Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler, 2014

Breteler, Frans J., 2014, The identity and geography of Cola cauliflora Mast. (Malvaceae formerly Sterculiaceae) and its substitute for Gabon and the Republic of the Congo, Adansonia (3) 36 (1), pp. 113-119 : 117-119

Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov.

( Figs 2-4 )

Cola elegans Pierre , nomen in sched., Klaine 2453.

Cola pauciflora Pierre , nomen in sched, Klaine 3292.

Cola cauliflora N. Hallé non Mast., Flore du Gabon 2: 67, pl. XII, 6-11 (1961).

Colae mayimbensis Pellegrin maxime simile petiolis brevibus et structura floris, sed differt foliis multo majoribus, nervis lateralibus numero pluribus, basi folii anguste cuneatis et pedicellis longissimis.

TYPUS. — Gabon. Near Libreville , IV.1903, fl., fr., Klaine 3292 (holo-, P [ P00751709 , P00751711 , P00751712 , P007517114 ]!).

PARATYPES. — Gabon. Near Libreville, Coniquet Island , 28.IX.1912, Chevalier 26823 ( P [ P00751707 , P00751710 ]!); Sibang near Libreville, 4.X.1901, fl., Klaine 2453 ( P [ P00751716 ]!). — Near Libreville, 9.III.1904, fr., Klaine 3477 ( P [ P00751705 , P00751708 ]!); 12.IX.1904, fl., Klaine 3498 ( P [ P00751701 , P00751702 , P00751704 ]!). — Nyanga, Réserve des Monts Doudou , 15 km SSW of Doussala, 19.V.2000, Sosef et al. 1558 ( WAG!). — Near Libreville, Coniquet Island, 20.XII.2010, fr., Sosef et al. 2746 ( WAG!).

Republic of the Congo. Kouilou (Niari), Mayombe forest, X.1888, fl., Thollon 1322 ( P [ P00751706 ]!).

ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION. — Primary and secondary forests in West Gabon and in West Republic of the Congo.

D ESCRIPTION

Shrub or treelet up to 9 m tall. Branchlets appressed stellate-hairy, glabrescent. Stipules narrowly triangular, 4-5 mm long, early caducous, hairy as branchlets. Leaves: petiole 3-11(-14) mm long, hairy as the branchlet, glabrescent; lamina oblong-elliptic, 8-30 × (2-) 4-7 cm, long-cuneate at base, acuminate at apex, with (8)10-15(-20) pairs of main lateral nerves, sparsely stellate-hairy when young, soon glabrescent. Flowers fasciculate on the main stem and branches and/or axillary. Pedicel slender, 9-14 mm long, stellate-hairy, articulated in the middle or slightly above. Flowers white, 7-20 mm in diameter. Calyx shortly campanulate, with 4-6 oblong-triangular lobes with thin puberulent margin, stellate-hairy outside, papillate inside. Male flower with 5-6 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent androphore; anthers 8-10, uniseriate. Female flower: ovary (3-)5-6(-7) carpellate, pubescent, with a ring of indehiscent anthers at base; carpels narrowly ovoid, tapering towards the apex into a free, recurved stigma. Fruit 1-6 carpellate; carpels globose to slightly oblongoid, 2.5-4 × 2 cm, red at maturity, glabrous to sparsely stellate-hairy, 1-2-seeded. Seeds c. 15 mm long.

Key to the species C. elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov. and C. cauliflora Mast.

1. Leaves short-and long-petioled; lateral nerves (5-)7-8(-9) pairs; pedicel 2-4 (-6) mm long; fruiting carpels rostrate; Cameroon, South Province, between Kribi and Campo ........................................................................................................ C. cauliflora Mast.

— Leaves only short-petioled; lateral nerves (8-)10-15(-20) pairs; pedicel 9-14 mm long; fruiting carpels not rostrate; Gabon, Libreville-area and southwards in the coastal area of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo................. C. elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Based on the large area of distribution and occupation, Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov., following the IUCN (2011) guidelines, may be classified as Least Concern (LC). It is true, that in some collecting localities of the past near Libreville, the species may no longer occur, but recent collections from the Coniquet Island near Libreville and from the Doudou Mts prove its status.

NOTE

Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler , sp. nov. may be separated from Cola cauliflora by the key provided p. 118.

Figures

FIG 2.― Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler,sp.nov.;A, flowering branch; B, apex of branchlet showing stipules;C, inflorescence;D, gynoecium of female flower with ring of sterile anthers at base;E, androecium of male flower;F, ring of anthers cut lengthwise; G, carpels in fruit. A, Klaine 3292; B, Sosef et al. 2746; C-F, Thollon 1322; G, Klaine 3477. Scales: A, 2 cm; B, 2 mm; C, 1 cm; D, E, 5 mm; F, 1 mm; G,2 cm. A, C-G, drawn by N. Hallé, reproduced with permission from Flore du Gabon 2. B drawn by H. de Vries.

FIG. 3. ― Sampling points of Cola cauliflora Mast. (�) and of Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler, sp. nov. (☆).

FIG. 4.― Fruit of Cola elegans Pierre ex Breteler,sp.nov.,Lachenaud 1249 (Île Coniquet, near Libreville, III.2011, LBV). Photo Olivier Lachenaud.