identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
F41EB7B99B87553D8789E4928BA6B076.text	F41EB7B99B87553D8789E4928BA6B076.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Nectaropetalum camerunense Sonke, M. Simo & O. Lachenaud 2026	<div><p>Nectaropetalum camerunense Sonké, M. Simo &amp; O. Lachenaud sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 1, 2, 3; Table 2</p><p>Type</p><p>CAMEROON • Central Region; Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.00323&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.1292806" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.00323/lat 4.1292806)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’45.41”N, 11°00’11.63”E; 28 Mar. 2025; fl.; Sonké &amp; Ngoula 7959; holotype: BR [BR 0000017787413]; isotypes: BR [BR 0000017787406], BRLU [BRLU 0045381, BRLU 0045382, BRLU 0045383], E, FR [FR-0038706], K, M, MA, MO, P, WAG, YA .</p><p>Diagnosis</p><p>This species has acuminate leaves, and stipules leaving sub-annular scars with a narrow interruption on the side opposite the petiole, in which characters it resembles N. acuminatum Verdc.; it differs from the latter by its shorter calyx lobes, 1–1.5 mm long (vs 2.2–2.5 mm) and short thickened pedicels 0.5–1 mm long (vs pedicels absent).</p><p>Description</p><p>Small tree or shrub up to 12 m tall, multi-stemmed; stems up to 12 cm in diameter. Twigs obliquely ascending, slightly flattened when young, then cylindrical, glabrous, soon covered with a pale grey-brown bark. Stipules 4.5–6.5 × 1–2 mm, intrapetiolar, narrowly triangular, folded lengthwise and initially forming a conical bud, entire or shortly (≤ 0.7 mm) bifid at apex and sometimes minutely fimbriate on the margins, with two dorsal keels, glabrous or with short sparse hairs on the keels, soon caducous and leaving sub-annular scars on the twigs (with an interruption on the side opposite the petiole). Leaves deciduous, appearing with the flowers, light green to burgundy when young, glabrous; petiole 4–6 mm long, 2 - angled to slightly winged; blade 4–17 × 1.4–4.3 cm, oblong to elliptic, the base cuneate to obtuse, the apex gradually acuminate, thinly papyraceous, drying olive brown, or the lower side sometimes glaucous; midrib depressed on the upper side; secondary nerves 9–27 on each side, rather faint (only slightly more prominent than tertiary venation), forming irregular loops which anastomose 2–5 mm from the leaf margin; tertiary venation densely reticulate, forming areolae ca 0.5 mm in diameter, visible on both sides (both in fresh and dry state). Flowers axillary or sometimes borne at leafless nodes, solitary or in fascicles of up to 5, 5 - merous, subtended by small, ovate to semi-circular bracts, 0.4–0.8 mm long, obtuse to rounded, fimbriate, persistent or caducous. Pedicel 0.5–1 mm long and thick, truncated-obconical, glabrous. Calyx lobes 5, almost free, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, triangular, acute, green, glabrous, valvate and completely enclosing the young bud. Petals 5, 8–10 × 2–3 mm, free, oblong, the apex rounded, white, glabrous, with a basal claw 1–1.5 mm long, and two internal scales, 0.3–0.8 mm long, triangular to semi-circular, borne just above the claw. Stamens 10, in a single whorl, the ﬁlaments alternately long (4–6 mm) and short (2.5–4 mm), united at base into a shallow cup 0.5–1 mm high, white; anthers 0.7–1.5 × 0.2–0.7 mm, oblong to elliptic, basifixed, dithecous, opening by longitudinal slits, brownish. Ovary 1.8–3 × 0.8–1 mm, 2 – locular, with a single ovule per chamber, oblong, olive green, glabrous. Style 3–4.5 mm long, much longer than ovary, slightly shorter to slightly longer than stamens, linear, glabrous, the apex bilobed, the stigmas ca 0.5 mm long, elliptic, spreading to reflexed. Fruits 12–13 × 4–7 mm, fusiform to ovoid, the apex slightly beaked, yellowish green when fresh, grey-green after drying, with persistent calyx and stamens at base (the style sometimes persistent too). Seeds not seen.</p><p>Distribution</p><p>Nectaropetalum camerunense is, based on current evidence, endemic to the middle Sanaga basin in Cameroon (Fig. 3); this area is part of the Lower Guinea subcentre of endemism of the Guineo-Congolian Region (White 1979).