Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. (Leguminosae, Detarioideae), a new forest tree from Liberia and Ivory Coast

2019 ● 41 ● 8 adansonia Adansonia est une revue en flux continu publiée par les Publications scientifiques du Muséum, Paris Adansonia is a fast track journal published by the Museum Science Press, Paris Les Publications scientifiques du Muséum publient aussi / The Museum Science Press also publish: Geodiversitas, Zoosystema, Anthropozoologica, European Journal of Taxonomy, Naturae, Cryptogamie sous-sections Algologie, Bryologie, Mycologie. 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Endress (Institute of Systematic Botany, Zürich) P. Feldmann (Cirad, Montpellier) L. Gautier (Conservatoire et Jardins botaniques de la Ville de Genève) F. Ghahremaninejad (Kharazmi University, Téhéran) K. Iwatsuki (Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo) K. Kubitzki (Institut für Allgemeine Botanik, Hamburg) J.-Y. Lesouef (Conservatoire botanique de Brest) P. Morat (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris) J. Munzinger (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier) S. E. Rakotoarisoa (Millenium Seed Bank, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Madagascar Conservation Centre, Antananarivo) É. A. Rakotobe (Centre d’Applications des Recherches pharmaceutiques, Antananarivo) P. H. Raven (Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis) G. Tohmé (Conseil national de la Recherche scientifique Liban, Beyrouth) J. G. West (Australian National Herbarium, Canberra) J. R. Wood (Oxford) couverture / covEr : Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. Adansonia est indexé dans / Adansonia is indexed in: – Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch®) – ISI Alerting Services® – Current Contents® / Agriculture, Biology, and Environmental Sciences® – Scopus® Adansonia est distribué en version électronique par / Adansonia is distributed electronically by: – BioOne® (http://www.bioone.org) 69 ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) © Publications scientifiques du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. www.adansonia.com MOTS CLÉS Afrique, Amherstieae, Fabaceae, espèce nouvelle. KEY WORDS Africa, Amherstieae, Fabaceae, new species. Jongkind C. C. H. 2019. — Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. (Leguminosae, Detarioideae), a new forest tree from Liberia and Ivory Coast. Adansonia, sér. 3, 41 (8): 69-74. https://doi.org/10.5252/adansonia2019v41a8. http:// adansonia.com/41/8 ABSTRACT A new tree species, Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov., from Liberia and Ivory Coast is described. It differs from D. brevipaniculata J. Léonard, with which it was earlier confused, by its narrower and pendulous inflorescence and its red flowers and much longer stamens. RÉSUMÉ Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov., une nouvelle espèce d’arbre forestier du Liberia et de Côte d’Ivoire. Une nouvelle espèce d’arbre, Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov, du Liberia et de la Côte d’Ivoire, est décrite. Elle se distingue de D. brevipaniculata J. Léonard, avec laquelle elle a été précédemment confondue, par son inflorescence pendante à fleurs rouges et des étamines plus longues. Carel C. H. JONGKIND Botanic Garden Meise, Nieuwelaan 38, 1860 Meise (Belgium) [email protected] Submitted on 28 November 2018 | accepted on 12 April 2019 | published on 17 June 2019 Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. (Leguminosae, Detarioideae), a new forest tree from Liberia and Ivory Coast 70 ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) Jongkind C. C. H. INTRODUCTION The genus Didelotia Baill. is now part of tribe Amherstieae (Estrella et al. 2018) of Leguminosae subfamily Detarioideae (LPWG 2017). Including the new species described here there are 13 species known in Didelotia (Burgt 2016), all of which are forest trees endemic to the Guineo-Congolian Region in Africa. Recently a first flowering specimen was collected from a tree that had always been identified as Didelotia brevipaniculata J. Léonard. These flowers showed clearly that this Didelotia, known from Liberia and Ivory Coast, is not the same species as D. brevipaniculata s.s. from Cameroon and Gabon. I have therefore chosen to describe it here as Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. The inflorescence, flowers and fruits of D. gracillima more closely resemble those of D. engleri Dinkl. & Harms, another Upper Guinean species with red flowers, than those of D. brevipaniculata, whose inflorescence is more spreading, flowers are almost white and stamens are much shorter (Table 1), and whose fruits are more rounded at both ends. There is a significant variation among Didelotia species in the number of leaflets