Andrachne cerebroides Petra Hoffm., 2000

Hoffmann, Petra, 2000, Revision of Andrachne sect. Pseudophyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae), with the description of two new species from Madagascar, Adansonia (3) 22 (1), pp. 123-133 : 125-131

Andrachne cerebroides Petra Hoffm. , sp. nov.

Species A. ovali similis sed foliis majoribus longe acuminatis petiolis pedicellis femineisque longioribus robustisque sepalis femineis majoribus differt.

TYPUS. — SF (Capuron) 23576, Madagascar, prov. Fianarantsoa, Est, au Sud de Farafangana (route de Manombo, aux P. K. 13-17), restes de forêt, sur latérites de basalte, 11 Oct. 1964 (holo-, P!; iso-, K!, TEF!) .

Apparently dioecious shrub 2.5 m. Young twigs flattened, green, glabrous. Leaves ovate, apically long acuminate, hardly mucronate, basally obtuse to rounded, shortly decurrent, 3.5- 8.5 cm long, 1.5-7 cm wide, 1.5-2.8 times longer than wide, glabrous, thinly chartaceous, moderately shiny, drying olive-green, concolourous, midvein slightly raised to slightly impressed adaxially, secondary veins 4-6 pairs, tertiary and finer venation hardly prominent, lax, reticulate. Petiole 4-12 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, channelled adaxially, glabrous or with a few hairs. Stipules persistent, deltoid, apically acute to acuminate, 1-1.5 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely hairy, margin hyaline, fimbriate.

Staminate inflorescence axes up to 5 mm long, rarely branched once, curled, with numerous (up to 40 per inflorescence) pedicel stumps ca. 0.2 mm long (“podia” in WEBSTER 1965: 325) arranged distichously and in pairs ( Fig. 1N ). Bracts 2 per flower, deltoid, unequal, larger on the outside than within each pair of flowers, 0.5- 0.8 mm long, 0.2-0.5 mm wide, pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, margins fimbriate. Buds globose, slightly depressed apically. Staminate flowers (1-)2-3 per inflorescence, 2 mm long, 3 mm wide. Pedicel filiform, 3-5 mm long, 0.2- 0.4 mm wide, glabrous, articulate just above the base (articulation practically invisible before abscission, leaving a “podium” ( WEBSTER 1965: 325) after abscission). Sepals 5, more or less orbicular, 1.5-2 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, sparsely pilose abaxially, glabrous adaxially, margin entire, hyaline, sparsely fimbriate. Petals 5, oblong to spathulate, apically rounded, basally shortly clawed, 0.8-1.2 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, glabrous, margin erose. Disc 1.5 mm in diameter, antisepalously lobed, glabrous; lobes 0.5 mm long, emarginate, no sutures visible. Androecium 1 mm long, 1 mm wide, glabrous; stamens 5, antisepalous; filaments terete, fused at the base for ca. 1/2 of their length, bent downwards apically; anthers 0.5 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide, deeply 4-lobed. Pistillode obconical, 3- lobed apically, 0.3 mm long, 0.2 mm wide, pilose.

Pistillate flowers solitary or in twos, 2-3 mm long, 4-6 mm wide. Bracts several per flower, deltoid, ca. 0.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide, pilose, margin fimbriate. Pedicel terete, 15-25(-55) mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide at the base, 0.6-1 mm wide at the apex, glabrous, articulate ca. 1 mm from the base, leaving a “podium” ( WEBSTER 1965: 325) after abscission. Sepals 5, usually unequal, oblong to orbiculate, 2-3 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, glabrous, slightly accrescent (up to 4 × 4 mm), spreading at anthesis, reflexed at fruit maturity, margin hardly hyaline, entire. Petals elliptic, spathulate or orbiculate, apically rounded, 0.5- 1(-2) mm long, 0.3-0.7(-1.5) mm wide, membranaceous, glabrous, margin slightly erose, sometimes absent, small and large petals in the same flower. Disc annular, often antipetalously lobed, lobes apically emarginate, 0.4-0.5 mm long, more or less fleshy, glabrous, margin slightly erose or entire, tearing irregularly at fruit maturity. Ovary globose to nearly cylindrical, densely whitish appressed-pubescent. Styles horizontally spreading, bipartite to the base, the branches terete, 0.5-1 mm long, hardly tapering towards the apex, glabrous. Obturator without suture between ovules.

