Monanthotaxis fornicata (Baill.) Verdc.

Hoekstra, P. H., Wieringa, J. J., Maas, P. J. M. & Chatrou, L. W., 2021, Revision of the African species of Monanthotaxis (Annonaceae), Blumea 66 (2), pp. 107-221 : 158

31. Monanthotaxis fornicata (Baill.) Verdc. — Fig. 5q–v ; Map 20

Monanthotaxis fornicata (Baill.) Verdc.(1971b) 21. — Popowia fornicata Baill. (1868) 318. — Enneastemon fornicatus (Baill.) Exell (1939) 320. — Lectotype (designated here): L.H. Boivin s.n. (lecto P (P01954770); isolecto P01954769), Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mombaza, 1848.

Clathrospermum biovulatum S.Moore in Baker & S.Moore (1877) 65. — Lectotype (designated by Verdcourt 1971a: 97): J.M. Hildebrandt 1294 (lecto BM000547359 ; iso B, CORD00002675 , K, L 0188035 , 00008567 ), Tanzania, Zanzibar, Bagamofs, May 1874.

Shrub or scandent shrub, 1.5–5 m tall; young branches reddish brown, greenish brown or olive green-brown, sparsely covered with appressed to ascending, yellowish hairs 0.1–0.3 mm long, becoming glabrous; old branches dark brown to purple brown. Leaves: petiole 2–6 mm long, 0.9–1.5 mm diam, grooved, indument slightly more dense than on branches; lamina oblong-elliptic, 4.2–10.7 by 2.3–6.5 cm, 1.5–2.2 times longer than wide, chartaceous, not punctate, glaucous or pale green below, above glabrous, below sparsely covered with appressed, yellowish hairs c. 0.2 mm long, primary vein with more persistent hairs, base rounded to subcordate, with thickened margin, apex obtuse to acute, primary vein often strongly contrasting in colour with the petiole, secondary veins 6–9 per side, straight to curving upwards, tertiary venation below percurrent, above with slightly raised reticulation (visible with hand lens). Inflorescences leaf-opposed, composed of solitary flowers to 5-flowered fascicles; sympodial rachis 0–1 mm long densely covered with appressed hairs; pedicels 4–12 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm diam, fruiting pedicels 10–20 mm long, 0.5–0.9 mm diam, sparsely covered with appressed, yellowish, short hairs to glabous; lower bracts ovate, c. 0.8 by 0.8 mm, densely covered with hairs, or absent; upper bract halfway up the pedicel, ovate, 0.8–1.2 by 0.4–0.6 mm, densely covered with appressed, yellow hairs; flower buds ellipsoid. Flowers bisexual; sepals connate at the base, triangular to broadly triangular, 0.5–0.8 by 0.5–1.2 mm, apex acute, covered with appressed, yellow hairs, persistent in fruit; receptacle c. 1.5 mm diam, flat; petals creamy yellow to fleshy yellow with white at the base of inside, 6, in one whorl, outer petals overtopping inner petals in bud, outer petals elliptic, 3.5–4.2(–6.7) by 1.5–1.6(–2.2) mm, outside and apex of the inside covered with appressed yellowish, short hairs, base of inside glabrous, inner petals elliptic, 2.8–3.8(–5.7) by 1.1–1.3(–2) mm, indument as outer petals; stamens 6, in one whorl, free, obconical, 0.7–1.1 mm long, filaments 0.2–0.3 mm long, thecae extrorse to latrorse, connective truncate, triangular prolongation pointing outward, not hiding thecae, glabrous and slightly verrucose, staminodes absent; carpels 7 (or 8), subcylindric, 1.3–1.4 by 0.2–0.3 mm, glabrous, ovules 2 (or 3), lateral, stigma elongate, c. 0.5 mm long, glabrous, verrucose, slightly 2-lobed. Monocarps 1–7, yellow-orange or red,narrowly ellipsoid, 12.5–24 by 4–5.5 mm, glabrous, apex rounded to apiculate, apiculum 0.1–1 mm long, stipes 1.5–5 mm long. Seeds 1 or 2 (or 3), ellipsoid,9–10 by 4.5–5 mm,tawny brown,ends apiculate,raphe not visible.

Distribution — Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania.

Habitat & Ecology — In dry lowland forest, wooded grassland, coastal forest, closed Afzelia forest, gallery forest, secondary forest; on white sandy soil, red sandy soil, sandstone and on coral rock. Altitude: 0– 400 m. Flowering all year round; fruiting: January, March, May to November.

Vernacular names — Kenya: Nguku (Swa name) (H.M. Gardner 1426), Mudzala (Friana name) (R.M. Graham 1979), Mgweni (Digo name) (S.A. Robertson 4252), Mrori (Giriama name) (W.P. Langridge 42), Mbalushi (P.W. Mulwa 100), Mwala ga Kuku (R. Mapperley 31). Somalia: Osmandow (M. Maunders 67), Cismaan-Dooy (C.F. Hemming 114). Tanzania: Mkalia (Ny- amio name) (P.R.O. Bally 12105), Msofu-simba (Kidoe name) (Y.S. Abeid 225).

Preliminary IUCN conservation status — Least concern (LC). EOO: 270 531 km 2, AOO: 252 km 2. This species is known from many locations and protected areas near the coasts of Tanzania, Kenya and south Somalia. It is quite common in some locations.

Uses — It has been reported to be used against snakebites around the Ngumburunu Forest Reserve in Tanzania ( Kimaro & Lulandala 2013) and M. fornicata is domesticated by Mijikenda farmers in Kenya for their medicinal value (Wekesa et al. 2015).

Notes — 1. Monanthotaxis fornicata can be recognized by the oblong-elliptic leaves and by having only a few hairs on the leaves and young branches. It is also the only species of Monanthotaxis which has extra-axillary inflorescences in combination with ellipsoid flower buds and the 3 outer petals overlapping the 3 inner petals at the top.

2. Frontier Tanzania Coastal Forest 2205 has hairy fruits, but for the rest fits M. fornicata .

Figures

Map 20 Distribution of Monanthotaxis filipes P.H.Hoekstra (■) and M. fornicata (Baill.) Verdc. (●).

Fig. 5 a–d. Monanthotaxis barteri (Baill.) Verdc. a. Flower; b. flower with petals removed; c. stamens; d. longitudinal section of flower. — e–i. Monanthotaxis buchananii (Engl.) Verdc. e. Flowering branch and fruiting inflorescence; f. flower; g. petal, inside view; h. stamens; i. carpel and longitudinal section of carpel. — j–p. Monanthotaxis elegans (Engl. & Diels) Verdc. j. Flowering branch; k. flower bud; l. stamens and carpels; m. stamens, front and side view; n. carpel; o. carpel longitudinal section; p. fruiting inflorescence. — q–v. Monanthotaxis fornicata (Baill.) Verdc. q. Flowering branch; r. outer petal, inside view; s. inner petal, inside view; t. stamens and carpels; u. stamens, front and side view; v. carpel. — w. Monanthotaxis trichocarpa (Engl. & Diels) Verdc. Fruiting branch. — x. Monanthotaxis vogelii (Hook.f.) Verdc. Stamen. — Modified from Engler & Diels (1901) table 18 and 19.