Carlephyton sajoreciae N. Wei, S. W. Wang, Q. F. Wang, 2025

Ratsiferanarivo, Ranto Tiana, Andrianjatovo, Haingotiana Johary, Rakotonasolo, Franck, Letsara, Rokiman, Rakotoarinivo, Mijoro, Wan, Tao, Wang, Sheng-Wei, Wei, Neng & Wang, Qing-Feng, 2025, Carlephyton sajoreciae (Araceae, tribe Arophyteae), a new species from Daraina, Northern Madagascar, PhytoKeys 265, pp. 61-69 : 61-69

Carlephyton sajoreciae N. Wei, S. W. Wang, Q. F. Wang sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 3

Type.

Madagascar • province of Antsiranana, sub-prefecture of Vohemar, rural commune of Daraina , ( 13°14'S, 49°37'E), in mountain area within humid forest remnants, alt. 324 m, 08 January 2025, N. Wei & R. T. Ratsiferanarivo MADA-256 ( holotype: HIB!; isotype: DBEV!) .

Diagnosis.

Carlephyton sajoreciae is similar to C. darainense from which differs in bearing a single leaf (vs. 2–5 leaves arranged in a basal rosette in C. darainense ), distinctive purple inner spathe surface (vs. green), yellow spadix (vs. whitish in the female zone and whitish to purple in the male zone), and 1 - androus male flower (vs. synandria of two stamens).

Description.

Plant tuberous, with 1 leaf and 2–3 inflorescences. Tuber ± globular, 1.0–1.5 × 1–2 cm, brown, usually produces only one green leaf (Fig. 2 F ); roots, small, white, arising on the upper side of tuber. Petiole 9–13 cm long, 3–5 mm in diameter, rounded below and ± flat above, cataphylls up to 6 cm long when basal. Leaf blade broadly cordate-sagittate, about 9–11 × 6.5–8.0 cm, green, apex acute to cuspidate with a 1–2 mm long mucro, base cordate to subhastate, basal lobes 3.0– 4.5 cm long, sometimes slightly extrorse; venation reticulate, midrib well developed; primary lateral veins 4–5 on each side, ascending upwards and combining into a single vein 0.3–1.0 cm from margin, with a second collective vein located very close to margin; secondary lateral veins finer and located between the primaries; third-order veins much thinner and less visible, also present between the two collective veins. Peduncle 2.5–6.0 cm long, 1–3 mm in diameter, terete, white to light green. Spathe ovoid to slightly ellipsoid, 2.0–2.5 × 0.9–1.2 cm, externally green, with visible longitudinal veins (slightly darker), a noticeable dark purple margin along the slit where the spathe opens, and a purple inner surface, narrowed into a short, pointed apex or acuminate or mucronate tip ( 1 mm). Spadix 1.5–2.5 cm long, 3–4 mm in diameter in male zone (Fig. 3 D ), female zone 0.5–0.7 cm long, whitish, adnate to base of spathe, with 7–11 flowers, male zone 1.0– 1.5 cm long, yellowish, ending in a short sterile, whitish to yellowish apex (2.0– 2.5 mm); flowers unisexual, perigone absent; male flowers ± loosely arranged, synandria lacking, consisting of a single unit with one free stamen (1 - androus), 0.6–0.8 mm tall; filaments short conoid, not very distinct, 0.1–0.3 mm in diameter, c. 0.5 mm tall, thecae inserted at filament apex; pollen grains globular, 20 µm in diameter, inaperturate, with spiny crooked exines c. 1.5 µm long (Fig. 3 G, H ). female flowers 1.0– 1.5 mm tall; ovary ± globular, cream to yellow in colour, unilocular, 0.8–1.0 mm in diameter, surrounded by small, yellow synandrodes (sterile male floral structures); style short, distinct, about 0.2 mm long, cylindric, dark purple, exceeding synandrodium, visibly elevating stigmas above ovary; stigma ± broad, discoid, 0.2–0.4 mm in diameter, white to light yellowish. Fruits ellipsoid when young, cream to yellowish, with a persistent brown stigma remnant.

Etymology.

The epithet “ sajoreciae ” is derived from the abbreviation of the authors’ affiliation, the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was established in 2013 in Africa and Madagascar. The name is dedicated to the great contribution made by SAJOREC to biodiversity conservation in Africa and Madagascar over the past decade.

Distribution and ecology.

This species has been observed on humus-rich surface soil layers, in humid, shaded forest understory habitats, occurring at mid-elevations on well-drained soils. It is only known from the type locality, the forest of Loky-Manambato area, Vohemar district, SAVA region, in the northern Madagascar (Fig. 1 ).

Phenology.

Flowering time in January.

Conservation status.

We found only one population, including ca. 40 individuals. Lacking further data, we prefer to assess the species as Data Deficient ( DD) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN).

Discussion.

The discovery of this new species highlights the rich biodiversity of Loky Manambato region and the need for further exploration, which have been indicated by the extensive number of new plant species recently discovered there (see e. g., Rakotonasolo and Davis 2024; Calvo and Callmander 2025; Darbyshire et al. 2025; Jongkind and Nusbaumer 2025).

Carlephyton sajoreciae is observed on humus-rich soil under forest, while other species in the genus grow on thin substrates among rocky outcrops ( Bogner and Nusbaumer 2012). This new species shows a unique combination of morphological characters, making it easily distinguishable from the other species, i. e., the inflorescence with a purple interior spathe surface, the yellow spadix, the short, cylindric and dark style, which clearly elevates the stigma above the ovary. Unexpectedly, C. sajoreciae is distinctive in displaying 1 - androus synandria devoid of any discernible evidence of synandrodium formation, while all other species have multistaminate synandria. This may reflect the loss of fused stamen characteristics, which have evolved into 1 - androus flowers, as noted by Bogner (1972) for the monotypic genus Colletogyne .

Our finding emphasizes the presence of an unexplored habitat within the genus Carlephyton , pointing to a probable evolutionary adaptation to the shift of habitat. This establishes a starting point for future biogeographic studies of Carlephyton which will elucidate habitat shift patterns, thereby enhancing our understanding of the history of speciation and dispersal dynamics.

Figures

Figure 1. Known geographical distribution of Carlephyton sajoreciae in Loky-Manambato area, Vohemar district, SAVA region, Atsiranana province (Diego-Suarez), in northern Madagascar. The red dot indicates its only known locality.

Figure 2. Carlephyton sajoreciae. A. Habitat; B. Plant in its natural habitat, arrow: inflorescence viewed from front; C. Whole individuals; D. Underside of leaf; E. Inflorescence that is not fully opened viewed from the front; F. Globular tuber with white roots. Scale bars: 1 cm (C – F).

Figure 3. A, B. Inflorescence (not fully opened); C. Dissected spathe to show the purple interior; D. Close-up of the male and female spadix zone; E. Young fruits; F. Stamens of the male flowers, spadix ending in a short sterile apex; G, H. Crooked spiny exine globose pollen as seen by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Scale bars: 1 cm (A – D); 0.5 cm (E, F).