Xylopia katangensis De Wildeman, Ann. Mus. Congo, Ser . 4, Bot. 1: 32-33. 1902.

Johnson, David M. & Murray, Nancy A., 2018, A revision of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae): the species of Tropical Africa, PhytoKeys 97, pp. 1-252 : 141-142

32. Xylopia katangensis De Wildeman, Ann. Mus. Congo, Ser. 4, Bot. 1: 32-33. 1902. Fig. 27L

Xylopia katangensis gillardinii ? Xylopia katangensis var. gillardinii Boutique, Bull. Jard. Bot. État 21: 109-110. 1951. Type. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ["Belgian Congo"]. Kasaï Province, vallée du Kasai, Versant, Makumbi, Terr. de Tshikapa, Jan 1938, J. Gillardin 352 (holotype: BR!; isotypes: BR ! [0000008824820], K! [000199055]).

Type.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ["Belgian Congo "]. Haut-Katanga Province, Lukafu , May 1900, Ct. E. A. A. Verdick 503 (holotype: BR!) .

Description.

Tree up to 13 m tall, perhaps taller, d.b.h. up to 60 cm, bole with buttresses at base; bark gray, smooth. Twigs brown to blackish brown, eventually grayish brown to dark gray, sparsely pubescent, the hairs ca. 0.2 mm long, soon glabrate; nodes with two axillary branches occasional. Leaf with larger blades 7.1-9.4 cm long, 2.4-3.3 cm wide, subcoriaceous, slightly discolorous, often shiny blue-green adaxially, whitish green abaxially, lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, apex acute to short-acuminate, the acumen 4-11 mm long, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, glabrous on both surfaces, rarely with a few hairs abaxially; midrib slightly raised or plane adaxially, raised abaxially, secondary veins somewhat arcuate, irregularly brochidodromous, 10-15 per side, diverging at 50-60° from the midrib, these and higher-order veins raised to strongly raised on both surfaces; petiole 3.5-9 mm long, shallowly canaliculate, glabrous. Inflorescences axillary or from the axils of fallen leaves, 1-12-flowered, sparsely pubescent to pubescent; peduncles 1-2 per axil, 1-3.5 mm long; pedicels 2-9 per peduncle, 5.7-9.1 mm long, 0.4-0.8 mm thick; bracts 2-4, the upper subtending the sepals and persistent, the lower at or just proximal to pedicel midpoint and caducous, 0.9-1.8 mm long, ovate to semicircular, apex obtuse to rounded; buds linear, occasionally somewhat falcate, apex acute. Sepals slightly spreading at anthesis, 1/5-1/4-connate, 1.6-2.3 mm long, 2.1-3.4 mm wide, subcoriaceous, broadly ovate to triangular, apex acute to obtuse, pubescent abaxially. Petals greenish yellow with red on the adaxial bases in vivo; outer petals spreading at anthesis, 19-37 mm long, 2.7-3.2 mm wide at base, 0.7-1.4 mm wide at midpoint, chartaceous, filiform, apex obtuse, puberulent adaxially, sparsely pubescent abaxially; inner petals slightly bent outward at the base at anthesis, (11.4-) 17.4-29 mm long, 2.3-2.9 mm wide at base, 0.4-0.6 mm wide at midpoint, chartaceous, needle-like, apex acute, base with undifferentiated margin, puberulent on both surfaces except for the glabrous claw. Stamens ca. 90; fertile stamens 1.0-1.1 mm long, oblong, apex of connective 0.1-0.2 mm long, depressed-globose to shieldlike, overhanging the anther thecae, minutely papillate, anthers 7-10-locellate, filament 0.4-0.5 mm long; outer staminodes 1.1-1.2 mm long, clavate, apex truncate to emarginate; inner staminodes ca. 0.9 mm long, clavate, apex truncate; staminal cone 0.7-1.5 mm in diameter, 0.4-1.0 mm high, concealing the lower half of the ovaries, rim irregularly laciniate. Carpels 3-4; ovaries 1.3-1.4 mm long, narrowly oblong, sericeous, stigmas loosely connivent at base with tips free, 2.5-4.4 mm long, linear, glabrous or with a tuft of hairs at the apex. Torus flat, 1.3-1.8 mm in diameter. Fruit of up to 2-4 glabrate monocarps borne on a pedicel 8.4-14 mm long, 1.7-2.5 mm thick, glabrate; torus 2.5-4.4 mm in diameter, ca. 2.3-4.1 mm high, depressed-globose. Monocarps with green exterior and red endocarp in vivo, 1.9-3.4 cm long, 1.2-1.5 cm wide, 0.9-1.0 cm thick, oblong, weakly torulose, apex obtuse, base contracted into a stipe 3.5-4 mm long, ca. 3.0-3.5 mm thick, longitudinally wrinkled, verrucose; pericarp 0.4-1 mm thick. Seeds 1-5 per monocarp, in a single row or in two irregular rows, lying oblique to perpendicular to long axis, 9.3-10.7 mm long, 7.7-7.9 mm wide, 6.7-6.8 mm thick, broadly ellipsoid, broadly elliptic in cross-section, truncate at micropylar end, rounded at chalazal end, brown, smooth or slightly pitted, dull, raphe/antiraphe visible but not raised or sunken, micropylar scar 2.4-2.5 mm long, 2.1-2.4 mm wide, elliptic to circular; sarcotesta gray or light green in vivo; aril absent.

