Dracaena bushii Damen, 2018

Damen, T. H. J., Burg, W. J. van der, Wiland-Szymańska, J. & Sosef, M. S. M., 2018, Taxonomic novelties in African Dracaena (Dracaenaceae), Blumea 63 (1), pp. 31-53 : 35-36

5. Dracaena bushii Damen , sp. nov. — Fig. 1; Plate 1; Map 5

Dracaena bushii is similar to Dracaena phrynioides Hook. , both having capi- tate inflorescences and leaves with long pseudopetioles. Dracaena bushii is easily distinguished from that species by its flowers which are twice as long and the presence of a distinct stem up to 50 cm long, and an equitant (with overlapping leaf bases) leaf arrangement,where D. phrynioides is subacaulous with its leaves arranged in a rosette. — Type: van Setten 988 (holo WAG [WAG.1152725 (sheet 1), WAG.1152726 (sheet 2), WAG0108898 (spirit), WAG0116789 (spirit)]), culta at Wageningen, The Netherlands, 3 Aug. 1988 (ex Breteler 2438, Cameroon, East Province, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49', alt. 750 m, 2 Oct. 1962).

Etymology. Dracaena bushii honours J.J. Bos (the Dutch word ‘bos’ translates to ‘bush’ in English) who has been a great inspiration of the first author, and at the same time credits Burgers Bush in Arnhem, The Netherlands, where the largest collection of living Dracaena in the world is being maintained, including a few specimens of D. bushii .

Shrub to 2.5 m tall, with a single stem arising from a woody rhizome; stem to c. 5 cm diam, up to 50 cm long, yellowish grey, marked by dark green annular scars of fallen leaves, occasionally forming aerial roots. Leaves alternate, equitant; pseudopetiole bluish dark green, longer than the lamina, to 80 cm long, sulcate along its upper surface, gradually extending into a sheathing base, clasping the stem for distinctly more than its circumference; lamina ovate, up to 65 by 20 cm, corrugated lengthwise, shiny dark green above, dull pale green beneath, midrib paler, variegated with scattered transversely orientated oval pale green dots, each dot with a yellow centre, coriaceous, leaf base rounded, leaf tip acuminate, mucro to 2 cm long. Inflorescence terminal, usually erect; peduncle up to 8 cm long, smooth, terminating in a bracteate capitulum of up to 13 cm diam; bracts enveloping the capitulum, broadly ovate, c. 5 by 3 cm, scarious, dark brown; flowers in fascicles of 2 or 3, each fascicle closely enveloped by 3.5–4 cm long light brown bracts. Flower: pedicel 0–1 mm long; perianth white, 45–50 mm long, lobes 15 by 2 mm, spreading, each with a single central distinct costa; stamens inserted near the throat, up to 2 mm shorter than the lobes, filaments white, terete, inflated, with subulate tips, anthers pale yellow, 3 by 1 mm; ovary oblong, up to 3 by 2 mm; style filiform, to 1 mm exserted, white, stigma capitate, shallowly trilobed, c. 1 mm diam. Fruits depressed globose, shallowly 1–3-lobed, c. 14 by 9 mm, bright orange to bright red, with 2 or 3 seeds, receptacle of up to 4 mm long. Seeds smooth, ellipsoid, up to c. 10 by 7 mm, flattened where pressed against adjacent seeds.

Distribution — Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon.

Ecology — Understory of secondary forest, forest edges, humid places, on sandy soil and clayish river banks; at 100– 1500 m altitude. Flowering in June (fide Letouzey 13823).

Other specimens examined. CAMEROON, Centre, Nkolukie dans le massif du Mbam-Minkom 18 km nord-ouest Yaoundé, c. N3°59' E11°23', 28 Sept. 1984, Achoundong, G 622 (P); East, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49', alt. 750 m, 8 Jan. 1962, Breteler, FJ 2438 (WAG); 500 m NW of Koundi, 22 km N of Bertoua, N4°44' E13°36',alt. 670 m, 29 Dec.1977, Van den Burg, HC 16 (WAG); 1.5 km S of Yanda I, between Ber- toua and Diang, N4°34' E13°25', alt. 720 m, 16 May 1978, Van den Burg, HC 40 (WAG); culta,in greenhouse botanical gardens Wageningen,The Nether- lands, (seedling from Breteler et al. 2438 collected in Cameroon, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49',alt. 750 m), 2 Oct. 1962, Breteler, FJ 3043 (WAG);culta in The Bush, Burgers’ Zoo,Antoon van Hooffplein 1, Arnhem, The Netherlands, gift from WAG, No. 1969PT00479, (ex Breteler 2438, Cameroon, East Province, 24 km NE of Bertoua, along the road to Bétaré Oya, N4°42' E13°49', alt. 750 m, 2 Oct. 1962), 24 Nov. 2011, Damen, THJ 463 (WAG); ibid., 7 Apr. 2013, Roos, JR de 11 (WAG); South, colline Mbok, 5 km à l’est de Meyo Centre, 40 km SSW d’Ebolowa,c. N2°34' E11°04', 24 Mar. 1970, Letouzey, R 10228 (P); South-West, colline au SE d’Okororoba, 20 km NE Ngati, c. N5°26' E9°17', alt. 772 m, 13 June

Map 5 Distribution of Dracaena bushii Damen.

1975, Letouzey, R 13823 (P, WAG-spirit); Mt Kupe, Nyasoso, along Max’s trail, N4°50' E9°42', alt. 1100 m, 2 Dec. 2004, Richardson, JE 250 (WAG); Mt Kupe,Ngomboku,path to the east, N4°55.6' E9°43.7', alt. 1100 m, 3 Dec. 2004, Richardson, JE 261 (WAG); Meme, N4°49' E9°42', alt. 1200–1500 m, 1 Dec. 1985, Thomas, DW 5098 (WAG). – EQUATORIAL GUINEA, Litoral, Bata-Senge, Estrada km 38, entrada maderera hacia el monte Bibogo, c. N1°40' E9°55', alt. 650 m, 13 May 1997, Carvalho, MF de 6324 (BRLU,MA); SE Bata, c. 50 km Oborobiko, Bata to Rio Benito, c. N1°28' E9°52', 25 Feb. 1969, Sanford, WW 6027 (K); Wele Nzas, région d’Anisok,env.de Temelon, près du village Ayene, c. N1°56' E10°38', 10 Sept. 1997, Lisowski, S M614 (BRLU). – GABON, Estuaire, Andem, Kougouleu-Kango c. 10 km, 2 km N, N0°22' E9°57', 9 Oct. 1985, Louis, AM 1859 (LBV, WAG); Ogooué-Ivindo, Parc National de l’Ivindo,chutes de Djidji, N0°08.9' E12°44.6', alt. 335 m, 28 Mar. 2004, Moungazi, A 1475 (LBV, WAG). – UNKNOWN, culta, Plantentuin, Rijksuniversiteit Gent, Belgium, 15 Nov. 1984, Laan, FM van der 830 (WAG, WAG-spirit);Botanic Garden Meise,Belgium,No.19073927,origin unknown, 17 Oct. 2017, Caekenberghe, F van 52 (BR-spirit).

Note — The description of Dracaena sp. aff. phrynoides Hook in Cheek et al. (2004) matches the new species D. bushii . Unfortunately, the herbarium at Kew could not locate the three specimens cited in this publication during a recent visit of the first author, and so this could not be checked.