespread, one known only from Cameroon and Gabon and one from Equatorial Guinea and possibly Cameroon. Three (four?) species in Cameroun, none endemic.

Taxonomy.

None to date, but partial treated in this present work and Le Thomas (1969b).