Monanthotaxis vogelii (Hook. f.) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 23, 1971

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 : 239-240

Monanthotaxis vogelii (Hook. f.) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 23, 1971

Map 9D

≡ Uvaria vogelii Hook.f., in Hooker Icon. Pl. 4: 767, 1848; Clathrospermum vogelii (Hook.f.) Benth., in Bentham & Hooker 29, 1862; Popowia vogelii (Hook.f.) Baill.; Adansonia 8: 324, 1868.

= Popowia dalzielii Hutch., in Hutch. & Dalziel 55, 1927. Type. Nigeria. Benue State, Abinsi, Dalziel J.M. 712, 13 Sep 1972: lectotype, chosen by Hoekstra et al. (2021), p. 208: K [K000198917, K000913659]; isolectotypes: BM[BM001125037]; MO [2 sheets]; P[P00362644, P00362645].

= Monanthotaxis angustifolia (Exell) Verdc., Kew Bull., 25(1): 21, 1971; Enneastemon angustifolius Exell, J. Bot. 75: 163, 1937. Type. Nigeria. Ogun State, Ijebu, Shasha Forest reserve, Richards P.W. 3469, 17 May 1935: holotype: BM[BM000547356, BM001125040, BM001125041]; isotype: MO[MO-1889425].

Type.

Nigeria. Benue State; Abinsi , Dalziel, J.M. 712, 13 Sep 1972: holotype: K[K000198917, K000913659]; isotypes: BM[BM001125037]; MO [2 sheets]; P[P00362644, P00362645] .

Description.

Scandent shrub to liana, 3 m tall, d.b.h. unknown. Indumentum of simple hairs; old leafless branches glabrescent, young foliate branches sparsely pubescent with appressed reddish brown hairs 0.1-0.2 mm long. Leaves: petiole 2-5 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, sparsely pubescent with appressed reddish brown hairs, slightly grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 9.7-17.5 cm long, 2.5-5.6 cm wide, obovate to oblanceolate, apex acuminate to acute, acumen 1.5 cm long, base cuneate to rounded, chartaceous, below sparsely pubescent when young and old, above sparsely pubescent with appressed whitish hairs when young, sparsely pubescent to glabrous when old, discolorous, whitish below; midrib impressed, above glabrous when young and old, below sparsely pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 7 to 12 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation percurrent. Individual bisexual, inflorescences ramiflorous on old leafless branches, axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 2 to 3(4) per inflorescence; pedicel 6-9(14) mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, densely pubescent with appressed yellow-brown hairs; in fruit 7-13 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter; upper bract soon falling ca. 2 mm long, ca. 0.7 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, basally fused, 0.5-1 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, broadly ovate to broadly triangular, apex acute to rounded, base truncate, sparsely pubescent outside, glabrous inside, margins flat; petals free, outer petals longer than inner, inner petals partly covered in bud; outer petals 3, 2.4-3.3 mm long, 2 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, apex obtuse, base truncate, margins flat, sparsely pubescent outside, glabrous inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 2-2.7 mm long, 1.3 mm wide, elliptic, apex obtuse, base truncate, margins flat, sparsely pubescent outside, glabrous and sparsely pubescent towards apex inside; stamens (8)9, in 1 row, 1 mm long, linear to oblong; connective truncate, glabrous; staminodes 6, alternating with the stamens, glabrous; carpels free, 8 to 12, 2 mm long, stigma elongate, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate, stipes 2-4 mm long, ovary ca. 2 mm in diameter; monocarps 2 to 9, 11-15 mm long, 4-6 mm in diameter, not moniliform, ellipsoid, apex apiculate, pubescent, smooth, red when ripe; seed 1 per monocarp, ca. 10 mm long, 4-5 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril absent.

Distribution.

Known from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Nigeria and just reaching into Cameroon; in Cameroon known from the South-West region.

Habitat.

An infrequent species in Cameroon known from a single collection; in gallery or swamp forests, savannah open woodland and open high forest. Growing in cracks of schist rocks, on rocky islands, on loamy soil and on black clay. Altitude ~800 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

Preliminary IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Hoekstra et al. 2021).

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Monanthotaxis vogelii can be readily recognized among Cameroonian species by its obovate to oblanceolate leaves with a cuneate (or sometimes rounded) base, and secondary veins that form an acute angle with the primary vein. The monocarps are composed of a single seed (developing from a single ovule).

The only specimen of this species from Cameroon was initially identified as M. angustifolia , however the name M. angustifolia was synonymized by Hoekstra et al. (2021). Indeed, the leaf shape was variable within M. angustifolia and intermediates exist with M. vogelii . Besides leaf shape, no other differences were found.

Specimen examined.

South-West Region: Mamfe Div on Cross river between Mamfe and the Nigerian boundary Abonando, 5.54°N, 9.07°E, 06 May 1902, Rudatis H. 54 (K).

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).