</p><p>Habitat</p><p>The species occurs in riverine forest, 320–420 m a. s. l., on the banks of the Sanaga River and its tributary the Lobo River. These forests have a relatively low canopy (15–20 m tall), and an open undergrowth mainly consisting of Thunbergia sp., Psychotria leptophylla Hiern, and Rinorea dentata (P. Beauv.) Kuntze. Nectaropetalum camerunense is gregarious in this habitat (Fig. 1 F); on a single transect of 200 × 5 m containing 183 trees with a diameter of at least 5 cm, it accounts for 9.8 % of all individuals. The dominant tree species in this transect is Talbotiella couteronii, which is also gregarious (Sonké et al. 2024), and accounts for 24 % of the individuals present. Other abundant tree species found in the forest are Albizia adianthifolia W. Wight, Canarium schweinfurthii Engl., Diospyros abyssinica (Hiern) F. White, Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf, Ongokea gore (Hua) Pierre, and Tessmannia africana Harms.</p><p>Phenology</p><p>Flower buds appear in September, but the flowers open only in late March, at the start of the rainy season and when the leaves are sprouting. The flowering period is very short, lasting no more than two weeks. While most flowers in an inflorescence open at almost the same time, buds, open flowers, and withered flowers may occasionally be observed on the same branch (Fig. 1 E). Fruits were collected in May, July, and November.</p><p>Etymology</p><p>The species name was chosen since it is endemic to Cameroon, and the only species of Nectaropetalum occurring in the country.</p><p>Preliminary IUCN conservation assessment</p><p>Nectaropetalum camerunense is known from 13 gatherings representing 12 unique occurrences and one or two subpopulations. Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is calculated as 35.6 km 2, which falls within the limits of the Critically Endangered category under criterion B 1. Its area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated as 12 km 2, which falls within the limits for the Endangered category under criterion B 2. Seven occurrences, which are located downstream of the Kikot hydroelectric dam project are threatened by shifting agriculture (one location). However, they are not expected to be affected by the dam project itself (not a regulating dam). No threats were identified to the four occurrences located at Ntol-Lébanga upstream of the dam project; these four occurrences represent one location. With regard to the most serious plausible threat, which is shifting agriculture, the 12 occurrences represent two locations, which falls within the limits of Endangered according to criterion B. We expect that shifting agriculture has led to a decline in habitat extent and quality and number of mature individuals, and will continue to do so in the future. For all these reasons, Nectaropetalum camerunense is assessed as Endangered: EN B 1 ab (iii, v) + 2 ab (iii, v).</p><p>Notes</p><p>This species most closely resembles N. acuminatum, which is still only known from its type, collected in Tanzania. Although their ranges are separated by a gap of over 3,000 km, the two species are highly similar, and differ mostly in the size of their calyx lobes and pedicel development; additional differences in the style and ovary (Table 2) are of more uncertain value, since they might be related to the flower morph. Heterostyly is known to occur in other species of the genus (e. g. N. kaessneri) and there have been too few gatherings in bloom to date of either N. acuminatum or N. camerunense to determine whether their flowers are dimorphic; field observations will be necessary to solve this issue. It is not known whether there are any differences in the fruits, since those of N. acuminatum have never been collected.</p><p>The other two species found in Central Africa, N. evrardii Bamps and N. lebrunii G. C. C. Gilbert, both restricted to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are quite different from N. camerunense, mostly due to their long and slender pedicels; N. lebrunii also has much smaller petals with a more developed inner scale, and stipules markedly bifid (to about one third of their length).</p><p>The new species also resembles Pinacopodium congolense (S. Moore) Exell &amp; Mendonça which, as discussed in the introduction, may well be congeneric. The latter has virtually identical leaves and stipules but is usually a taller tree with a single trunk, slender pedicels, and flowers arranged in cymose inflorescences; it occurs from Gabon to Angola (Cabinda) but not in Cameroon.</p><p>The stamen filaments of N. camerunense are distinctly unequal in length (alternately long and short) but this character is not or barely noticeable in herbarium specimens, since the longer filaments tend to curve more when dried, causing all the anthers to appear at almost the same level.