Monodora angolensis Welw., Apont. 587, 1859

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 : 247-250

Monodora angolensis Welw., Apont. 587, 1859

Fig. 74 ; Map 9H

= Monodora angolensis var. decidua Hiern, Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. 1: 13, 1896. Type. Angola. Malanje, Golungo Alto, Welwitsch F.M.J. 776, Dec 1855: holotype: LISC; isotypes: B[B 10 0154049]; BM[BM000889328]; BR[BR0000008802026]; C[C10004780, C10004779]; COI[COI00077210]; G; K[K000198845, pro parte]; LISU[LISU206066, LISU206065]; P[P00363309].

= Monodora angolensis var. microphylla Hiern, Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. 1: 13, 1896. Type. Angola. Malanje, Pungo Andongo, Welwitsch F.M.J. 775, Jan 1857: holotype: BM; isotype: K[K000198845, pro parte].

= Monodora durieuxii De Wild., Études Fl. Bas-et Moyen-Congo 1: 122, 1903. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Equateur, Wangata, Dewèvre A.P. 613, 14 Jan 1896: lectotype, sheet here designated: BR[BR0000008802354]; isotypes: BR[BR0000008802682, BR0000008802743].

= Monodora letestui Pellegr., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 94: 386, 1947. Type. Gabon. Ogooué-Lolo, Lastoursville, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 7222, Apr 1929: lectotype, sheet here designated: P[P00363310]; isotypes: BM[BM000553855]; BR[BR0000008801692]; LBV n.v., LISC[LISC000382]; P[P00363311].

= Monodora louisii Boutique, Bull. Jard. Bot. État Brux. 21: 97, 1951. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Orientale, Yangambi, Louis J.L.P. 6612, 15 Nov 1937: lectotype, sheet here designated: BR[BR0000006246730]; isotypes: BM[BM000553857]; BR[BR0000006247065]; C[C10004782, C10004781]; K[K000199023 K000199024]; NY n.v., P[P00363257]; PRE[PRE0774858-0]; S[S10-21167].

Type.

Angola. Malanje; Pungo Andongo, Welwitsch F.M.J. 774, May 1855: holotype: LISC; isotypes: B[B 10 0190365]; BM[BM000553856]; COI[COI00077209]; G[G00011630]; K[K000198843, K000198844] .

Description.

Tree, 18-20 m tall, d.b.h. 10-25 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum absent; old leafless branches glabrous, young foliate branches glabrous. Leaves: petiole 2-10 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, glabrous, weakly grooved adaxially, blade inserted on the side of the petiole; blade 4-20 cm long, 2-7.5 cm wide, elliptic, apex acuminate, acumen 0.5-1 cm long, base cuneate to obtuse, coriaceous to papyraceous, below glabrous when young and old, above glabrous when young and old, concolorous; midrib raised above, above glabrous when young and old, below glabrous when young and old; secondary veins 8 to 16 pairs, glabrous below; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on old or young foliate branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 per inflorescence; pedicel 8-40 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, glabrous; in fruit 25-85 mm long, 5-7 mm in diameter, glabrous; bract 1, towards the upper half of pedicel, 4-17 mm long, 3-12 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, free, 5-15 mm long, 2-6 mm wide, ovate, apex acute, base truncate, green speckled with red and purple, glabrous outside, glabrous inside, margins undulate; petals basally fused, tube 2-3 mm long, inner and outer whorl differentiated, outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, 17-50 mm long, 10-30 mm wide, oblong-obovate, apex truncate, base truncate, red-brown with pale yellow spots towards the apex, margins wavy, glabrous outside, glabrous inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 4-11 mm long, 5-16 mm wide, cordate to rhombic, apex acuminate, base narrowed into a claw, claw 3.0-9 mm long, white tinged with yellow, minutely purple-mottled along margins, margins flat, glabrous outside, glabrous inside; receptacle convex to flat; stamens numerous, in 9 to 11 rows, 1 mm long, broad; connective discoid, glabrous, cream; staminodes absent; carpels fused into a single structure, 1-2 mm long, stigma bilobed, slightly capitate, glabrous. Fruit syncarpous, 35-80 mm long, 35-50 mm in diameter, globose to ovoid, apex apiculate, glabrous, rugose, bumpy, green to brown when ripe; seeds 9-13 mm long, 5-8 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril absent.

Distribution.

A widespread species from eastern Nigeria to northern Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, western Tanzania and northern Zambia, with one collection from Ivory Coast; in Cameroon known from East, South, Central and Adamaoua regions.

Habitat.

Fairly uncommon in Cameroon; in primary, secondary, and montane rain forests, gallery forest, sometimes in dry forests. Altitude 0-1800 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Cosiaux et al. 2019y).

Notes.

Monodora angolensis is distinguished from other species by the combination of the following characters: entirely glabrous leaves and branches and clawed non undulated glabrous inner petals.

Specimens examined.

Central Region: Environs de Ndokalende 10 km SW de Ndikinimeki, 4.72°N, 10.78°E, 04 March 1984, Satabié B. 754 (P,WAG,YA). East Region : Molunda Sation Ngoko Nginda 21 km north of Molundu , 2.2°N, 15.2°E, 09 January 1911, Mildbraed G.W.J. 4199 (B,HBG). North Region : Tibati, 6.46°N, 12.63°E, 01 February 1909, Ledermann C.L. 2462 (B); km 10 Tibati-Mabouka road, 6.43°N, 12.7°E, 29 June 1972, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 10034 (BR,K,MO,P,WAG,YA). South Region : 18 km east from Lélé village, 2.27°N, 13.32°E, 07 September 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 461 (WAG,YA); 26 km east from Lélé village, 2.28°N, 13.31°E, 08 September 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 477 (WAG,YA) .

Figures

Map 9. A Monanthotaxis sterilis B Monanthotaxis submontana C Monanthotaxis tripetala D Monanthotaxis vogelii E Monanthotaxis vulcanica F Monanthotaxis whytei G Monanthotaxis zenkeri H Monodora angolensis I Monodora crispata. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 74. Monodora angolensis A flower B outer petal C inner petal, inside view D fruit E leaf. Monodora crispata F flower G leaf H inner petal, inside view I fruit A-E from Halle 2628 F, H J. J. E. F. de Wilde 867 G, I from Klaine 720. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 64, p. 347) F, H drawn by Hans de Vries (Couvreur 2009, fig. 49, p. 92).