Hubera Chaowasku, 2012

Chaowasku, T, Johnson, DM, van der Ham, RWJM & Chatrou, LW, 2012, Characterization of Hubera (Annonaceae), a new genus segregated from Polyalthia and allied to Miliusa, Phytotaxa 69, pp. 33-56 : 46-47

Hubera Chaowasku , gen. nov. Type: ⎯ Hubera cerasoides ( Roxburgh 1795: 30) Chaowasku.

Shrubs, treelets or medium-sized trees, evergreen or rarely deciduous (so far observed only in H. cerasoides ). Young twigs glabrous or hairy. Leaves petiolate; elliptic(-oblong), oblong or seldom obovate, base equal or rarely unequal, attenuate, wedge-shaped, obtuse or rarely (sub)cordate, apex usually obtuse, acute(- acuminate) or (caudate-)acuminate, rarely rounded or emarginate; upper surface of midrib (slightly) sunken, flat, or (both edges) slightly raised [with one or two groove(s) in the middle]; domatia of aggregated tuft of hairs present in some species, at the axils where secondary veins meet primary veins; tertiary venation reticulate. Inflorescences usually on branches and axillary, one-flowered or seldom two-flowered, rarely cauliflorous and then> 3-flowered; pedicels often articulated above the base; bracts (and bracteoles) present or sometimes not seen (absent?). Flowers bisexual; sepals free or rarely basally connate, triangular to ovate; petals of the outer and inner whorls equal or slightly subequal, ovate, elliptic(-ovate) or (elliptic-)tongueshaped, erect or spreading at anthesis; in dried condition often marked by yellow powdery material. Stamens generally ≥ 40 per flower, apex of anther connective flat-topped, covering the thecae. Carpels generally ≥ 10 per flower, cylindrical or occasionally flask-shaped, peripheral ones sometimes slightly incurved; stigmas ± globose, (ellipsoid-)obovoid, ellipsoid(-ovoid) or ellipsoid-cylindrical, generally ± hairy; ovaries hairy, 1 ovule per ovary, sub-basal. Torus (nearly) flat or (slightly) raised with flat-topped (or with rarely rounded) apex, generally ± hairy, often ± enlarged in fruit. Monocarps per fruit few to many, red in vivo, stipitate or rarely (sub)sessile; seed-containing portion (sub)globose, ellipsoid(-cylindrical), cylindrical or rarely ± obovoid, apex sometimes (slightly) apiculate. Seed per monocarp 1, (sub)globose, ellipsoid, cylindrical or rarely ± obovoid; seed coat smooth; raphe flat or slightly raised; endosperm ruminations spiniform(-flattened peg).

Etymology: ⎯Named in honour of Prof. Herbert Huber (1931-2005), who was the first to distinguish the three clades discussed in the present paper: Hubera (clade A), Monoon , and Polyalthia s.s. as informal groups of Polyalthia sensu lato based solely on morphology ( Huber 1985).

Distribution: ⎯Twenty-seven species are formally transferred here (see below); they are distributed from East Africa and Madagascar through southern and southeastern Asia to Malesia and the southwestern Pacific. It is anticipated that when the species of Hubera are thoroughly revised, an additional 10–20 species will be added.

Given the morphological criteria mentioned above, the following species are transferred to the new genus: