Uvariopsis solheidii var. letestui (Pellegr.) Dagallier & Couvreur, comb. et, 2023

Dagallier, Leo-Paul M. J., Mbago, Frank M., Couderc, Marie, Gaudeul, Myriam, Grall, Aurelie, Loup, Caroline, Wieringa, Jan J., Sonke, Bonaventure & Couvreur, Thomas L. P., 2023, Phylogenomic inference of the African tribe Monodoreae (Annonaceae) and taxonomic revision of Dennettia, Uvariodendron and Uvariopsis, PhytoKeys 233, pp. 1-200 : 1

Uvariopsis solheidii var. letestui (Pellegr.) Dagallier & Couvreur, comb. et stat. nov.

Figs 80H-O , 81

≡ Uvariopsis letestui Pellegr. syn. nov., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 95: 139 (1948). Type. Gabon - Ogooué-Lolo • G.M.P.C. Le Testu 8458 (holotype: P! (P00362609), sheet here designated; isotypes: BM! (BM000554079, BM000554080), P! (P00362607)), region de Lastoursville, Koulamotou; 1°07'S, 12°30'E; 20 Oct. 1930.

Description.

Male flowers with petals 5-7 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide, length:width ratio ca. 2, ovate, free, straight at anthesis. Female flowers with pedicel 30-110 mm long; petals 7.5-10 mm long, 4.5-7 mm wide, length:width ratio 1.3-1.8, ovate, free, straight at anthesis. Fruiting pedicel 30-110 mm long.

Distribution.

Endemic to Lower Guinean Domain of the Guineo-Congolian Region: Gabon.

Habitat and ecology.

Lowland to submontane mature rain forests. Altitude: 280-950 m asl.

Notes.

Up. solheidii var. letestui differs from the type variety in having slightly different flowers. The male flowers of Up. solheidii var. letestui have ovate petals 5-7 mm long, with a length:width ratio of ca. 2 (vs. ovate to narrowly ovate petals, 7-10 mm long with a length:width ratio of ca. 3). The female flowers of Up. solheidii var. letestui have generally smaller flower pedicels (30-110 mm long vs. 63-198 mm long), and ovate petals 7.5-10 mm long, with a length:width ratio between 1.3 and 1.8 (vs. ovate to narrowly ovate petals, 9-17 mm long with a length:width ratio between 1.8 and 3.6). Both male and female flowers of Up. solheidii var. letestui have straight petals at anthesis (vs. curved outward at anthesis in the type variety).

Additional specimens examined.

Gabon - Ngounié • T.O.B.E.B. Stévart 3993 (BR, LBV, MO, WAG), Birougou National Park, Massif du Chaillu, 40 km SE of Mbigou, 5.5 km E of Moukimbi village . MBG transect T59; 2°02'39'S, 12°14'01'E; alt. 780 m; 16 Feb. 2011 - Ogooué-Ivindo • J. Florence 1578 (P), Station d'Ipassa, 10 Km S de Makokou ; 0°30'N, 12°47'E; alt. 500 m; 22 Jan. 1979 • N. Hallé 2975 (K, P, P), Bélinga; 1°05'N, 13°08'E; alt. 950 m; 03 Nov. 1964 • N. Hallé 3006 (P), Bélinga; 1°05'N, 13°08'E; 04 Nov. 1964 • N. Hallé 3029 (P), Bélinga; 1°05'N, 13°08'E; 05 Nov. 1964 • N. Hallé 3060 (P), Bélinga; 1°05'N, 13°08'E; 06 Nov. 1964 - Ogooué-Maritime • T.L.P. Couvreur 550 (MPU, YA), along road between Mandji and Rabi. About km 19 from Mandji ; 1°46'05.10'S, 10°17'01.5'E; alt. 282 m; 08 Nov. 2013 .

Figures

Figure 80. Uvariopsis solheidii (De Wild.) Robyns & Ghesq. - var. solheidii A male inflorescence B female flower, one petal removed, side view C petal of female flower, inner view D carpel, side and front views, detail of ovules E male flower, one petal removed, side view F petal of male flower, inner view G stamen, front and side views - var. Uvariodendron fuscum letestui (Pellegr.) Dagallier & Couvreur H flower bud I petal of female flower, inner view J female flower, all four petals removed, side view K carpel, front view and detail of ovules L male flower, one petal removed, side view M stamen, front view N fruit O longitudinal section of A monocarp Uvariopsis pedunculosa (Diels) Robyns & Ghesq P female inflorescence Q female flower, one petal removed, side view R petal of female flower, inner view S carpel, side view and detail of ovules. A from Tisserant 2422 B-G from Tisserant 804 H-M from Halle 3060 N, O from Halle 2975 P-S from Le Testu 8525. Drawings by Helene Lamourdedieu, from Le Thomas (1969; pl. 54, p. 299), Publications Scientifiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris.

Figure 81. Distribution map of Uvariopsis solheidii. Shades of grey represent elevation, from white (sea level) to darker grey (higher elevation). The inset shows the extent of the map over Africa.