Uvaria mollis Engl. & Diels, Notizbl. Konigl . Bot. Gart. Berlin 2: 295, 1899

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 : 358-360

Uvaria mollis Engl. & Diels, Notizbl. Konigl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 2: 295, 1899

Fig. 105 ; Map 14B

≡ Uva mollis (Engl. & Diels) Kuntze, Kuntze, Deutsche Bot. Monatsschr. 21: 173, 1903.

Type.

Cameroon. South Region; Bipindi, Zenker G.A. & Staudt A. 3, no date: lectotype, here designated: K[K000198767] .

Description.

Liana(?), unknown height, d.b.h. unknown. Indumentum of fasciculate hairs; old leafless branches sparsely pubescent to glabrous, young foliate branches tomentose. Leaves: petiole 2-5 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, tomentose, slightly grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 13-16 cm long, 5-7 cm wide, oblong to elliptic, apex acuminate, acumen 1.5-2 cm long, base subcordate, subcoriaceous, below pubescent with fasciculate hairs when young and old, above glabrous when young and old; midrib sunken or flat, above densely pubescent when young, pubescent when old, below densely pubescent when young or old; secondary veins 14 to 17 pairs, prominent and pubescent above; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young branches, leaf-opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 per inflorescence; pedicel 30-40 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diameter, tomentose; bracts 2, one basal and one in the upper half of pedicel, basal bract 1-2 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; upper bract 2-3 mm long, 4-7 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, free, 4-7 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, ovate, apex acute, base truncate, pubescent outside, inside not seen, margins flat; petals free, inner slightly smaller than outer; outer petals 3, 20-23 mm long, 11-14 mm wide, elliptic, apex rounded, base truncate, margins revolute, pubescent outside, inside not seen; inner petals 3, imbricate, 14-16 mm long, 16-17 mm wide, ovate to suborbicular, apex rounded, base ungulate, claw ca. 5 mm long, margins flat or revolute, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; stamens 300 to 400, in 6 to 7 rows, 1-2 mm long, linear; connective discoid, pubescent; staminodes absent; carpels free, number unknown, ovary ca. 3 mm long, stigma coiled, densely pubescent. Fruits unknown.

Distribution.

endemic to Cameroon, known from the Central and South regions.

Habitat.

A rare species; in lowland primary rain forests. Altitude 200-800 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

Not evaluated.

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Uvaria mollis is an imperfectly known species. Morphologically, it resembles U. lastoursvillensis Pellegr., a Gabonese endemic ( Pellegrin 1949; Le Thomas 1969b) by its leaves with clearly impressed secondary veins looping towards the margin, the overall dense pubescence in the younger branches and flowers, and the single terminal flower at the end of young foliate branches. However, U. mollis is less pubescent with much shorter hairs leading to a very different aspect, and the inner petals are unguiculate with a long claw (ca. 5 mm), suggesting they are different species. In the absence of more material, we follow Le Thomas (1969b) and keep them separate.

The name U. mollis was first used for a South Asian species ( Uvaria mollis Wall.) given in the "Wallich Catalogue" ( Wallich 1832, catalogue number 6475), but this name is a nom. nud. In Flora Indica, Hooker and Thomson (1855 p. 135) considered this name to be a synonym of Unona pannosa Dalzell ( Dalzell 1851) (which is now Meiogyne pannosa (Dalzell) J.Sinclair). We found no evidence that the Wallich name was used again (e.g. Turner 2018), rendering the name U. mollis Engl. & Diels as described by Engler and Diels (1899) valid.

We chose here the specimen Zenker & Staudt 3 (K) as the lectotype. It was a hard decision, because according to JSTOR the only two specimens of the syntypes that remain are in NY (Zenker 475) and K (Zenker & Staudt 3). Neither of these specimens have flowers or fruits, and are thus poor specimens to choose as a lectotype. However, we know that the specimens deposited in B did have flowers, as this was indicated by Engler and Diels (1901, p. 29). It is probable that they got destroyed or have just not been identified as type material. However, we had access to Annick Le Thomas’s archives in P when she was preparing the "Flore du Cameroun" (but never finalized it). In those archives there is an illustration of U. mollis with a flower (see Fig. 105 ) which was drawn from Zenker & Staudt 3. This indicates that Le Thomas had access to a specimen of Zenker & Staudt 3 with flowers, suggesting that a better specimen might be available and could be located (possibly in P or B). At this point we have no proof that another specimen of Zenker 475 is available.

Specimens examined.

Central Region: Yaoundé, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, 1890, Zenker G.A. 249 (B); Yaoundé, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, Zenker G.A. 3 (K); Yaoundé, 3.06°N, 10.38°E, 01 January 1913, Zenker G.A. 475 (NY). East Region : Bitya near R Ja Nsolo, 3.02°N, 12.37°E, 31 March 1921, Bates G.L. 1818 (K) .

Figures

Map 14. A Uvaria klaineana B Uvaria mollis C Uvaria muricata var. yalingensis D Uvaria obanensis E Uvaria osmantha F Uvaria poggei G Uvaria scabrida H Uvariastrum insculptum I Uvariastrum pierreanum. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 105. Uvaria bipindensis A leaf, upper view B detail of pubescence lower side of leaf blade C flower, note cauliflorous nature D flower, bottom view. Uvaria mollis E leaf, lower side F detail of pubescence, lower side of leaf blade G flower H inner petal, note ungulate base I stamen, side and front views. Uvaria anonoides J flower bud K detail of calyx, bottom view L outer petal, inner view M inner petal, inner view N stamen, front and side views O carpel, detail of ovules P longitudinal section of monocarp A-D from Brenan 9445 E-I from Zenker & Staudt 3 J-O Jaeger 9876 P from Jaeger 8800. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris.