Xylopia aurantiiodora De Wild. & T. Durand, Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot. Ser . 2, 1(1): 4, 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 : 452-453

Xylopia aurantiiodora De Wild. & T. Durand, Ann. Mus. Congo Belge, Bot. Ser. 2, 1(1): 4, 1899

Map 17D

≡ Artabotrys aurantiiodorus (De Wild. & Th. Durand) Engl., Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen.-Fam. 6: 76, 1901.

= Xylopia bequaertii De Wild. Pl. Bequaert. 1: 469 1922. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tshopo, Kisangani, Bequaert J.C.C. 6994, 27 Feb 1915: holotype: BR.

Type.

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Equateur; Coquilhatville[= Mbandaka], Dewèvre A.P. 660, 24 Jan 1896: lectotype, sheet here designated: BR[BR0000008824691]; isotypes: BR[BR0000008824271, BR0000008824271] .

Description.

Tree to shrub, 2-10 m tall, d.b.h. 30 cm; stilt roots and buttresses absent. Old branches glabrous, young branches glabrous to sparsely pubescent, the hairs 0.2-0.3 mm long. Leaves: petiole 3-7 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, slightly grooved, blade inserted on the side of the petiole; blade 6.3-11.1 cm long, 2.5-4.7 cm wide, elliptic to oblong, occasionally oblanceolate, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate and decurrent, papyraceous to subcoriaceous, below glabrous when young, glabrous to sparsely pubescent when old, above glabrous when young and old, discolorous, tan-colored below; midrib sunken or flat, above glabrous to sparsely pubescent when young, glabrous to sparsely pubescent when old, below glabrous when young, sparsely pubescent when old; secondary veins 10 to 14 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young foliate branches, axillary, peduncle 1.5-2 mm long. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 5 per inflorescence; pedicel 4-7 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, sparsely pubescent to glabrous; in fruit 7-10 mm long, 1-2 mm in diameter, sparsely pubescent to glabrous; bracts 2 to 3, basal and towards the upper half of pedicel, all similar, 1-2 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; sepals 3, slightly imbricate at base, free, 2 mm long, 2 mm wide, triangular, apex apiculate, base truncate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petals free, subequal; outer petals 3, 8.9-12 mm long, 2.4-3.5 mm wide at base, ligulate-lanceolate, apex obtuse, base broad and concave, light yellow to light green, pubescent outside, pubescent but glabrous towards center inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 9.3-11.2 mm long, 1.2-2.3 mm wide at base, narrowly oblong, apex obtuse, base broad and concave with a pronounced internal tooth overhanging the concavity and fleshy glandlike margins, light yellow to greenish yellow, densely pubescent outside, pubescent inside; stamens 40 to 60, in 5 to 6 rows, ca. 2 mm long, oblong; connective apex capitate, glabrous; carpels 3 to 5, ovary 1 mm long, stigmas slightly separate, narrowly oblong, ca. 1 mm long, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate, stipe 6-10 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter; monocarps 1 to 3, 33-65 mm long, 7-9 mm wide, narrowly oblong, sometimes falciform, strongly torulose, apex with an acute beak up to 5 mm long, glabrous, wrinkled or striate when dried, green outside, endocarp color unknown; seeds 1 to 4 per monocarp, in a single row, 13-21 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, ellipsoid, pointed at one end; sarcotesta absent; aril present, fimbriate, extending over the length of the seed, membranous, smooth, red to orange-brown when dried.

Distribution.

From southern Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon known from the East region.

Habitat.

An uncommon species; in riparian forest, on riverbanks, and in inundated rain forests. Altitude 0-500 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Harvey-Brown 2019h).

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Xylopia aurantiiodora and X. quintasii have short blunt petals and fimbriate orange-red arils. Xylopia aurantiiodora differs in its smaller stature, the prominent tooth on the inside of the inner petal base, striate monocarps with an acute beak, and larger pointed seeds. The tooth of the inner petal is especially useful for identification, because it appears early in petal development and is visible even in young buds. The two species also occupy different habitats, with X. aurantiiodora in riparian forests and X. quintasii usually in upland forests.

Specimens examined.

East Region: West bank of Sangha River opposite Ndakan camp and 2 km S, 2.35°N, 16.13°E, 12 February 1989, Harris D.J. 1846 (MO); Sangha R, 2.78°N, 16°E, 22 May 1988, Harris D.J. 752 (P); Mbekou près Moloundou, 2.05°N, 15.22°E, 01 January 1959, Letouzey R. 1374 (P) .

Figures

Map 17. A Uvariopsis zenkeri B Xylopia aethiopica C Xylopia africana D Xylopia aurantiiodora E Xylopia calva F Xylopia cupularis G Xylopia elliotii H Xylopia gilbertii I Xylopia hypolampra. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).