Monotes katangensis (De Wild.) De Wildeman (1913b: 110)

Meerts, Pierre, Rougelot, Quentin & Sosef, Marc, 2017, Revision of the genus Monotes (Dipterocarpaceae) in D. R. Congo, with implications for Angola and its distinction from Marquesia, Phytotaxa 308 (2), pp. 151-205 : 190-191

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.308.2.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A1879D-637B-FFE8-FF13-FEB0FEA4478B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Monotes katangensis (De Wild.) De Wildeman (1913b: 110)
status

Treatment

10. Monotes katangensis (De Wild.) De Wildeman (1913b: 110) View in CoL

≡ Vatica katangensis De Wildeman (1903: 92) View in CoL .

Lectotype (designated here): —D.R CONGO, Upper Katanga, Lukafu , July 1900, Verdick 548 (BR! [barcode BR0000008891945]).

Tree up to 13–14 m high; branchlets tomentellous. Leaf: petiole 10–20 mm long, 2.5–3 mm in diameter; blade elliptic to oblong or obovate-oblong, 6–12(–14) × 2.7–7(–9) cm, rounded to slightly cordate at the base, obtuse to slightly emarginate and sometimes acute or apiculate at the apex; lateral nerves in 10–15 pairs, nearly straight, some of them furcate near the apex, nerves and bifurcations reaching the margin of the leaf; upper surface minutely tuberculatesubreticulate, scaberulous with straight or nearly straight simple hairs 0.2–0.5(–0.6) mm long, developed on minute, white tubercles, glabrescent, becoming yellowish brown to livid with age; lower surface beige to pale fulvous-pubescent with straight or curled hairs on the nerves, veins and reticulation, and with interreticular areoles covered with minute stellate hairs; midrib very thick and prominent beneath, with fasciculate hairs; reticulation very prominent below and forming deep cavities (depth ≥ 2 mm). Inflorescences of subsessile condensed multiflorous cymes forming large terminal thyrses up to 15 cm long, pale fulvous- or rufous-tomentose, often with a few reduced leaved; inflorescence leaves with upper surface indumentum comprising stellate hairs and simple straight hairs. Flower: pedicel 1–3 mm long; sepals 3–4 mm long, densely sericeous-tomentose, often with a few very reduced leaves; petals 8–10 mm × 2.7–4 mm, densely sericeous-tomentose; stamens with anthers not produced at the apex. Fruits densely crowded at the ends of the branches, subglobose, 7–9 mm in diameter, reticulate, tomentose, conical at the apex; wings 2.5–4.5 × 1–1.5(–2.3) cm, reddish purple, generally narrowly obovate-oblong to spathulate.

Illustrations: — Figs. 3Q View FIGURE 3 , 4P View FIGURE 4 , 7C,D View FIGURE 7 , 8D View FIGURE 8 .

Distribution in D.R. Congo: —Very common in Upper Katanga.

Distribution elsewhere: — Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat and ecology: —Miombo woodlands often on compact, clayey or lateritic gravelly soil; characteristic of the Brachystegieto spiciformis—Monotetum katangense vegetation on gravelly soil; scrub savannahs, dambos.

Vernacular names: —Kassolo, kazongo (Kitschokwe), kimpampa, kimpanya, kipapa (Kibemba), musanga, mutenta (Kiluba), saya.

Uses: —Timber. Wood hard and heavy, difficult to work; the species has ornamental value due to its bright red showy infrutescences.