Fruits olive-green when dry, pubescent; dehiscence of septa in only one line running roughly parallel to the pericarp, this line erose and irregular as septa are very thin and brittle. Fruiting pedicel 22-55 mm long, 0.5 mm wide at the base, 1.5 mm wide at the apex. Columella ca. 5 times longer than the narrowest width, 3.5-4 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide in the middle, base thickened to 1.2 mm, apex thickened to 1 mm. Exo- and mesocarp together ca. 0.2 mm thick when dry, rough on inner surface. Endocarp ca. 0.5 mm thick, brownish yellow. Seeds 3.5-4 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, medium brown, with ca. 8 vaguely defined, slightly sinuous folds running at right angles from the raphe to the dorsal part of the seed, some of them branching, resulting in 15- 18 anastomosing folds running across the dorsal part, folds 2-3 times narrower than the flat ridges between them, in some places fading into a shallow irregularly foveolate-rugulose pattern, extending on the inside of the seed-coat up to 0.3 mm deep into the endosperm, raphe only slightly impressed, extending ca. 0.2 mm deep into the endosperm. Cotyledons oblong, apically nearly truncate, 2.5 × 1.8 mm; radicle 1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm in diameter. — Fig. 1.

ETYMOLOGY. — The epithet refers to the brain-like sculpture of the seed.

DISTRIBUTION. — Madagascar, Fianarantsoa province, around Farafangana and Manombo.— Fig. 3.

ECOLOGY. — Evergreen wet lowland forest, on laterite derived from basalt. Humid bioclimatic zone of CORNET (1974).

V ERNACULAR NAMES AND USES. — None recorded.

PARATYPES. — MADAGASCAR, Fianarantsoa province: Bosser 18539, Farafangana , vestige de forêt de basse altitude, Dec. 1963 ( P!) ; Bosser 18600, 15 km de Farafangana, forêt de basse altitude, Dec. 1963 ( P!) ; SF (Capuron) 23592, au Sud de Farafangana (route de Manombo, au P. K.18,5), restes de forêt, sur latérites de basalte, 14-17 Oct. 1964 ( P!, TEF!) .

Andrachne gracilipes Petra Hoffm. , sp. nov.

Species A. ovali similis sed petiolis pedicellis femineisque longioribus sepalis femineis majoribus fructibus minoribus stylis longioribus differt.

TYPUS. — Chauvet 372, Madagascar, prov. Tuléar [Toliara], Gorges du Fiherenana, 18 Nov. 1962 (holo-, P!; iso-, TEF).

Apparently dioecious shrub 2- 3 m. Young twigs flattened or terete, striate, light brown, glabrous. Leaves ovate, apically acute to rounded, often mucronate, basally acute to rounded, very shortly decurrent, 2.5-6 cm long, 1-2.7 cm wide, 1.5-3.1 times longer than wide, glabrous or with a few hairs along the midvein abaxially, membranaceous, dull, drying olive-green, concolourous or slightly paler abaxially, midvein slightly raised to slightly impressed adaxially, secondary veins 3-7 pairs, tertiary and finer venation lax, reticulate. Petiole 7-13 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, deeply and narrowly channelled adaxially, glabrous or with a few hairs. Stipules persistent, ovate, apically obtuse to rounded, 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous, margin hyaline, fimbriate.

Staminate flowers not known. Pistillate flowers solitary, ca. 3 mm long, ca. 6 mm wide. Bracts 3(-4?) per flower, ovate, 1.5-2 mm long, 0.7- 1 mm wide, glabrous, margin hyaline. Pedicel terete, 15 mm long, 0.3 mm wide at the base, 0.6 mm wide at the apex, glabrous, articulate just above the base (articulation practically invisible before abscission). Sepals 5, sometimes unequal, spathulate, rounded to obtuse, 3-4 mm long, 2.5- 3 mm wide, slightly accrescent (up to 5 × 4 mm, becoming elliptic to orbiculate), spreading up to fruit maturity, glabrous, margin narrowly hyaline, slightly erose and with scattered hairs. Petals spathulate, apically rounded, hardly exserted from the disc, 0.5-1 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, membranaceous, glabrous, margin finely erose, with a few hairs. Disc annular, 0.4 mm long, membranaceous to chartaceous, glabrous, margin finely erose; at fruit maturity tearing between the sepals, then appearing antisepalously lobed or divided. Ovary ovoid to globose, densely whitish pubescent. Styles erect, bipartite to the base, the branches terete, 1-1.5 mm long, hardly tapering towards the apex, glabrous. Obturator with a suture between the ovules.