per leaf. They can vary from more than 30 pairs of leaflets, as in D. gracillima, to unifoliolate, as seen in D. idae J.Léonard, Oldeman & de Wit. Including the new species described here, five Didelotia species have more than ten pairs of leaflets. Important features of these species are compared in Table 1. Only one of them, D. gracillima, is found in the Upper Guinean forests (sensu White 1979, west of Benin). Didelotia brevipaniculata is now restricted to Cameroon and Gabon. SYSTEMATICS Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. (Figs 1-3) Didelotia gracillima Jongkind differs from D. brevipaniculata J. Léonard, with which it was earlier confused, by its narrower and pendulous inflorescence, its red flowers and its much longer stamens (Table 1). Types. — Liberia. Krahn-Bassa Forest, close to Solo Town on the ITI road, fl., 30.V.2018, Jongkind, Sambolah, Cherif, Traore & Kamgar 14034 (holo-, BR; iso-, E, G, MA, MO, P, WAG). p araTypes . — Ivory Coast. Olodio to Grabo, Aubréville SF 1321 (K, P); s.l., Aubréville SF 2801 (P, WAG); Tabou, Aubréville SF 4167 (P, WAG); along the road from Grabo to Tabou, 30.IV.1995, Breteler 13394 (MO, S, WAG); near Tiboto, 12.XII.1997, Jongkind 4209 (WAG); FC de la Ht Dodo, 7.V.1999, Jongkind & students of the ‘Université de Cocody’ 4545 (WAG). Liberia. Sapo NP, buffer zone, 27.XI.2002, Jongkind, Blyden, staff & students of the University of Liberia 5462 (WAG); inside Sapo National Park, 15.XI.2010, Jongkind, Bilivogui & Daniels 9718 (WAG); near footpath from Jalay’s Town to Greenville, 27.XI.2010, Jongkind, Bilivogui & Daniels 9885 (WAG); North of Sapo NP, 9.IX.2013, Jongkind, de Wet & Sambolah 11972A (BR); North of Sapo NP, 11.IX.2013, Jongkind, de Wet & Sambolah 11948 (BR, WAG); c. 50 km east of Greenville, 15.III.2014, Jongkind, Mulbah, Harris, Charleson & Forkpah 12590 (BR); east of Pelloken village, 5.II.2016, Jongkind & Sambolah 13000 (BR); not far from BuchananGreenville road, 22.V.2018, Jongkind, Sambolah, Cherif, Traore & Kamgar 13797 (BR, WAG); not far from ITI road, 28.V.2018, Jongkind, Sambolah, Cherif, Traore & Kamgar 13958 (BR, FHO); Sino, 5.IV.1962, Voorhoeve & Kunkel 1208 (WAG); c. 32 miles N. of Greenville, 10.IV.1962, JJFE de Wilde s.n. (WAG). eTymology. — The specific epithet refers to the slender leaves and leaflets. HabiTaT and disTribuTion. — Lowland forest in East Liberia and south-west Ivory Coast. descripTion Canopy tree up to c. 40 m high. Stem to 1.7 m in diameter. Bark dull dark brown. Twigs velutinous to glabrescent, hairs orange-brown; last shoot with several overlapping brown bud scales at base, bud scales progressively becoming larger distally. Stipules Caducous, in fused pairs, intrapetiolar, lanceolate, up to 6 × 2 cm, with parallel veins, almost glabrous except for a fringe of hairs on the margin; apex bilobed, both lobes acute. Leaves Paripinnate, to 25 × 7 cm, with 21-33 pairs of opposite leaflets; petiole 2-3 mm long, orange-brown pubescent; leaf rachis orange-brown pubescent. Leaflets subsessile, 8-34 × 3-10 mm, table 1. — Didelotia species with more than 10 pairs of leaflets. Species Pairs of leaflets Apex leaflets Pedicel Flower colour (as far as noted) Petals and stamens Ovary Didelotia gracillima sp. nov. 21-33 emarginate pubescent completely pink to red filaments c. 10 mm, petals much shorter pubescent on the margins Didelotia brevipaniculata 15-23 emarginate pubescent filament white, style white, anthers purplish petals and filaments c. 4 mm pubescent on the margins Didelotia minutiflora 8-12 emarginate glabrous petal reddish, filament purplish filaments c. 5 mm, petals much shorter pubescent all over Didelotia morelii 26-30 rounded ???almost glabrous Didelotia pauli-sitae 14-18 emarginate a few hairs only filament purplish filaments 6-9 mm, petals much shorter almost glabrous 71 New forest tree from Liberia and Ivory Coast ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) AB C D fig. 1. — Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov.: A, leaves from below on a horizontal branch of a young tree; B, young shoot, still pendulous and still with green stipules; C, bud scales at the base of the last shoot; D, base of leaves from above showing the downward-pointing first leaflets. After Jongkind et al. 9718. Photos C. Jongkind. 