Phenology.

Specimens with flowers have been collected in February, March, May, August, October, and November, and with fruits in February, April, May, August, and October.

Distribution

(Fig. 45 ). Occurs from north-central Nigeria east to central Cameroon and south to Gabon, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northeastern Zambia, where it grows in riparian inundated habitats and mushitu swamp forest at elevations of 470-1220 m.

Local names.

Likungu (Turumbu, Louis 7886), ogana (Gabonais, Dybowski 129).

Additional specimens examined.

NIGERIA. Jos Plateau, Gindiri, 1040 m, 24 Oct 1957 (fl), Hepper 1143 (BR, K, P); Northern Nigeria , Zaria Province, Anara F. R., Kan Gini, 20 Oct 1947 (fl), Keay FHI 20129 (K-2 sheets, OWU spirit collection) . CAMEROON. Pres de Mbeuga (entre Vos et Akowolinga), 8 Mar 1962 (fl), Letouzey 4498 (K, MO-2 sheets, P) . GABON. Bords de l’Ogo[o]ué en fore Achouka , 26 Aug 1895 (fl, fr), Dybowski 129 (P) . DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Haut-Katanga: Prov. Katanga, station de Keyberg, 8 km SW de Lubumbashi , 23 Mar 1954 (fl), Schmitz 4748 (K, WAG).-Haut-Lomami: Mupulu, récolté à Kaniama galerie Luba, Feb 1938 (fl), Herman 2212 (BR); Mupulu, Kaniama galerie Luba, Feb 1938 (fl), Prignon 4 (BR).-Lualaba: Kisanga, 1220 m, 2 Feb 1979 (buds), Malaisse 9667 (BR).-Tshopo: Yangambi, 1949 (buds), Gilbert 7739 (K, P); Yangambi, 1949 (fl), Gilbert 9060 (K, P); Yangambi, 1949 (st), Gilbert 9344 (K); Yangambi, ca. 470 m, Ile Tutuku, en face du plateau de l’Isalowe, 15 Feb 1938 (fr), Louis 7886 (B, BM, BR, FI-T, K, MO, P, US) ; en face d’Tsangi, 470 m, 14 May 1938 (fl), Louis 9374 (B, BM, K, MO); en face d’Tsangi, ca. 470 m, 7 Sep 1938 (bud), Louis 11151 (F, NY, RSA) . ZAMBIA. River bank Chambezi, 26 Aug 1927 (fr), Bourne 96 (FHO); Kasama, Kasama Luwingu, 3 Sep 1927 (st), Bourne 124 (FHO); Zambezi Rapids, Ikelenge, 2 Nov 2004 (fl), Congdon 673 (K); Kapalala, Kapalala, Luapula R., 16 Apr 1933 (fr), Duff 134/33 (FHO); Luapula R., 29 Oct 1949 (fl), Fanshawe 1423 (K); Lumangwe District, 14 Nov 1957 (fl), Fanshawe F. 3989 (BR, K); Central Province, Kasanka National Park, along Musande River near confluence of Musande and Luwombwa Rivers, 12°31'38"S, 30°07'51"E, 1170 m, 17 Nov 1993 (fl), Harder et al. 1918 (MO); Northern Province, Mporokoso District , Mukubwe River , S of Mweru Wantipa, 28 Oct 1949 (fl), Hoyle 1329 (FHO); Nchelenje, L. Mweru, 7 Oct 1961 (fr), Lawton RML768 (FHO, K); Nchelenje, 5 Feb 1962 (fl), Lawton RML830 (FHO); Western Province, Fort Rosebery District , Lake Bangweulu , Lake Bangweulu (island), N end, 20 May 1931 (fr), Stevenson 265/31 (FHO); Western Province, Kawambwa District , at edge of Lake Mweru , near Kafulwe Mission, 4 Nov 1952 (buds), White 3610 (FHO, K) .

Xylopia katangensis is similar to X. longipetala , resembling that species in the long and exceedingly narrow petals and the long stigmas, but differing in the proportionately longer petioles, more complex inflorescences with larger numbers of flowers, sepals not reflexed at anthesis, petals sparsely hairy and rigid (without the strip-of-crepe-paper effect), and outer petals narrower at the base, thus not producing a globose flower base. The shiny blue-green upper surface of the leaf is evident on many specimens.

Specimens from Tshopo Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and from Gabon, Cameroon, and Nigeria, do not seem distinguishable from the other material, despite the great geographic separation. In addition to their morphological similarity, all come from similar inundated habitats, including mushitu forest in Zambia and periodically inundated riverbanks elsewhere. The label of Letouzey 4498 describes the habitat as "Abondant dans le rideau forestier fragmentaire, uniquement inondé, sur la berge du Nyong [river], en bordare de la prairie à Echinochloa stagnina ," the latter a grass tolerant of flooding.

The specimen Gillardin 352, the type of Xylopia katangensis var. gillardinii , exhibits a number of small differences from nominate X. katangensis : the leaves are chartaceous and the blades are distinctly decurrent on the petioles, the inflorescences have only one or two flowers and the pedicels are only 3-5 mm long with 3-5 imbricate bracts. The petals of both whorls are shorter than is typical for X. katangensis , the outer ca. 16.5 mm long and the inner ca. 12.5 mm long. We have seen no additional specimens combining this set of characters, but the specimen Letouzey 4498 has some pedicels with 4 bracts, the specimen Fanshawe F.3989 had some pedicels as short as 5.7 mm, and the specimen Keay FHI 20129 has some inflorescences with only one flower and inner petals as short as 11.4 mm. We conclude that X. katangensis var. gillardinii does not merit taxonomic recognition based on current information, but wish to document these points of difference.

Figures

Figure 27. Xylopia longipetala, X. holtzii, X. katangensis, and X. shirensis. A-F X. longipetala A Fruit B Seed, side view C Seed, view of micropylar end D Base of inner petal, adaxial view E Habit F Gynoecium surrounded by staminal cone with a few attached stamens G-K X. holtzii G Habit H, I Detached monocarps J Gynoecium surrounded by staminal cone with a few attached stamens K Base of inner petal, inner (adaxial) surface L X. katangensis, habit M-P X. shirensis M Fruit N Habit O Seed, view of micropylar end P Seed, side view. A-C from Jongkind & Nieuwenhuis 3031 (WAG) D, F from McPherson 17911 (MO) E from Halle & Le Thomas 190 (P), and following photograph of fresh flowers of same collection in Le Thomas (1969) G, J, K from Johnson et al. 1938 (OWU) H, I from Templer H 167 / 53 (K), L from Letouzey 4498 (MO) M from Richards 13266 (K) N from Richards 14438 (K) O, P from Bredo 6276 (BR).

Figure 45. Distributions of Xylopia longipetala and X. katangensis. Bolder lines represent country borders, fainter lines lakes and major rivers.