Clutia galpinii Pax pro parte, Bull. Herb. Boissier 6: 736 (1898), as “ Clyutia galpini ”. — Note: One of the two syntypes, Galpin 961, is in fact Andrachne ovalis (Sond.) Müll. Arg.

Dioecious, more rarely monoecious shrub to small tree 0.5- 6 m. Bark grey. Young twigs terete, slightly striate, green, glabrous. Leaves ovate to elliptic, more rarely almost orbicular, apically acute, shortly acuminate or obtuse, more rarely rounded, hardly mucronate, basally obtuse to acute, shortly decurrent, (1-) 1.5-6.5 cm long, (0.5-) 0.7-3 cm wide, 1.4-2.5 times longer than wide, nearly glabrous adaxially, long pilose all over or only along the midvein abaxially, membranaceous to chartaceous, dull to shiny adaxially, dull abaxially, drying olive-green, usually lighter abaxially than adaxially, midvein slightly raised to slightly impressed adaxially, secondary veins 3-5 pairs, tertiary and finer venation hardly prominent, lax, reticulate. Petiole 3-9(-11) mm long, 0.3-1 mm wide, channelled adaxially,pilose to glabrous.Stipules persistent, deltoid, apically acute to acuminate, 0.9-1.5 mm long, 0.5-0.7 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely hairy, margin hyaline, fimbriate.

Staminate inflorescence axes up to 3 mm long, rarely branched, with several pedicel stumps ca. 0.2 mm long (“podia” in WEBSTER 1965: 325). Bracts 2 per flower, deltoid, acute, 0.8-1 mm long, 0.4-0.7 mm wide, long pilose abaxially, glabrous adaxially, margins long fimbriate. Buds globose. Staminate flowers 2-9 per inflorescence, 1-2 mm long, 2-3 mm wide. Pedicel filiform, 2- 9 mm long, 0.1-0.3 mm wide, glabrous, articulate just above the base (articulation practically invisible before abscission, leaving a “podium” ( WEBSTER 1965: 325) after abscission). Sepals 5, obovate to oblong, apically rounded, 1.5 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm wide, pale green to yellowish green, glabrous to pilose abaxially, glabrous adaxially, margin entire to erose, hyaline. Petals 5, obovate to obcordate, apically rounded to slightly emarginate, basally shortly clawed, 1-1.2 mm long, 0.8-1 mm wide, white, slightly shorter than the sepals, glabrous, margin slightly erose to fimbriate. Disc 1.5 mm in diameter, glabrous, antisepalously 5-lobed, lobes deeply emarginate; disc thus appearing 10-lobed, sometimes irregularly crenate; lobes ca. 0.3 mm long, no sutures visible. Androecium 1.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, glabrous; stamens 5, antisepalous; filaments terete, fused at the base for ca. 1/2 of their length, the free part spreading; anthers 0.3-0.5 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, deeply 4-lobed. Pistillode 3- partite, its parts apically dilated, 0.5-1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, glabrous to pubescent.

Pistillate flowers solitary or in twos, 2 mm long, 3 mm wide. Bracts several per flower, deltoid, 0.5- 0.8 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, pilose, margin fimbriate. Pedicel terete, 4-8 mm long, 0.2 mm wide at the base, 0.7-1 mm wide at the apex, glabrous, articulate 0.5-1 mm from the base, leaving a “podium” ( WEBSTER 1965: 325) after abscission. Sepals 5, oblong to ovate or obovate, apically rounded, 2 mm long, 1 mm wide, glabrous to pilose adaxially, glabrous abaxially, not accrescent, spreading at anthesis, reflexed at fruit maturity, margin hyaline, entire to erose.Petals 5, spathulate or orbiculate, apically rounded, 1 mm long, 1 mm wide, extending to half the length of the sepals, membranaceous, glabrous, margin slightly erose, fimbriate. Disc annular, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, irregularly crenulate, more or less fleshy, glabrous, tearing irregularly at fruit maturity. Ovary globose to ovoid, densely appressed-pilose. Styles horizontally spreading, bipartite to the base, the branches terete, 0.5 mm long, hardly tapering towards the apex, glabrous. Obturator without suture between ovules.

