Cleistopholis patens (Benth.) Engl. & Diels, Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen.-Fam. 6: 35, 1901

Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Dagallier, Leo-Paul M. J., Crozier, Francoise, Ghogue, Jean-Paul, Hoekstra, Paul H., Kamdem, Narcisse G., Johnson, David M., Murray, Nancy A. & Sonke, Bonaventure, 2022, Flora of Cameroon - Annonaceae Vol 45, PhytoKeys 207, pp. 1-532 : 91-94

Cleistopholis patens (Benth.) Engl. & Diels, Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen.-Fam. 6: 35, 1901

Figs 22 , 23 ; Map 3E

≡ Oxymitra patens Benth., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 23(3): 472, 1862.

= Cleistopholis brevipetala Exell, J. Bot. 70 (Suppl. 1): 208, 1932. Type. Angola. Cabinda, Gossweiler J. 6082, 31 Dec 1915: holotype: BM[BM000546899]; isotypes: COI[COI00004874]; LISC[LISC000068, LISC000071, LISC000069, LISC000070].

= Cleistopholis klaineana Pierre ex Engl. & Diels, Monogr. Afrik. Pflanzen.-Fam. 6: 35, 1901, Cleistopholis patens var. klaineana Pellegr., Bull. Soc. Bot. France: 57, 1949.. Type. Gabon. Estuaire, Libreville, Klaine T.J. 345, 1896: holotype: B[B 10 0154075]; isotypes: P[P00362660, P00362656].

= Cleistopholis lucens De Wild., Pl. Bequaert. i. 465, 1922. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nord-Kivu, entre Walikale et Lubutu, Bequaert J. 2774, 22 Fev 1922: holotype: BR[BR0000008820426].

= Cleistopholis pynaertii De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 4: 387, 1914. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Equateur, Eala, Pynaert L.A. 1083, 1 Fev 1907: lectotype, sheet here designated: BR[BR0000008820419]; isotypes: BR[BR0000008820761, BR0000008820754].

= Cleistopholis verschuereni De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. État Brux. 4: 387, 1914. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Manie Malela, Verschueren R. 358, Fev 1913: lectotype, sheet here designated: BR[BR0000008820389]; isotype: BR[BR0000008820433].

Type.

Sierra Leone. Northern Region ; Bagroo River, Mann G. 828, Apr 1861: lectotype, sheet here designed: K[K000880416]; isotypes: K[K000880417]; P[P00362653] .

Description.

Tree, up to 30 m tall, d.b.h. up to 60 cm; stilt roots or buttresses absent. Indumentum of simple hairs; old leafless branches glabrous, young foliate branches glabrous. Leaves: petiole (3-)10-20 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diameter, glabrous, grooved, blade inserted on the side of the petiole; blade 4.5-31 cm long, 2.5-6 cm wide, oblong to narrowly oblong or oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute to acuminate, acumen 1-1.5 cm long, base cuneate to rounded, coriaceous, above glabrous when young and old, shiny when dry, below glabrous when young and old, green, concolorous; midrib impressed, above glabrous when young and old, below glabrous when young and old; secondary veins 10 to 24 pairs, glabrous below; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young or old leafless branches, axillary, peduncle absent. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 2 to 9 per inflorescence; pedicel 10-25 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, glabrous; in fruit 15-30 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, glabrous; bracts 1 to 3, all basal, 1-2 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, free, 2-3 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, triangular to ovate, apex acute, base truncate, green, glabrous outside, glabrous inside, margins flat; petals free; outer petals longer than inner; outer petals 3, 7-12 mm long, 2-4 mm wide, obovate to oblong, apex obtuse, base truncate, green, margins flat, glabrous outside, glabrous inside; inner petals 3, imbricate, 3-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, ovate to suborbicular, apex rounded, base truncate, green, margins flat, glabrous outside, glabrous inside; stamens 25 to 30, in 3 to 4 rows, ca. 1 mm long, broad; connective discoid, pubescent, green; staminodes absent; carpels free, ca. 10, ovary ca. 1 mm long, stigma capitate, glabrous. Monocarps stipitate (sometimes shortly so), stipes 3-12 mm long, 3-4 mm in diameter; monocarps 3 to 6, 15-23 mm long, 11-25 mm in diameter, ellipsoid to globose, apex rounded, glabrous, finely warty, constricted around seeds, bumpy; seeds 1 to 2 per monocarp, ca. 12 mm long, 8-9 mm in diameter, ellipsoid; aril absent.

Distribution.

In West Africa, Senegal, Sierra Leone to Nigeria, and Central Africa from Cameroon to Uganda; in Cameroon known from South, Central, Littoral, South-West and East regions.

