Marantochloa montsdecristalii A. C. Ley, 2012

Ley, Alexandra C. & Classen-Bockhoff, Regine, 2012, Five new species of Marantaceae endemic to Gabon, Adansonia (3) 34 (1), pp. 37-52 : 42-44

Marantochloa montsdecristalii A. C. Ley , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 ; 5 )

Marantochloa cordifolia (K.Schum.) Koechl. similis sed inflorescentia brevi, floribus totum albis et minoribus praecipue differt.

TYPUS. — Gabon. Monts de Cristal , Tchimbele, in primary forest entered from road leading to Esplanade, 0°36.855’N, 10°24.159’E, 29.XII.2005, A. C. Ley 254 (holo- WAG!; iso- LBV!) .

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION. — In swampy areas along little creeks in primary forest at around 500 m in Monts de Cristal in Gabon (Fig. 3).

DESCRIPTION

Rhizomatous herb, up to 2.0 m tall, forming clusters, above ground shoots are ramified (branched); sheaths up to 17 cm, pubescent.Leaves homotropic; petioles up to 12 cm long, glabrous; pulvinus 1-2 cm, pubescent; leaf lamina asymmetric up to 30 × 15 cm, glabrous, dark green above, matt green beneath with red rim; midrib slightly pubescent on top towards the tip, entirely pubescent beneath, leaf ending in tip up to 1.7 cm long.Inflorescence condensed,erect,simple or branched, up to 6 cm long; peduncle 1 cm long, green, glabrous; internodes of the inflorescence axis 3 mm long, green, glabrous; fertile bracts distichous, all bracts similar, about 2-2.5 × 1 cm, green, glabrous except at the midrib and towards the tip; flower pairs 1-2 per special bract; axis of flower pair 3 mm long, white, glabrous; pedicels 1 and 3 mm long, white, glabrous; bracteoles absent. Flower white; sepals 14 × 3 mm; petals 22 × 6 mm, folded backwards; outer staminodes about 21 mm long; cucullate staminodes about 19 mm long, callose staminode about 19 mm long with characteristic sidewise bending of the corolla tube (as found in M. cordifolia (K.Schum.) Koechl. and M. mildbraedii Koechl. ); stamen about 3 mm with a petaloid appendage reaching about 20 mm enfolding the cucullate staminode;style about 20 mm; ovary 1.5 × 1.5 mm, brown pubescent. Fruit red, pubescent, 5 mm long. Seeds white.

REMARKS

Marantochloa montsdecristalii A. C. Ley , sp. nov. differs from the most similar species Marantochloa cordifolia (K.Schum.) Koechl. in the colour and size of inflorescence and flower and the colour and pubescence pattern of the lower leaf side.

Figures

FIG. 1. — A-C, Hypselodelphys lopei A. C. Ley, sp. nov., inflorescence (A), flower (B) and fruit (C); D, E, Marantochloa montsdecristalii A. C. Ley,sp. nov., inflorescence (D) and flower (E); F-H, Marantochloa alba A. C. Ley,sp.nov., flower pair (F), habitus (G), inflorescence (H); I, J, Thaumatococcus flavus A. C. Ley, sp. nov., habitus (I), inflorescence (J); K-M, Marantochloa grandiflora A. C. Ley, sp. nov., habitus (K), inflorescence (L) and flower pair (M). Scale bars: 1 cm.

FIG. 5. — Marantochloa montsdecristalii A. C. Ley, sp. nov.: A, habitus with erect, condensed inflorescence; B, leaf, oblong-elliptic; C, flower; D, fruit, pubescent.A-D, A. C. Ley 254. Abbreviations:fs, fleshy staminode; o, ovary; os, outer staminode;p, petal; pa, petaloid appendage of fertile theca; s, sepal. Scale bars: A, 10 cm; B, C, 1 cm; C, 0.1 cm.