Fruits depressed-globose, 3-lobed, 5-6mm long, 8-10 mm wide,olive-green to medium brown when dry, sparsely pilose to glabrous; dehiscence of septa in one straight line.Fruiting pedicel 5-15 mm long, 0.4-1 mm wide at the base, 0.5-1.5 mm wide at the apex. Columella 2.5-5 times longer than the narrowest width, 2.5-3.5 mm long, 0.7-1mm wide in the middle, base thickened to 1-1.5 mm, apex thickened to 1.5 mm. Exo- and mesocarp together ca. 0.2 mm thick when dry, reticulate on inner surface. Endocarp 0.4-0.7 mm thick, brownish yellow. Seeds (3-) 4 mm long, 3 mm wide, medium brown, irregularly rugose (especially when dry), folds 3-5 times narrower than the flat ridges between them, extending on the inside of the seedcoat up to 0.3 mm deep into the endosperm, raphe only slightly impressed, extending ca. 0.2 mm deep into the endosperm. Cotyledons oblong, apically nearly truncate, 2.5 × 2 mm; radicle 1 mm long, 0.5 mm in diameter.

DISTRIBUTION. — South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu/Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern, and Western Cape Provinces) , Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

ILLUSTRATIONS. — COATES PALGRAVE 1983: 394, leaf; H OFFMANN 1994: 328, flowers; RADCLIFFE- SMITH 1996: 28, Tab. 5, habit, flowers, fruit.

ECOLOGY. — In mixed woodland, subtropical forest relicts, wet forest, on forest edges, under trees, in grass, on stream banks, in ravines; on moist to well-drained, stony soil, in light shade; at (300-) 1000-1850 m altitude.

VERNACULAR NAMES. — South Africa: Bastard lightning bush, Basterbliksembos (C OATES PALGRAVE 1983: 394); Umbezo ( BURTT DAVY 1932: 288).

USES. — Said to drive snakes away by the pungent smell of the roots; powdered roots used as insecticide, against chest complaints, headaches, snakebites and scalp parasites in African folkmedicine (C OATES PALGRAVE 1983: 394); destroys fleas (Cooper 1168, K).

