Campnosperma zacharyi Randrianasolo

Randrianasolo, Armand & Lowry Ii, Porter P., 2004, A new species of Campnosperma (Anacardiaceae) from northeastern Madagascar, Adansonia (3) 26 (2), pp. 213-216 : 214-216

Campnosperma zacharyi Randrianasolo & Lowry, sp. nov.

Haec species Campnospermati schatzii Randrianasolo & J.S. Mill. affinis, sed ab eo statura minore 2- 4 m tantum alta, foliis ovatis vel ellipticis rareter obovatis apice breviter acuminatis vel rotundatus base cuneatis vel breviter decurrentibus atque petiolis longissimis usque ad c. 2.4 cm longis differt.

TYPUS. — Antilahimena , Schatz & Niovoson 1456, Madagascar, Toamasina Prov., Maroantsetra district, commune Ambinanitelo , Fokontany Marovovonana , on summit of Ankirindro , wind swept vegetation, 15°17’18”S, 49°32’49”E, 671 m, 22 Nov. 2002, ♂ fl. (holo-, MO!; iso-, MO!, P!, TAN!, TEF!) .

Functionally dioecious trees, 2-4 m tall, twigs very often waxy with tips covered with lepidote scales. Leaves simple, alternate, persistent, semicoriaceous, blades ovate to elliptic, rarely obovate, 2.5-11.5 cm long, 1.5-5.5 cm wide, very light yellow tan colored below (in dried material), the apex usually shortly acuminate or rounded, rarely retuse, the base cuneate or shortly decurrent cuneate, the margin entire, the adaxial surface with scattered lepidote scales, the abaxial surface evenly covered with lepidote scales, the venation brochidodromous, the midrib prominent below, the lateral veins more or less parallel and very evident above, the tertiary veins admedial; petiole 0.4-2.4 cm long, canaliculate, covered with lepidote scales or sometimes glabrous. Inflorescence axillary, paniculate, usually borne at the end of branches, 5-12 cm long, covered with lepidote scales and scattered stellate trichomes. Flowers functionally unisexual, very small, c. 1 mm long, pedicel 1-2 mm long, subtended by a very tiny triangular bract c. 1 mm long and 0.5 mm with; sepals 4, c. 0.5 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, glabrous; petals 4, yellow when dried (described as orange on live plants), 0.7-1.1 mm long, 0.7- 1 mm wide, ovate, glabrous, imbricate. Staminate flowers with 8 stamens, 4 epipetalous and 4 alternipetalous, 0.8-1 mm long, the filament broadened at the base, 0.5-0.6 mm long, the anthers subglobose to ovate, basifixed, introrse, 0.2- 0.3 mm long, yellow, opening by longitudinal slits; disk cupuliform with an atrophied vestigial ovary in the middle. Pistillate flowers with 8 staminodes each c. 0.3-0.4 mm long, cupiliform disk much thicker than in staminate flowers; ovary covered with lepidote scales, 0.7-0.8 mm long, 0.5-0.6 mm broad, asymmetric, with two incompletely divided locules and a single curved ovule, the style almost absent, stigma subdiscoidal, incompletely divided into two lobes. Fruits almost globose, asymmetric, 5 mm long and broad, covered with lepidote scales, endocarp bony, seed containing 1 curved embryo. — Fig. 1.

Campnosperma zacharyi closely resembles C. schatzii Randrianasolo & J.S.Mill. due to its long pedicels and medium leaf size, but can be distinguished vegetatively by its more generally ovate or elliptic leaves (vs usually obovate or oblanceolate in C. schatzii ), shortly acuminate leaf apices (vs emarginated, retuse or rounded in the four previously described Malagasy species, C. lepidotum Capuron ex Randrianasolo & J.S.Mill., C. micranteium Marchand, C. parviflorum Capuron ex J.S.Mill. & Randrianasolo and C. schatzii ), cuneate or shortly decurrent cuneate leaf bases (vs long-cuneate decurrent in C. schatzii ), and mature leaf petiole length up to 2.4 cm (vs up to only 1 cm in C. schatzii ). In addition, the color of the undersurface of dried leaves is somewhat light tan compared to the generally brown color in C. schatzii . Our new species further differs from C. schatzii in it small stature (2-4 m tall vs 5-12 m tall).

DISTRIBUTION AND PHENOLOGY. — Campnosperma zacharyi is known only from mid-elevation humid forest on the quartzite massif of Ankirindro to the NNE of Maroantsetra, where it occurs from about 640 m to the summit at 671 m. Staminate and pistillate flowering material has been collected in November, and fruiting specimens have been gathered in January. ETYMOLOGY. — The species epithet honors our colleague Zachar y RO G E R S, who has a remarkable passion and love for the flora of Madagascar.

CONSERVATION STATUS. — Application of the IUCN (2001) threat criteria indicates that Campnosperma zacharyi should be assigned a preliminary status of Endangered (EN B1ab2ab) based on the fact that it has both an Extent of Occurrence and an Area of Occupancy less than 100 km 2 (known from just two subpopulations, neither of which falls within Madagascar’s protected areas network), and that human pressure can be expected to cause continued decline in existing populations.

PARATYPES. — MADAGASCAR: Prov. Toamasina: Antilahimena , Pascal & Ramaroson 1662, Maroantsetra dist., commune Ambinanitelo , Fokotany Marovovonana , Ankirindro mountain , 15°17’37”S, 49°33’10”E, 640 m, 10 Jan. 2003, fr. ( MO, P, TEF); Antilahimena , Schatz & Niovoson 1455, Maroantsetra dist., commune Ambinanitelo , Fokotany Marovovonana , Makira forest , on summit of Ankirindro , wind swept vegetation, 15 ° 17 ’18”S, 49°32’49”E, 671 m, 22 Nov. 2002, ♀ fl., y. fr. ( MO, P, TEF) .

Figures

FIG. 1. — Campnosperma zacharyi Randrianasolo & Lowry: A, staminate flower; B, pistillate flower; C, fruit (cross section); D, lower leaf surface; E, branch of male plant; F, base of petiole; G, young fruit; H, branch of female plant. A, D-F, Antilahimena et al. 1456; B, C, G, H, Antilahimena et al. 1455.