72 ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) Jongkind C. C. H. A C B fig. 2. — Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov.: A, stem base with David Mawolo Mulbah in front; B, inflorescence, lines on background 7 mm apart; C, probably immature fruits (herbarium); A, after Jongkind et al. 9718; B, after Jongkind et al. 14034; C, after Breteler 13394 (WAG). Photos C. Jongkind. Scale bar: C, 1 cm. 73 New forest tree from Liberia and Ivory Coast ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) asymmetrical, rectangular-oblong, the middle ones largest, gradually decreasing in size towards the apex and the base of the leaf, both sides somewhat glossy, slightly paler green below, upper surface glabrous, lower surface with a few small hairs when young; base asymmetrical; apex obliquely rounded, minutely emarginate; midrib prominent on lower surface; main lateral nerves numerous, more evident on lower surface, anastomosing and forming a marginal nerve at a short distance from the edge. Inflorescence Axillary, up to 17 cm long and 4 cm wide, pendant; with short, densely flowered, lateral axes inserted alternately along the main axis; with several basal bud scales, broadly ovate, progressively becoming larger distally, apex bilobed, veins parallel, almost glabrous except for a fringe of hairs on the edge; main axis of inflorescence densely pale brown pubescent; bract at base of lateral axis resembling a bud scale. Flowers Floral bract caducous, broadly ovate, up to 5 × 4 mm, veins parallel, a few hairs on the outside, glabrous inside, with a fringe of hairs on the edge; pedicel pink, 4-5 mm long, pale brown, velutinous; bracteoles 2, valvate when enveloping the bud, elliptic, pinkish outside and red inside, 5 × 3 mm, outside with a few hairs , inside glabrous, nerves parallel; receptacle 1 mm high, 3 mm diam. at the top, glabrous; disk pale brown, 3 mm diam., 1 mm high, glabrous, centre depressed; sepals 5, reddish, rectangular, c. 1 × 1 mm, glabrous; petals 5, alternate to the sepals, red, linear, c. 3 mm long, glabrous; stamens 5, alternate to the petals; filaments red, glabrous, c. 10 mm long; anthers pale brown, c. 1.3 mm long, glabrous; staminodes 5, alternate to the stamens, red, filiform, c. 3 mm long, glabrous; ovary greenish, flat, oblong, c. 2 mm high, base and margins densely hirsute, sides glabrous; stipe 0.5 mm long, glabrous; style red, c. 11 mm long, proximal part sparsely hirsute, distal part glabrous; stigma capitate. Fruits Oblong-rectangular, dull, glabrous, c. 6 × 2.5 cm, beak to 3 mm long, sutures not winged; one faint longitudinal vein running from the base to the apex. noTes The tree from which the flowering type specimen was collected was 18 m high. The 40 meter height in the species description is based on the information from a single tree (JJFE de Wilde s.n.) but knowing the stem diameter from several other individuals (see Fig. 2A) it is likely to be correct. Information from collections of the related D. afzelii indicates that that species can also flower when still relatively small (Burgt 2016: 52). The fruit description is based on material collected from the ground, that was probably immature (Breteler 13394). On his line drawing of Didelotia (Toubaouate) brevipaniculata in the “Flore forestière”, Aubréville (1959: 299) indicated that the flower is from his collection no. 4053 near Grabo, in south-west Ivory Coast. Regrettably this specimen cannot be found in the Paris herbarium. The illustrated flower does not, however, agree with those from the type specimen cited in this publication. The most likely explanation is that Aubréville only had flower buds and no open flowers, and that several flower parts are not fully grown yet. The fruit shown on this illustration is likely based on a specimen from Cameroon, as it matches that of D. brevipaniculata s.s and in any case, does not belong to D. gracillima. Other specimens from south-west Ivory Coast are without doubt D. gracillima. IVORY COAST LIBERIA GUINEASIERRA LEONE Zwedru Greenville Barclayville Harper San-Pedro Rivercess Buchanan Kakata Robertsport Gbarnga 14°W 8°N 5° 10° 5° fig. 3. — Didelotia gracillima Jongkind, sp. nov. ( ), distribution map (Shorthouse 2010). 74 ADANSONIA, sér. 3 • 2019 • 41 (8) Jongkind C. C. H. Acknowledgements I thank the Wild Champanzee Foundation (WCF), and especially their Country Director Dr Annika Hillers, for organizing the botanical survey on which the type specimen of the new species was collected. I would also thank Thierry Deroin and an anonymous reviewer, who read a previous version of the manuscript. REFERENCES a ubréville a. 1959. — La Flore forestière de la Côte d’Ivoire 2 nd ed. Vol. 1. Centre technique forestier tropical, Nogent-surMarne, 368 p. aubréville a. 1968. — Légumineuses-Césalpinioidées, in Hallé n. (ed.), Flore du Gabon. Vol. 15. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 362 p. (Flore du Gabon ; 15). burgT X. m. van der 2016. — Didelotia korupensis and Tessmannia korupensis (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae), two new tree species from Korup National Park in Cameroon. Blumea 61: 51-58. https://doi.org/10.3767/000651916X691402 esTrella m. de la, ForesT F., KliTgård b., lewis g. p., macKinder b. a., Queiroz l. p. de, wieringa J. 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