Pleiocarpa

Jongkind, Carel C. H. & Lachenaud, Olivier, 2022, Novelties in African Apocynaceae, Candollea 77 (1), pp. 17-51 : 39

Pleiocarpa

The genus Pleiocarpa belongs to tribe Hunterieae ( ENDRESS et al., 2018) and is closely related to Hunteria (see above) and Picralima . It was revised by OMINO (1996) together with these two genera, from which it differs by the absence of colleters inside the sepals, the pistil head which is subglobose to oblong without a stigmoid apex, and the 2–5-carpellate ovaries (vs. always 2-carpellate).

The genus is restricted to tropical Africa and includes seven species, including the one described here. Despite its small size, it is quite difficult taxonomically, since some of the species are very variable and difficult to separate; however, the new species is a well-defined one, which characters are quite constant. Another new species of Pleiocarpa occurs in Gabon, but is represented by fruiting material only (Lachenaud et al. 2567); it differs from other Pleiocarpa by its suffrutescent rhizomatous habit, and smooth, narrowly ovoid, rostrate monocarps. More material is needed before it can be described.