Aspidostemon microphyllum Van der Werff, 2006

Werff, Henk Van Der, 2006, A revision of the Malagasy endemic genus Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter (Lauraceae), Adansonia (3) 28 (1), pp. 7-44 : 34-36

20. Aspidostemon microphyllum Van der Werff , sp. nov. ( Figs 11D ; 13A )

Aspidostemoni andohahelensi simile, sed antheris locellis magnis praeditis, foliis minoribus, crassioribus, pagina superiore lucentibus recedit.

TYPUS. — Madagascar. Bay of Antongil , Nosy Mangabe, 15°30’S, 49°46’E, 0-330 m, 2-19. I.1990, fl., Schatz & Carlson 2925 (holo-, MO; iso-, P, TAN).

PARATYPES. — Madagascar. Taomasina , Masoala Peninsula, south of Ambanizana, [15°38’S, 49°58’E], fr., Vasey & Behasy 104 ( MO, P) .

DESCRIPTION

Tree, 16 m. Twigs terete, glabrous, lenticellate, terminal buds glabrous. Leaves opposite, 4-6.5 × 1.5-2.2 cm, subcoriaceous, glabrous, elliptic, the base acute, apex with short, blunt acumen, acumen 5 mm long, margin flat, reticulation immersed on the upper surface,slightly raised on the lower surface, lateral veins difficult to discern, c. 6; petioles 3-5 mm long, canaliculate. Inflorescences c. 1 cm long, with a few scattered hairs, pedicels 1-1.5 mm long. Flowers glabrous, depressed globose, 2.5-3 mm in diam., 1.5-2 mm long, tepals light green and anthers white, much wider than long, erect, stamens 3, the tips of the anthers broad, the locelli apical, large and readily visible; staminodia II covered by the tepals; staminodia III with flattened, peltate apices, fused, forming a shield-like structure;base of the staminodia and the upper rim of the hypanthium with curly red hairs. Fruits ellipsoid, smooth, 2.8 × 1.6 cm.

cm

1

REMARKS

Aspidostemon microphyllum is similar to A. andohahelense . The two can be separated as follows: A. microphyllum has stiffer, smaller leaves (4-6.5 cm in A. microphyllum , 6-9 cm in A. andohahelense ), and conspicuous (vs. very inconspicuous) locelli. Their distribution is also quite different, A. microphyllum only known from a small island in the Bay of Antongil and the Masoala Peninsula in the NE ( Fig. 15 ) and A. andohahelense only known from the Col de Maningotry and Andohahela in the SE. Aspidostemon microphyllum is only known from two collections. No vernacular name has been recorded.

ALTITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION

0-330 m.

PHENOLOGY

Flowers: January; fruits: October.

Figures

FIG. 11. — Species of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter:A, A. macrophyllum Van der Werff; B, A. manongarivense Van der Werff; C, A. masoalense Van der Werff; D, A. microphyllum Van der Werff. A, Antilahimena 1344, MO; B, Service Forestier 11492, MO; C, Schatz & Modeste 3057, MO; D, Schatz & Carlson 2925, MO.

FIG. 13. — Scanning electron microscope images of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter: A, A. microphyllum Van der Werff; B, A. occultum Van der Werff; C, A. parvifolium (Scott-Elliott) Van der Werff; D, A. trichandra Van der Werff. A, Schatz & Carlson 2925, MO; B, Service Forestier 28709, MO; C, McPherson 14362, MO; D, Ranirison 528, MO. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIG. 15. — Distribution of Aspidostemon Rohwer & Richter in Madagascar: Ϙ, A. microphyllum Van der Werff; Ϙ, A. parvifolium (Scott-Elliott) Van der Werff; ■, A. percoriaceum (Kosterm.) Rohwer; ▲, A. perrieri (Danguy) Rohwer.