Habitat.

A very common species, mainly growing as a pioneer species in disturbed areas and along rain forest margins. Altitude 0-600 m a.s.l.

Local and common names known in Cameroon.

avom, sobu ( pygmée Bibaya) ( Letouzey 1964).

IUCN conservation status.

Least Concern (LC) ( Cosiaux et al. 2019g).

Uses in Cameroon.

medicine: bark used as pain-killers, against pulmonary troubles; leaves as vermifuges, fabrifuges; construction: building materials, furniture; dyes and tannins: astringents, insecticides, arachnicides; products: fiber, pulp, wood fire, exudations-gums, resins, farming, forestry, hunting and fishing apparatus, household, domestic and personal items, pastimes-carving, musical instruments; social: religion, superstitions, sayings, aphorisms.

Notes.

Cleistopholis patens closely resembles C. glauca by the shape and aspect of the flowers and the overall vegetative characters. However, both species differ by their inflorescences being pedunculate in C. glauca versus sessile, the leaves green below versus glaucous in C. glauca and the monocarps being bumpy and constricted around the seeds when dry versus to smooth and not bumpy when dry in C. glauca .

Specimens examined.

Central Region: Avome, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, 13 August 1945, Aubréville A. 41 (P). East Region : 76 km south of Yokadouma 30 km after Ngato 15 km after river ALPICAM 'base de vie’ then 40 km on forestry road starting 4 km before Masea village , 3.15°N, 14.72°E, 05 March 2019, Couvreur T.L.P. 1202 (MPU,WAG,YA); Dja Reserve , 3.17°N, 13.18°E, 07 October 1994, Fogiel M.K. 947 (P); Deng Deng, 5.2°N, 13.51°E, 01 July 1939, Jacques-Félix H. 4630 (P,WAG); Rives de la Boumba à 14 km à l’WSW de Kinsassa village situé à 65 km au NNE de Moloundou sur route de Yokadouma 2.58°N, 15.26°E, 07 March 1971, Letouzey R. 10523 (P,YA). Littoral Region : km 19 Loum-Yabassi 3 km N of Solé, 4.61°N, 9.8°E, 30 December 1971, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 9032 (YA,WAG). South-West Region : Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve , 4.55°N, 9.433°E, 15 June 1960, Adebusuyi J.K. 44049 (WAG); S Bakundu Forest 3 km from Kindongi Camp (8 km from road), 4.49°N, 9.374°E, 02 May 1972, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 9785 (B,BR,C,K,M,MO,P,WAG,YA); 2 km W of km 21 Kumba-Victoria road, 4.46°N, 9.483°E, 04 May 1972, Leeuwenberg A.J.M. 9828 (B,BR,C,K,LD,M,MO,P,WAG,YA); Bibundi, 4.21°N, 8.988°E, 08 November 1928, Mildbraed G.W.J. 10640 (K); Korup National Park, 4.88°N, 8.783°E, 22 July 1983, Thomas D.W. 2329 (MO,P,WAG,YA); Limbe (Victoria), 4.01°N, 9.133°E, 25 October 1997, van der Burgt X.M. 219 (KRIBI,WAG) .

Figures

Map 3. A Artabotrys velutinus B Brieya fasciculata C Cleistopholis glauca D Cleistopholis myristiciflora E Cleistopholis patens F Cleistopholis staudtii G Dennettia tripetala H Duguetia barteri I Duguetia confinis. White borders represent region limits in Cameroon; green patches represent protected areas (see methods and Suppl. material 1: Fig. S 1).

Figure 22. Cleistopholis staudtii A flowering branch B flower, side view, note linear outer petals C stamen, side view D carpel, side view and detail of ovules. Cleistopholis patens E flowering branch F flower, side view G stamen, side view H carpel, side view and detail of ovules I fruit; note bumpy monocarps A-D from Letouzey 4149 E-J from Chevalier 22379. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris; modified from Le Thomas (1969 b, pl. 16, p. 93).

Figure 23. Cleistopholis glauca A habit, note long drooping branches B flowers, top view, inner petals imbricate, not opened yet C fruit, note smooth monocarps D flowering branch, inner petals open revealing receptacle. Cleistopholis patens E trunk F base of leaf blades, upper view. Cleistopholis staudtii G leaf, top view, note long petioles H leaf, lower view I flowering branch, note long linear outer petals A-C Sosef 2036, Gabon D Couvreur 389, Ebodje, Cameroon E, F Couvreur 1202, Masea, Cameroon G-I Couvreur 570, Gabon. Photos Thomas L. P. Couvreur.