Uvaria L., Sp. Pl. 1: 536, 1753

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 : 327-328

Uvaria L., Sp. Pl. 1: 536, 1753

= Uva Brun., Thes. Zeylan.: 231, 1737: nom. illegit., superfl.; Narum Adanson, Fam. 2: 365, 1763: nom. illegit., superfl.; Xylopiastrum Roberty, Bull. I.F.A.N. 15: 1387, 1953; Melodorum Lour., Fl. Cochinch. 329: 351, 1790; Marenteria Noronha ex Thouars, Gen. Nov. Madagasc.: 18, 1806; Cyathostemma Griff., Not. Pl. Asiat. 4: 707, 1854; Ellipeia Hook.f. & Thomson, Fl. Ind. 104, 1855; Anomianthus Zoll., Linnaea 29: 324, 1858; Tetrapetalum Miq., Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 2: 23, 1865; Rauwenhoffia Scheff., Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 2: 21, 1881; Uvariella Ridl., Fl. Malay. Penins. 1: 22, 1922; Ellipeiopsis R.E.Fr., Verstreute Beob. Fam. Annon.: 41, 1953; Dasoclema J.Sinclair, Gard. Bull. Singapore 14: 273, 1955; Balonga Le Thomas, Adansonia sér. 2, 8: 106, 1968.

Type species.

Uvaria zeylanica L. (a South East Asian species).

Description.

Lianas, up to 20(-30) m tall, d.b.h. up to 20 cm. Indumentum of star, fasciculate and/or simple hairs. Leaves: petiole 2-15 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter; blade 5-26 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, elliptic, ovate, obovate or oblong, apex acuminate to obtuse, base acute to cordate, discolorous, whitish below or concolorous; midrib sunken or flat; secondary veins 6 to 25 pairs; tertiary venation reticulate or percurrent. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences cauliflorous and ramiflorous on old or young foliate branches, leaf opposed or extra axillary. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 5 per inflorescence; pedicel 2-50 mm long; in fruit 5-60 mm long; bracts 2 (or 1), one basal and one upper, 1-15 mm long; sepals 3, valvate (or imbricate), free or basally fused or completely fused tearing at anthesis, 2-20 mm long, ovate or triangular to semiorbicular, apex acute or acuminate or truncate, base truncate; petals free; outer petals 3, valvate or imbricate, 7-35 mm long, 5-25 mm wide, ovate to elliptic to obovate to semiorbicular, apex acute to rounded, base truncate; inner petals 3, imbricate, 7-35 mm long, 6-25 mm wide, ovate to elliptic to obovate to semiorbicular, apex acute to obtuse to rounded, base truncate; stamens 100 to 400, in 5 to 10 rows, 1-3 mm long, linear to cuneiform; connective discoid or tongue-shaped, glabrous or pubescent; staminodes absent; carpels free, 15 to 70 (or numerous), 2-4 mm long, stigma flat or bilobed or coiled or cylindrical, pubescent or glabrous. Monocarps sessile to stipitate, stipes 5-45 mm long; monocarps 8 to 48, 6-70 mm long, 6-40 mm in diameter, globose or ellipsoid or cylindrical, apex rounded to apiculate, smooth, bumpy, ridged, verrucose or echinate, sometimes strongly ornamented; seeds numerous, bi or uniseriate, 7-15 mm long, 4-10 mm in diameter, ellipsoid or flattened ellipsoid; aril absent.

A diverse genus of ca. 200 species distributed across Africa (west to east), Madagascar and in South East Asia, 17 species occur in Cameroon, one endemic.

Uvaria is a genus of lianas or scrambling shrubs, most of which have stellate hairs and numerous seeds per monocarp. The taxonomy of this genus remains complicated and a recent continental revision is still lacking. Differences between the species are mostly based on fruit and leaf characters.

Taxonomy.

There has yet to be a complete taxonomic revision of African and Malagasy Uvaria since Engler and Diels (1901). Taxonomy and keys to species of different regions can be found in: Paiva (1966) and Paiva and Bárrios (2019) for Angola; Le Thomas (1969b) for Gabon; Verdcourt (1971a) for Tropical East Africa, Cavaco et Keraudren (1958) for Madagascar and Hawthorne and Jongkind (2006) for West Africa (Senegal to Ghana). Besides Africa some revisions have been published for South East Asia providing excellent sources for taxonomy and morphological characters within the genus ( Utteridge 2000; Zhou et al. 2009, 2010; Meade and Parnell 2018).

In the key below, we tried to use as many vegetative characters as possible, although in some cases flower or fruit characters are needed. Using mainly vegetative characters is an advantage, but also has drawbacks linked to some characters that can be variable (e.g. pubescent density could vary). The user should be aware of that and check the descriptions and illustrations carefully to confirm identification.

We provide here illustrations to the different types of hairs and combinations which will help with the key (Fig. 101 ).

Figures

Figure 101. Toussaintia hallei A flowering branch, note the dense network of tertiary veins on levaes B detail of pubescence lower leaf side C inflorescence diagram with large prophyl at the base D flower bud, top view E detail of opened flower, note the androgynophore part of receptacle F longitudinal cut of flowering receptacle G details of stamens, side and front views H details of carpels front view, and latitudinal cut I floral diagram (black. sepals; dashed petals) J, K floral diagrams showing the variable number of petals; Toussaintia congolensis Boutique (not in Cameroon) L flower bud M flower bud top view A-K Halle 4189, based on living material L, M Wagemans 1677. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b; pl. 3, p. 31).