NOTE. — Leaves are said to smell of HCN when wilted (Story 1887, K).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — SOUTH AFRICA: Acocks 9341, Eastern Cape Prov., Stutterheim Div., Donga Range , forest margin, 15 Nov. 1942 ( K!) ; Acocks 12251, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., Umzimkulu , ca. 2800 ft, sub-tropical forest relicts on S slopes, under trees, 23 Nov. 1945 ( K!) ; Bayliss BRI 1452 , Eastern Cape Prov., near Loerie , 1200 ft, dry, light bush, 28 June 1975 ( K!) ; Burchell 3644, Eastern Cape Prov., Albany Div., Blue Krantz , coast region ( K!) ; Burchell 4272, Eastern Cape Prov., near Uitenhage ( K!) ; Burchell 5216, Western Cape Prov., Knysna Div., Kaatjes Kraal , coast region ( K!, M!) ; Burchell 5226, Western Cape Prov., Knysna Div., Kaatjes Kraal , coast region ( K!) ; Codd 9971, Northern Prov., Waterberg, “Koedoebossie”, Farm Ratelhoek , 7 miles W of Twentyfour Rivers, mixed woodland, 29 Jan. 1960 ( G!) ; Cooper 256, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., Collins Pass near Elandslaagte , farm “Bosberg”, 27 Feb. 1979 ( K!) ; Cooper 1108, KwaZulu / Natal Prov. , 1862 ( BM!, K!) ; De Vries 55, Eastern Cape Prov., Amabele , 14 Jan. 1940 ( K!) ; Drège 8220, Eastern Cape Prov., between Morley and Umtata River ( Tembuland ) ( G!, K!) , type of Phyllanthus dregeanus ; Drège s.n., Eastern Cape Prov., King Williamstown Div., Buffalo River ( G!, K!) ; Ecklon & Zeyher Euphorb. No. 31, s.loc. ( G!) , original syntype of Andrachne ovalis ; Fourcade 217, Western Cape Prov., Knysna Div., Keurbooms River , at Postpad , May 1908 ( K!) ; Gerstner 7016, KwaZulu / Natal Prov. , 3000 ft, mostly under bush, 1949, ( BM!, K!, MO!) ; Hilliard & Burtt 10056, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., Ngotshe Distr., Itala Nature Reserve , ca. 5000 ft, in grass on slope above forest scrub, 5 Apr. 1977 ( K!, MO!) ; Hutchinson 2279, Northern Prov., Woodbush , 23 Dec. 1928 ( K!) ; Kleber s.n., Mpumalanga Prov., Piet Retief, a kloof at Piet Refief ( K!) ; Krauss s.n., Western Cape Prov., George , in sylvis ( M!) ; Gerrard 1162, KwaZulu / Natal Prov. ( K!) ; Rehmann 5922, Northern Prov., Houtbosh , 1875-80 ( K!) ; Marais 120, Northern Prov., The Downs, edge of bush along road to The Knuckles , 27 Jan. 1953 ( K!) ; Moffett 695, Southern Cape, Deepwalls Forest Reserve, below offices ( South side), wet forest, 1 Apr. 1975 ( K!) ; Moll 853, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., Lions River Distr., Umgeni Poort , 5500 ft, Podocarpus forest, especially near the upper margin with more light, 19 May 1964 ( K!) ; Moll 2868, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., Lions River Distr., Karkloof Forest , 4500 ft, streambank, 19 Dec. 1965 ( K!) ; Mueller & Scheepers 82, Northern Prov., 2 km E of Steilkop, New Agatha Forest Reserve, Forest E of campsite, along forest margin, 22 Apr. 1971 ( K!) ; Rendle 180, Glebe forest , 1929 ( BM!) ; Rogers 18071, Northern Prov., Pietersburg Div., Modjadjes , Dec. 1915 ( K!) ; Rogers 21115, Mpumalanga Prov., Barberton Div., Kaapsche Hoop , 3100 ft ( S!) ; Rogers 21952, Northern Prov., Pietersburg Div., The Downs , Dec. 1917 ( K!) ; Rogers & Moss 419, Northern Prov., Pietersburg Div., The Downs , ca. 4000 ft, Nov. 1917 ( K!) ; Schlechter 2362, Western Cape Prov., prope George , 300 m, in sylvis, 20 Mar. 1893 ( K!) ; Schlieben 7705, Gauteng Prov., Pretoria Distr., Magaliesberg, Hornsnek ca. 12 ml. westlich von Pretoria, ca. 1550 m, buschig, Bergrücken , 20 Dec. 1955 ( G!) ; Story 1887, Northern Prov., Pieterburg Distr., top of Magoebaskloof , 2 m N of Haenertsburg , woodbush fork, 6 Feb. 1947 ( K!) ; Strey 3287, Northern Prov. / Mpumalanga Prov. border, Lydenburg Distr., beginning of Erasmus Pass , ravine bush, stone slope, 18 Apr. 1960 ( K!, M!) ; van der Merve 317, Mpumalanga Prov., Twello indigenous forest, 9.7 km ESE. of Barberton, Endahwin , 4300 ft, moist forest soil, 1974 ( K!) ; van Wyk 5515, Northern Prov., Tzaneen, The Downs , 13 Mar. 1982 ( M!) ; Verreaux 1831, Cap de Bonne-Esperance, Villa Uitenhagen , Dec. 1827 ( G!) ; Wood 6041, KwaZulu / Natal Prov., near Nottingham Road , 4000-5000 ft, edge of wood, 14 Feb. 1896 ( BM!) ; Zeyher 246, s.loc. ( HBG!, P) , type of Andrachne capensis ; Zeyher 3819, Swartkops River ( K!) ; lectotype of Andrachne ovalis ; Zwackh s.n., Cap b. Sp. , 27 Dec. 1847 ( M!) ; Zwackh s.n., Cap b. Sp. , 30 Mar. 1848 ( M!) . — SWAZILAND: Compton 31894, Mbabane Distr., Malandela , forest margin, 16 Jan. 1964 ( K!) . — ZIMBABWE: Meara 101, Umtali ( E. Mutare), Umtali Heights , 19 Jan. 1974 ( B!, K!, M!, MO!) ; Meara 106, Umtali ( E. Mutare), Umtali Heights, 19 Jan. 1974 ( K!, MO!, US!); Wild 2229, Chirinda , forest edge, 26 Oct. 1947 ( K!) .

Figures

Fig. 1.— Andrachne cerebroides: A, habit with columellae; B, mericarp of fruit after dehiscence; C, columella with persistent disc, petals and sepals; D, seed, lateral view; E, embryo, lateral view; F, young fruit; G, seed, dorsal view; H, pistillate flower, showing “podium” at base of pedicel; I, disc and petals of pistillate flower; J, pistillate flower, sepals removed; K, disc and petals of staminate flower; L, staminate flower; M, androecium; N, staminate inflorescence showing “podia” left after abscission and two buds. A-J, drawn from SF (Capuron) 23576; K-M, drawn from Capuron 23592; N, drawn from Bosser 18539.