Other representative specimens examined:—D.R. CONGO. Upper Katanga: Lubumbashi, 25 April 1912, Bequaert 360 (BR!); Near Elisabethville [Lubumbashi], July–August 1919, Burtt-Davy 17984 (BM!); Mulumbi, June 1953, Desenfans 3456 (BRLU!); Près de Kasongo Mwana, forêt claire, 14 July 1954, Desenfans 5764 (BRLU!); Gare de Shilatembo, 31 July 1948, Duvigneaud 1276M (BRLU!); Grottes de Jadotville, crête rocheuse d’une colline schisteuse, forêt claire à Brachystegia microphylla , 1 August 1948, Duvigneaud 1282M (BRLU!); Dembo Atashyo, 10 km W de Mindingi, forêt dembo riche en Uapaca , 21 July 1956, Duvigneaud & Timperman 2067 (BRLU!); 15 km E de Menda, forêt claire à Uapaca , Monotes , sur latérite, 23 July 1956, Duvigneaud & Timperman 2104 (BRLU!); Kasompi, pente nue semi-désertique à petites termitières, sur grand conglomérat, à l’est de Kasompi Est, 2 September 1956, Duvigneaud & Timperman 2600 (BRLU!); Sakania, forêt claire sur terre ocre caillouteuse à Brachystegia boehmii et B. spiciformis , 31 January 1960, Duvigneaud 5361 (BRLU!); Kasompi, forêt sur terre rouge, 8 February 1960, Duvigneaud 5474Mo (BRLU!); Lubumbashi, brousse, 15 May 1912, Homblé 325 (BR!); Près de la gare de Munama, forêt claire, 1220 m, 8 June 1959, Lukuesa 649 (BRVU!); Montagne au N de Mitwaba, savane arbustive, 30 June 1988, Pauwels 7138 (BR!); Lubumbashi, 2 November 1917, Ringoet 58 (K!); Route Lubumbashi-Likasi, km 62, forêt claire, 30 June 1962, Schaijes 1441 (BR!); Lubumbashi, 1937, Salésiens 80 (WAG!); Bangu, poste de chemin de fer entre Dilolo et Malonga, forêt claire sur sol sablonneux, August 1956, Schmitz 5351 (BR!); Lukafu, April 1900, Verdick 486 (syntype: BR!).

Discussion:— The protologue cites two syntypes (Verdick 486, Verdick 548); the latter is here chosen as a lectotype because it clearly shows the typical inflorescence shape of the species.

M. katangensis is more variable in Katanga than in other parts of the Zambezian Region; leaves in particular are often larger than further south in the Zambezian Region. A number of collections have leaves up to 14 × 9 cm, with the apex emarginate, and a mixture of simple and fasciculate hairs on the upper surface. Such forms were designated as “ M. katangensis var. mitwabaensis ” by Duvigneaud in schedis (unpublished name). These forms, which are not rare in Katanga, especially in the region of Mitwaba, are possibly introgressed by M. autennei (e.g. Mitwaba, savane à Protea et Tephrosia manikensis sur sable sur latérite, 9 September 1956, Duvigneaud & Timperman 2694 (BRLU!); Colline Bange, forêt claire, 6 June, 1954, Desenfans 6035 (BRLU!); Lubala près de Kibanda, 28 June 1954, Desenfans 6528 (BRLU!); Bifurcation route Elisabethville et Luba, 6 August 1954, Desenfans s.n. (BRLU!)).

Some forms have short hairs on the reticulum and almost no stellate hairs in the areoles (e.g. Duvigneaud & Timperman 2927M (BRLU!)). In some specimens, young leaves have a mixed indumentum of simple and stellate hairs on the upper surface of the leaf (e.g. Duvigneaud 3548 (BRLU!), Desenfans 5649 (BRLU!)); such indulentum is apparently always present on inflorescence leaves, which no previous author had noticed.

Glands are sometimes present in the axils of secondary nerves.

References:— Bancroft (1939a: 343, 372); Coates Palgrave (2005: 740); De Wildeman (1921: 134; 1926: 175; 1927a: 177, 1927b: 56); De Wildeman & Staner (1932: 66); Delevoy (1930: 17); Duvigneaud (1949: 60, t. 14 fig. C.; 1961: 411); Lebrun & Stork (1991: 144); Meerts (2016: 223); Meerts & Hasson (2016); Smith & Allen (2004: 64); Verdcourt (1989: 5); White (1962: 262; fig. 46F).