</p><p>Additional material examined</p><p>CAMEROON • Ntol-Lébanga, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.132276&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.231972" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.132276/lat 4.231972)">en amont du site du projet de construction du barrage de Kikot</a>; 4°13’55.1”N, 11°07’56.19”E; 9 Jan. 2024; Nzoyeuem et al. 261; BRLU, K, MO, P, YA • Ntol-Lébanga, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.117264&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.2598696" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.117264/lat 4.2598696)">en amont du site du projet de construction du barrage de Kikot</a>; 4°15’35.53”N, 11°07’2.15”E; 11 Jan. 2024; Relevé Cameroun 126; BRLU, MO, P, YA • Nkolmelen, Île de Ponis (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.113376&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.25865" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.113376/lat 4.25865)">Nord Lebanga</a>); 4°15’31.14”N, 11°06’48.15”E; 30 Jul. 2023; Sonké 7481; BR, BRLU, K, M, MO, P, WAG, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003448&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.128678" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003448/lat 4.128678)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’43.24”N, 11°00’12.41”E; 23 May 2024; Sonké &amp; Ngoula 7896; BR, BRLU, K, M, MO, P, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003325&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.129075" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003325/lat 4.129075)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’44.67”N, 11°00’11.97”E; 23 May 2024; Sonké &amp; Ngoula 7897; BR, BRLU, K, MO, P, YA • Silobé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003381&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.1295114" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003381/lat 4.1295114)">Mbébé</a>); 4°07’46.24”N, 11°00’12.17”E; 1 Nov. 2024; Sonké &amp; Atangana 7929; BR, BRLU, K, M, MO, P, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003025&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.130028" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003025/lat 4.130028)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’48.1”N, 11°00’10.89”E; 28 Mar. 2025; Sonké &amp; Ngoula 7961; BR, BRLU, K, M, MO, P, WAG, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003461&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.129011" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003461/lat 4.129011)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’44.44”N, 11°00’12.46”E; 10 May 2025; Sonké &amp; Ngoula 7965; BR, BRLU, MO, P, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.003289&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.129131" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.003289/lat 4.129131)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’44.87”N, 11°00’11.84”E; 21 Nov. 2025; Sonké &amp; Yemdji 8026; BR, BRLU, FR, K, M, MO, P, YA • Mbébé (<a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.000961&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.128189" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.000961/lat 4.128189)">Silobé</a>); 4°07’41.48”N, 11°00’3.46”E; 21 Nov. 2025; Sonké &amp; Yemdji 8027; BR, BRLU, MO, P, YA • Mbebe, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.001294&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.128389" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.001294/lat 4.128389)">en aval du site du projet de construction du barrage hydroélectrique de Kikot</a>; 4°07’42.2”N, 11°00’4.66”E; 21 Aug. 2023; Transect Cameroun 935; BRLU, YA • Ntol (île de Ponis), <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=11.123247&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=4.2410164" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 11.123247/lat 4.2410164)">en amont du site du projet de construction du barrage hydroélectrique de Kikot</a>; 4°14’27.66”N, 11°07’23.69”E; 31 Jul. 2023; Transect Cameroun 832; BRLU, YA .</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F41EB7B99B87553D8789E4928BA6B076	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	Sonké, Bonaventure;Simo-Droissart, Murielle;Bidault, Ehoarn;Ngoula, Fernandez;Lachenaud, Olivier	Sonké, Bonaventure, Simo-Droissart, Murielle, Bidault, Ehoarn, Ngoula, Fernandez, Lachenaud, Olivier (2026): Nectaropetalum camerunense (Erythroxylaceae), a new species from the Sanaga basin in Cameroon, with a key to the genus. Plant Ecology and Evolution 159 (3): 461-469, DOI: 10.5091/plecevo.190713
