Anisophyllea poggei Engler ex De Wildeman & T.Durand (1901: 83)

Chen, Xin, He, Hai & Zhang, Li-Bing, 2015, A monograph of the Anisophylleaceae (Cucurbitales) with description of 18 new species of Anisophyllea, Phytotaxa 229 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

51. Anisophyllea poggei Engler ex De Wildeman & T.Durand (1901: 83) ( Figure 100 )

Type :— DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Bas-Congo : Tshoa, 14 September 1895, A. Dewèvre 396 (holotype BR, not found). Bas-Congo: Luki Mayumbe, 1951, Wagemans 218 (neotype MO-5831509 !, here designated) .

Small rhizomatous(?) shrubs; young branches tenuous, with brown longitudinal striae, sparsely pilose with brownish hairs up to 1.12(–1.44) mm long, fewer hairs remaining when mature; buds densely pilose. Leaves petiolate, petiole 2–3 mm long, to 0.6 mm in diam., pilose; leaf blade narrowly to broadly lanceolate or oblanceolate,

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3.0– 7.5 cm long, 1.2–2.7 cm wide, base narrowly acuminate, apex obtuse to broadly acute, sometimes mucronate, thinly coriaceous, sparsely pilose on both surfaces with denser hairs along main veins; main longitudinal veins 5–7, two inner veins merged with midrib to 1.5 cm above blade base before separated, two outer veins starting from blade base or ±above base, two outermost veins (if 7 main veins present) very fine and usually disappearing at lower portion of blade margins, distinctly prominent on both surfaces; transverse veins sub-parallel, at angles of 45°–50° with midrib; veinlets reticulate, slightly prominent on both surfaces. Flowers solitary or on an axillary or terminal spike; rachis of spike ascending, to 6 cm long, tomentose with brownish tortuous hairs ca. 0.2 mm long, and also with admixture of erect hairs up to 1 mm long, sparsely with a few flowers; bracts linear, 3–4 mm long, pilose, margins ciliate, early deciduous; flower buds ±globose, densely tomentose; flowers bisexual, 4-merous, sessile; receptacle cylindric, 0.8–1.1 mm long, same in diam., densely tomentose; sepals deltoid, 1.5–2.0 mm long, glabrous adaxially, sparsely tomentose abaxially; petals to 3 mm long, lower part entire, obovate, ca. 0.6 mm wide at base, distally 3-lobed from middle, to 1.2 mm wide at base of lobes, central lobe slender and undivided, lateral lobes broader and further 2–3-laciniate, glabrous; stamens 8, subulate, filaments to 1.6 mm long, 0.5 mm wide at base, anthers ca. 0.5 mm long, broadly ellipsoid; styles 4, 1.2–1.7 mm long, base narrowly conical, 0.4–0.5 mm in diam., distally attenuate, pubescent with yellowish hairs ca. 0.1 mm long, stigma capitate, ca. 0.2 mm thick. Fruits unknown.

Flowering and fruiting: —June–October.

Habitat and distribution: — In scrublands; 400–600 m. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Gabon (Haut-Ogooué), Republic of the Congo (Bafuru Plateau, Brazzaville ) ( Figure 101 ) .

Taxonomic notes: — Anisophyllea poggei is a little-known species. There is very little information in the protologue. Its type material was deposited at BR but could not be found (P. Stoffelen, pers. comm.). The following citations are the specimens identified based on the elucidations of Engler & von Brehmer (1917) and Engler (1921).

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Additional specimens examined: — DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Kinshasa : December 1984, H . Breyne s.n. ( MO); Leopoldville , 18 February 1950, J . T . Baldwin, Jr. 14162 ( K); J . Louis 64 ( K); Louis 764 ( K); 1890–91, M . Thollon 4.130 ( MO, NY) . GABON. Haut-Ogooué: Plateaux Batéké National Park, 9 km from Project Protection of Gorilles Lac Loulou , 02°09’25”S 014°08’28”E, 500 m, 04 March 2003, Gretchen Walters & Raoul Niangadouma 1226 ( MO); 01°31’S 014°05’E, 600 m, 21 June 1989, A . M . Louis 3105 ( MO) . REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Bafuru Plateau: Léfini Animal Reserve , 02°31’S 015°29’E, 400–500 m, 12 October 1991, D. W . Thomas & David J . Harris 8559 ( MO). Brazzaville: on road 32 km from Brazzaville to the North , 24 Feb. 1973, Makany 1054 ( K, MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 100. Anisophyllea poggei Engler ex De Wildeman & T. Durand. Flowering branches (Wagemans 218; neotype, MO- 5831509).

FIGURE 101. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea poggei Engler ex De Wildeman & T. Durand.