Aspidostemon lucens Van der Werff, 2006

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2006, A revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter (Lauraceae), Adansonia (3) 28 (1), pp. 7-44 : 30

16. Aspidostemon lucens Van der Werff , sp. nov. ( Fig. 9D )

Aspidostemoni perrieri simile, sed staminibus tribus, staminodiis papillosis recedit.

TYPUS. — Madagascar. Forêt de Marovato , au pied des escarpements de l’Ankarana, [12°48’30”S, 49°09’E], 14.XI.1958, fr., Service Forestier 20009 (holo-, P; iso-, K, MO, P, TEF) .

PARATYPE. — Madagascar. Antsiranana, Analalava, Ambanja, [14°00’S, 48°13’E], ster., Service Forestier 82-R-152 ( P) .

DESCRIPTION

Tree, 15- 20 m. Twigs terete, glabrous; terminal buds glabrous. Leaves opposite, 5-12 × 2.5-4 cm, glabrous, elliptic to oblong, the base acute, apex acute, the very top often inrolled and swollen, margin cartilaginous, thickened, the upper surface shiny, reticulation immersed on the upper surface, raised on the lower surface, lateral veins hard to discern, c. 8; petioles 6-10 mm, shallowly canaliculate to flat. Flowers not known. Infructescences 3-5 cm long, glabrous. Fruits 1.8-2.4 cm long, 1-1.4 cm wide, glabrous, longitudinally ribbed; floral parts persisting on top of the fruits. Stamens 3, the tip thickened, locelli apical, the tip 1.5 × 1 mm, clearly wider than long, papillose; staminodia II smaller than the stamens, triangular, sometimes with rudimentary locelli, papillose; staminodia III free, papillose, the apex enlarged.

REMARKS

Aspidostemon lucens is similar to A. perrieri in its stiff leaves with raised reticulation on the lower surface, and the often conduplicate leaves; it differs from that species in having 3, not 6 stamens, in its apical, not introrse locelli, and in its papillose, not glabrous, stamens and staminodia. The distribution is also quite different: A. lucens is only known from the NW of Madagascar ( Fig. 10 ), while A. perrieri has been reported from the Perinet-Moramanga area on the E slope in the center. It is not uncommon to find in a flower 1 or 2 staminodia II with rudimentary locelli. A fruiting collection of A. perrieri (Perrier de la Bâthie 5269, a syntype) also has smooth, not ribbed fruits, glabrous stamens and staminodia, and the stamens do not have a thickened apex as occurs in A. lucens ; the locelli are introrse.

Aspidostemon lucens is only known from the type collection and a second, sterile collection. There is no indication of altitude.

PHENOLOGY

Fruits: November.

ETYMOLOGY

The epithet refers to the shiny upper surface of the leaves.

VERNACULAR NAME

Lalombary.

Figures

FIG. 9. — Species of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. insigne Van der Werff; B, A. litorale Van der Werff; C, A. longipedicellatum Van der Werff; D, A. lucens Van der Werff. A, Service Forestier 28138, MO; B, Rabevohitra et al. 4246, MO; C, Van der Werff et al. 12838, MO; D, Service Forestier 20009, MO.

FIG. 10. — Distribution of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter in Madagascar: ▲, A. insigne Van der Werff; Ϙ, A. litorale Van der Werff; ■, A. longipedicellatum Van der Werff; ■, A. lucens Van der Werff.