Monanthotaxis bokoli (De Wild. & T. Durand) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 24, 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 : 172-174

Monanthotaxis bokoli (De Wild. & T. Durand) Verdc., Kew Bull. 25(1): 24, 1971

Fig. 46 ; Map 6E

≡ Xylopia bokoli De Wild. & T. Durand, Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot. ser. 2, 1(2.1): 2, 1900; Popowia bokoli (De Wild. & T. Durand) Boutique, Fl. Congo Belge & Ruanda-Urundi 2: 349, 1951.

= Popowia iboundjiensis Pellegr., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 96: 212, 1950. Type. Gabon. Ngounié, Ndingui (Mullerville), Le Testu G.M.P.C. 5729, 11 nov 1925: lectotype, chosen by Hoekstra et al. (2021), p. 134: P[P00362791]; isolectotypes: BM[BM000553827]; LISC[LISC000388]; P[P00362789, P00362790].

Type.

Democratic Republic of the Congo. no region; no location, Dewèvre A.P. 785, no date: lectotype, sheet designated in Hoekstra et al. (2021), p. 133: BR[BR0000024941433]; isolectotypes: BR [BR0000008804020, BR0000008804358] .

Description.

Shrub to liana, 6 m tall, d.b.h unknown. Indumentum of simple hairs; old leafless branches glabrescent with lenticels, young foliate branches densely pubescent with erect reddish brown hairs 0.4-1.3 mm long. Leaves: petiole 3-6 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, pubescent, cylindrical, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 4.5-12.5 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, oblong to elliptic, apex obtuse, base subcordate, papyraceous to subcoriaceous, below sparsely pubescent when young and old, above sparsely pubescent to glabrous when young and old, discolorous, whitish below; midrib impressed, above pubescent when young and old, below pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 7 to 11 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation percurrent. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young and old leafless branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 per inflorescence; pedicel 11-24 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, sparsely pubescent to densely pubescent; in fruit 12-22 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter; basal bracts when present 1-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide; upper bract 1-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, basally fused, 3-4 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, ovate, apex rounded, base truncate, sparsely pubescent outside, glabrous inside, margins flat; petals free, outer petals longer than inner, inner petals entirely covered in bud; outer petals 3, 15-19 mm long, 8.4-11.8 mm wide, ovate, apex rounded to obtuse, base truncate, margins flat, densely pubescent outside, pubescent inside; inner petals 3, valvate, ca. 13 mm long, 4.5-5.5 mm wide, linear to elliptic, apex acute, base truncate, margins flat, densely pubescent outside, glabrous but pubescent towards margins inside; stamens 24 to 32, in 3 to 4 rows, ca. 1 mm long, obovate; connective truncate, glabrous; staminodes absent; carpels free, 27 to 38, ovary ca. 3 mm long, stigma cylindrical, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate, stipes 7-25 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter; monocarps 1 to 25, 26-65 mm long, 5-8 mm in diameter, moniliform, cylindrical, apex rounded to apiculate, glabrous, verrucose to weakly torulose, constricted around seeds when more than 1, yellow turning orange when ripe; seeds 1 to 4 per monocarp, 14-21 mm long, 4-6 mm in diameter, subcylindrical; aril absent.

Distribution.

A central African species, from Cameroon to Gabon, and the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon known from the Adamaoua, East and South-West regions.

Habitat.

A rare species in Cameroon but with a wide distribution; in swamp forests, gallery forests, premontane primary and secondary rain forests. Altitude: 600-1200 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 recorded.

Notes.

Monanthotaxis bokoli is distinguished by its dense erect reddish brown hairs on the branches and leaves, large flowers, almost glabrous inner petals inside and monocarps with long stipes and subcylindrical seeds. In pubescence M. bokoli resembles M. ferruginea .

Specimens examined.

Adamaoua Region: rocher conglomératique de Mbalarzi dans la vallée de la Mbere (65 km NE de Meiganga), 7°N, 14.51°E, 16 October 1963, Letouzey R. 6195 (P). East Region : km 17 of Bétaré Oya-Meiganga road 5 km SE of Ndokayo, 5.55°N, 14.1°E, 03 February 1966, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 7716 (BR,K,MO,P,WAG,YA); Kongolo, 5.4°N, 14.03°E, 01 April 1914, Mildbraed G.W.J. 9010 (K). South-West Region: Piste Akwaya-Mamfe près Makomono 7 km S Akwaya, 6.31°N, 9.557°E, 25 July 1975, Letouzey R. 14081 (MO,P,WAG,YA) .

Figures

Map 6. A Letestudoxa lanuginosa B Meiocarpidium oliverianum C Mischogyne gabonensis D Monanthotaxis bicornis E Monanthotaxis bokoli F Monanthotaxis capea G Monanthotaxis cauliflora H Monanthotaxis congoensis I Monanthotaxis couvreurii. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 46. Monanthotaxis bokoli A flowering branch B detail of pubescence, lower leaf side C flower with three petals removed D outer petal, inner side view E inner petal, inner side view F stamen G carpel and longitudinal section of carpel. Monanthotaxis pellegrinii H flowering branch I flower with three petals removed J outer petal, inner side view K inner petal inner side view L stamen M carpel and longitudinal section of carpel A-G from Le Testu 5729 H-M from Le Testu 9028. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 41, p. 229).