Xylopia letestui Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 658, 1920

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 : 466-467

Xylopia letestui Pellegr., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 26: 658, 1920

Fig. 146 ; Map 18B

= Xylopia letestui var. longepilosa Le Thomas, Fl. Gabon 16: 178, 1969. Type. Gabon. Ngounié, Moumba, Haute Ngounyé, Le Testu G.M.P.C. 6046, 3 Sep 1926: holotype: P[00169154]; isotypes: BM[000511049]; BR[0000008825315]; P[00169153, 00169155].

Type.

Gabon. Nyanga; Mayombe Bayaka, Tono-Sanga Le Testu G.M.P.C. 1760, 9 Aug 1914: holotype: P[P00169125]; isotypes: BM; K[K000199054]; BR[BR0000008825322]; EA[EA000002492]; LISC[LISC000403]; P[P00169126, P00169127] .

Description.

Tree, up to 40 m tall, d.b.h. up to 30 cm; buttresses present, narrow and thin. Old branches sparsely pubescent to glabrous, young branches densely pubescent, the hairs 0.4-1 mm long, branches sinuous or zigzagging. Leaves: petiole 1-2 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, pubescent, grooved, blade inserted on top of the petiole; blade 4.7-10.9 cm long, 1.2-2.7 cm wide, lanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, apex acute, base truncate and often slightly asymmetrical, subcoriaceous, below densely pubescent when young, sparsely pubescent to densely pubescent when old, the hairs dull grayish brown, above glabrous when young and old, discolorous; midrib flat to slightly raised, above densely pubescent when young, glabrous to densely pubescent when old, below densely appressed-pubescent when young, sparsely appressed-pubescent to densely appressed-pubescent when old; secondary veins 8 to 14 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young foliate branches, axillary, peduncle ca. 2.5 mm long. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 4 per inflorescence; pedicel 1-7 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, pubescent; in fruit 8-14 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, glabrous; bracts 2, evenly spaced, 2-6 mm long, 2-6 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, basally to 2/3 fused, forming a cup, 4-6 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, apex acute to obtuse, base truncate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petals free, subequal; outer petals 3, 13-22 mm long, 2.3-3.2 mm wide at base, lanceolate-ligulate, linear-lanceolate, or narrowly triangular, elliptic, apex acute, base broad and concave, cream-colored with a purple blotch at the base, pubescent, base glabrous to densely pubescent outside, pubescent towards margins inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 10.3-18.1 mm long, 2.4-3.2 mm wide at base, linear-lanceolate, apex acute, base broad and concave with conspicuous hairy tufts on the margins, cream, densely pubescent outside, pubescent, and glabrous towards the base inside; stamens numerous, in 5 to 6 rows, 1-2 mm long, oblong; connective apex shield-like, glabrous; carpels 7 to 10, ovary 1 mm long, stigmas loosely connivent with tips free, linear, sinuate, 3-3.5 mm long, pubescent. Monocarps sessile; monocarps 4 to 7, 27-45 mm long, 21-34 mm wide, nearly spherical to ellipsoid, apex rounded or obtuse, pubescent, smooth to verrucose, wrinkled when dried, green outside, endocarp bright red; seeds up to 6 per monocarp, in two rows, 8-19 mm long, 8-13 mm wide, ellipsoid to flattened ellipsoid; sarcotesta grayish white in vivo; aril absent.

Distribution.

A widespread species with a disjunct distribution between West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Ghana, and Central Africa from eastern Nigeria to western Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon known from the East, South and South-West regions.

Habitat.

A fairly common species, especially visible as a young tree in the understory; in lowland primary and more rarely secondary rain forests, on both clay and well-drained sandy soil, Altitude 50-450 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

None recorded.

IUCN conservation status.

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

Uses in Cameroon.

None reported.

Notes.

Xylopia letestui is easily distinguished even when sterile by its nearly sessile and densely pubescent leaves with truncate and often slightly asymmetrical bases. In addition, the inner petals are short and bear conspicuous hairy tufts on the margins toward the base. It is similar to X. villosa , but the lower leaf indument is not shiny and there are fewer flowers in the inflorescences. The sinuous young shoots with conduplicate new leaves sometimes seen in X. letestui have not been noted in specimens of X. villosa .

Specimens examined.

East Region: Dja Reserve ( Réserve de Faune du Dja) Bouamir Research Area 90 km southeast of Akonolinga , 3.18°N, 12.79°E, 23 May 1997, Fogiel M.K. 2098 (MO,WAG); Entre Kondon I et Mbalam près Ngoila (axe Lomié Souanké), 2.85°N, 13.93°E, 22 December 1972, Letouzey R. 11707 (P,YA); A 15 km au Sud de Djouo (20 km E de Somalomo sur le Dja), 3.32°N, 12.93°E, 23 February 1962, Letouzey R. 4361 (P,YA) . South Region: 24 km east from Lélé village, 2.28°N, 13.31°E, 08 September 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 475 (WAG,YA); Campo Ma’an National Park 11 km on trail from Ebinanemeyong village on road 7 km from Nyabessan to Campo town , 2.49°N, 10.34°E, 12 February 2015, Couvreur T.L.P. 688 (WAG,YA); Sud Cameroun TDC, 2.65°N, 9.9°E, 15 November 1991, Hallé F. 4247 (P,WAG) . South-West Region: Korup National Park P transect P plot subplot 4E, 5.01°N, 8.8°E, 24 February 2008, van der Burgt X.M. 1129 (BR,G,K,MO,P,WAG,YA) .

Figures

Map 18. A Xylopia katangensis B Xylopia letestui C Xylopia longipetala D Xylopia mildbraedii E Xylopia monticola F Xylopia paniculata G Xylopia phloiodora H Xylopia pynaertii I Xylopia quintasii. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 146. Xylopia letestui A flowering branch B detail of pubescence on lower side of leaves C outer petal, inner view D inner petal, inner view E receptacle, petals removed F detail of carpels, stamens and petals removed G stamen, front view H staminodes, inner and outer whorl I carpel, side view and longitudinal section showing ovules J flowering branch of the more densely pubescent specimen (see notes under this species) K detail of dense pubescence on lower side of leaf. Xylopia pynaertii L leaves M detail of pubescence on lower side of leaves N fruit O longitudinal section of monocarp P seed, side view A-I from Le Testu 5975 J, K from Halle & Le Thomas 122 L-P from Le Thomas 23. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b; pl. 33, p. 179).