Perrierodendron, Cavaco, 1951

Lowry Ii, Porter P., Haevermans, Thomas, Labat, Jean-Noël, Schatz, George E., Leroy, Jean-François & Wolf, Anne-Elizabeth, 2000, Endemic families of Madagascar. V. A synoptic revision of Eremolaena, Pentachlaena and Perrierodendron (Sarcolaenaceae), Adansonia (3) 22 (1), pp. 11-31 : 19

PERRIERODENDRON Cavaco

Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 23: 138 (1951).

TYPE. — Perrierodendron boinense (H. Perrier) Cavaco.

C AVACO (1951) described Perrierodendron based on a species originally assigned to Eremolaena by PERRIER DE LA BÂTHIE (1925), but which was clearly distinct from that genus on the basis of several features, especially the presence of an indehiscent, 2-locular fruit subtended by an accrescent, entire involucre. CAPURON (1970) mentioned two additional species, but declined to describe them for lack of sufficient material. J.-F. LEROY began preparing a manuscript describing these and two additional new species shortly after CAPURON’ s death in 1971, but it remained unpublished at the time he passed away in early 1999. A careful re-evaluation of his work and comparison of the material of Perrierodendron now available shows that five well delimited species can indeed be recognized, four of which are newly described here. Two of these taxa are represented by several collections in flower and fruit, and although the other two are known from very limited material, they appear to be amply distinct to justify describing them at this time.