Astropanax barteri Seem., 1865

Lowry Ii, Porter P., Plunkett, Gregory M., Gostel, Morgan R. & Frodin, David G., 2017, A synopsis of the Afro-Malagasy species previously included in Schefflera (Araliaceae): resurrection of the genera Astropanax and Neocussonia, Candollea 72 (2), pp. 265-282 : 268-270

A2. Astropanax barteri Seem. in J. Bot. 3: 177. 1865 ( Fig. 1C ).

÷ Sciodaphyllum barteri (Seem.) Seem. in J. Bot. 3: 267. 1865. ÷ Heptapleurum barteri (Seem.) Hiern in Fl. Trop. Afr. 3: 20. 1877. ÷ Schefflera barteri (Seem.) Harms in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. III(8): 38. 1894.

Typus: S IERRA LEONE . Western Prov. : Sugar Loaf Mountains, fr., Barter s.n. (holo-: K [ K00350373 ]!) .

= Astropanax baikiei Seem. in J. Bot. 3: 177. 1865. ÷ Sciodaphyllum baikiei (Seem.) Seem. in J. Bot. 3: 267. 1865. ÷ Heptapleurum baikiei (Seem.) Hiern in Fl. Trop. Afr. 3: 30. 1877. ÷ Schefflera baikiei (Seem.) Harms in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. III(8): 38. 1894. Typus: NIGERIA: sine loc., fr., Barter 1851 (holo-: K [K00350375]!).

= Schefflera hierniana Harms in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. III(8): 38. 1894. ÷ Heptapleurum scandens Hiern in Fl. Trop. Afr. 3: 30.187 7 [nom. illeg.] [non H. scandens (Blume) Seem. ]. Lectotypus (designated here): C AMEROON. Southwest Region: Mt. Cameroon, bud & fr., Mann 1180 (K [K00350379]!; isolecto-: K [00350380]!).

[A: Ravelonarivo 4270; B: Antilahimena 4680; C: Texier 608; D: Droissart 1207; E: Unvouchered photo, N end of Lake Nyasa, Tanzania; F: Lowry 4987] [Photos: A: D. Ravelonarivo; B: P. Antilahimena; C: N. Texier; D: V. Droissart; E: Paul Latham; F: P. Lowry]

= Heptapleurum dananense A. Chev. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 58 (Mém. 8d): 178. 1912. ÷ Schefflera dananensis ( A. Chev.) Harms ex Engl. in Engl. & Drude, Veg. Erde 9: 778. 1921. Typus : I VORY COAST. Prov. Danane: Pays des Dyolas , au bord de la Rivière Boan, près de Danané (Fort Hittos), 16.IV.1895, fr., Chevalier 21275 (holo-: P [ P00697823 ]!; iso-: BR [ BR08860934 ]!, K [ K000350374 ]!, MO!, NY!, P [ P00697824 , P00697825 ]!) .

= Schefflera ledermannii Harms in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 359. 1915. Lectotypus (designated here): EQUA- TORIAL GUINEA. Bioko [Fernando Po]: Moka, 1200-1800 m, VIII.1911, fl., Mildbraed 7107 (HBG [HBG-502745]!).

= Schefflera henriquesiana Harms ex Henriq. in Bol. Soc. Brot. 27: 192. 1917. Lectotypus (designated here): SÃO TOMÉ & PRINCIPE. São Tomé: Baté Pa , Vermelho , 670 m, VII.1885, bud & fl., Moller 490 (COI [ COI00075041 ] image seen). Syntypi: SÃO TOMÉ & PRINCIPE. São Tomé: sine loc., VIII. 1903, fl., Henriques 18 (COI [ COI00075042 ] image seen); Baté Pa , 600 m, VII. 1885, y. fr., Moller 569 (COI [ COI00075040 ] image seen); Baté Pa, 500 m, VIII.1885, fl. & fr., Moller 701 (COI [ COI00075039 ] image seen).

Habitat and distribution. – Astropanax barteri ranges from Guinea Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the west of Africa to the Gulf of Guinea Islands and Central Africa as far east as central Democratic Republic of the Congo and south to NE Angola ( BAMPS, 1974b; APD, 2017). It occurs in lowland to montane humid, gallery and swampy forest, from elevations as low as 100 m and as high as 2,200 m.

Notes. – In the protologue for Astropanax barteri, SEEMANN (1865) provided a description based on fruiting material along with the following citation: “Sugar Loaf Mountains, Niger (Barter! n. 2027)”. However, this collection, deposited at K , comprises a sterile specimen from “Prince’s Island” (Príncipe). In all likelihood, A. barteri was also based on Barter s.n. (also at K), a fruiting collection from the Sugar Loaf Mountains (“ Niger ” was at that time more broadly circumscribed to include present day Sierra Leone). Given Seemann’s clear indication that the type of his new species came from this locality and the fact that he obviously saw fruiting material, we have chosen to interpret the single sheet of Barter s.n. as the holotype, following BAMPS (1974).

Schefflera hierniana was a replacement name for the illegitimate Heptapleurum scandens , a later homonym of H. scandens (Blume) Seem. (SEEMANN, 1865) . It was based on two sheets of Mann 1180 from Cameroon, both at K, from which we have selected the specimen in young fruit bearing the original label as the lectotype. While FRODIN & GOVAERTS (2004) regarded Schefflera hierniana as distinct from S. barteri (÷ Astropanax barteri ), we have chosen to follow BAMPS (1974a, 1974b) in treating it as a synonym, at least until more detailed morphometric and/or phylogenetic analyses can be undertaken.

Schefflera ledermannii was based on two collections at B ( Milbraed 7107 from Bioko and Ledermann 1554 from Cameroon), both of which appear to have been destroyed. A duplicate of Milbraed 7107 is deposited in HBG and has been selected as the lectotype .

Schefflera henriquesiana was based on four collections at COI, one of which (Moller 490) has been selected as the lectotype because it is more complete than the other syntypes (Henriques 18, Moller 569 and 701).

Figures

Fig. 1. – Photographs of Astropanax Seem. A. Astropanax monophyllus (Baker) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin; B. Astropanax myrianthus (Baker) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin; C. Astropanax barteri Seem.; D. Astropanax mannii (Hook.f.) Seem.; E. Astropanax stolzii (Harms) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin; F. Astropanax volkensii (Harms) Lowry, G.M. Plunkett, Gostel & Frodin.