Coccinia intermedia, Holstein & Renner, 2011

Holstein, Norbert & Renner, Susanne S., 2011, Coccinia intermedia - a new Cucurbitaceae species from West Africa, PhytoKeys 7, pp. 27-36 : 28-31

Coccinia intermedia sp. nov.

Latin.

A Coccinia longicarpa differt calycis dentibus angustis, corolla campanulata et fructu elliptico ad oblongo. A Coccinia keayana et Coccinia grandis differt calycis dentibus ad corollam adpressis vel apicem versus leviter recurvatis et lamina foliorum subtus glandibus fuscis provisa. A Coccinia barteri differt floribus femineis 1-3 fasciculatis non racemosis, corolla campanulata.

Type.

BENIN. Atakora: Natitingou, Kouaténa (Perma), 10°12.00'N; 1°30.18'E, river bed, female, fl, fr, 3 Oct 2000, A. Akoègninou et al. 3625 (Holotype: WAG0278370!; isotype: WAG0278369!).

Description.

Perennial, diclinous climber. Shoot length unknown, but likely several meters. Shoots lignify with whitish bark and up to 1 cm diam. Fresh shoots green, glabrous, older shoots with clear to white pustules. Petioles 2.8-10.8 cm, glabrous, when older with clear to white pustules ( Fig. 3a ). Leaves 6-15 × 7-18 cm, shallowly to profoundly 5-lobate, more or less auriculate ( Fig. 4 ). Upper lamina glabrous with clear to whitish pustules. Lower lamina paler than upper lamina, glabrous, often with small dark glands near the leaf base ( Fig. 3a ). Tendrils simple or bifid. Probracts up to 2.5 mm long, glabrous, apex rounded ( Fig. 3a ). Male flowers in few-flowered racemes ( Fig. 5 ), likely sometimes accompanied by a single flower. Common peduncle up to 1 cm, pedicels in racemose flowers 2-4 mm, glabrous. Bracts up to 1.5 mm long, round to obovoid. Receptacle pale green, glabrous. Calyx teeth 1.5 mm long, lineal to narrow triangulate, erect with slightly recurved tips ( Figs 3-5 ). Corolla campanulate, 1.6 cm long, pale reddish-yellow to yellow, lobes 0.7 cm long ( Fig. 5 ). Anthers sinuate, in a globose head ( Fig. 3c ). Pollen unknown. Female flowers 1-3 clustered (strongly reduced raceme; Fig. 4 ). Pedicels 0.6-1.2 cm, glabrous. Perianth like in males. Ovary fusiform, glabrous. Stigma and staminodes unknown. Fruit 4.5 × 2.5 cm, elliptical to oblong, smooth. Unripe green with pale green longitudinal mottling. Ripe orange?, more likely becoming red via orange ripening stage. Fruit with waxy cover. Size of mature seeds unknown (≥ 5.5 × 3.5 × 1.3 mm), symmetrical (to slightly asymmetrical), face flat ( Fig. 3b ).

Distribution.

( Fig. 6 ). NE Ivory Coast, SE Ghana (likely also in the north), S Togo (likely also in the north), NW Benin. Based on the current collections, Coccinia intermedia is likely to occur in the Dahomey Gap region and the Isoberlinia woodlands of West Africa.

Ecology.

Wooded grasslands (semi-humid savanna), woodlands, dry forests, and along rivers. Flowering specimens have been collected during May, August, and October, which in each site was during or shortly after the rainy season.

Etymology.

The epithet refers to the species' status as the only Coccinia from West Africa that occurs in habitats intermediate between semi-arid and humid conditions. Morphologically, Coccinia intermedia combines characters also found in the other four West African species although not in this combination.

List of specimens examined.

Benin: Atakora, Natitingou, Kouaténa (Perma), 10°12.00'N; 1°30.18'E, river bed, female, fl, fr, 3 Oct 2000, A. Akoègninou et al. 3625 (WAG 2 sheets). Ghana: Shai Hills Game Reserve, monoecious, fl, fr, 25 May 1976, J.B.Hall & J.M.Lock GC 46016 (K 4 sheets, MO). Ivory Coast: Bouna, male, fl, 10 Aug 1967, C.Geerling & J.Bokdam 662 (MO, WAG). Togo: between Lomé and Aného, female, fr, 25 Jun 1994, L. Aké Assi 18982 (MO).

Figures

Figure 3. a Coccinia intermedia leaf basis and node with flowers b seeds from late, but immature fruit c node with young fruit and male flower bud with sinuate anthers; all from J. B. Hall & J. M. Lock GC 46016 (K).

Figure 4. Habitus of Coccinia intermedia as reconstructed from J. B. Hall & J. M. Lock GC 46016 (K).

Figure 5. Male inflorescence of Coccinia intermedia from C. Geerling & J. Bokdam 662 (WAG).

Figure 6. Map of West African Coccinia species. Pale yellow circles = Coccinia intermedia, cyan circles = Coccinia grandis, dark blue circles = Coccinia barteri, pale blue squares = Coccinia keayana, bright blue triangles = Coccinia longicarpa. Thick dark grey lines are phytochoria drawn after White (1983), I = Guineo-Congolian regional center of endemism, III = Sudanian regional center of endemism, XI = Guinea-Congolia / Sudania transition zone, XVI = Sahel regional transition zone. Thin dark grey lines (after White (1983)) differentiate between White's vegetation types of zone III: 27 = Sudanian woodland with abundant Isoberlinia; 29 a = undifferentiated Sudanian woodland. Location of Coccinia intermedia in Ivory Coast estimated (only the department is given on the herbarium sheet).