Xylopia hypolampra Mildbr., Notizbl. Koenigl. Bot. Gart. Berlin, Append. 27: 18 1913

Xylopia hypolampra Mildbr., Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin, Append. 27: 18, 1913 Figs 144, 145; Map 17I = Xylopia brieyi De Wild., Bull. Jard. Bot. État 4: 385, 1914. Type. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kongo Central Province, Ganda-Sundi, de Briey J. 108, 8 Oct 1911: lectotype, designated by Johnson and Murray (2018), p. 169: BR[BR 0000008824844]; isolectotypes: BR[BR0000008824790, BR 0000008824806, BR 0000008824813, BR 0000008824837]; US[US1270066]. Type. Cameroon. East Region; Lomié, Mildbraed G.W.J. 5183, 13 May 1911: lectotype, designated by Le Thomas (1969b), p. 181: HBG[HBG502479]. Description. Tree, 30-40 m tall, d.b.h. up to 80 cm; stilt roots and buttresses absent. Old branches glabrous, young branches glabrous to pubescent, with fine matted hairs 0.2-0.4 mm long. Leaves: petiole 5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, pubescent, grooved, blade inserted on the side of the petiole; blade 5.7-7.5 cm long, 1.4-1.9 cm wide, lanceolate to elliptic, apex acuminate to acute, acumen 1.2 cm long, base cuneate to rounded, subcoriaceous, below densely silvery-sericeous when young and old, above glabrous when young and old, discolorous; midrib sunken or flat, above glabrous when young and old, below densely pubescent when young and old; secondary veins 10 to 18 pairs, glabrous above; tertiary venation reticulate. Individuals bisexual; inflorescences ramiflorous on young foliate branches, axillary, peduncle absent. Flowers with 9 perianth parts in 3 whorls, 1 to 3 per inflorescence; pedicel 2-4 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, pubescent; in fruit 3-6 mm long, 3-5 mm in diameter, glabrous; bracts 3 to 4, evenly spaced, ca. 2 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; sepals 3, valvate, basally fused, 2-3 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, triangular, apex acute, base truncate, green, pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petals free, subequal; outer petals 3, 25-28.7 mm long, 2.5-2.6 mm wide at base, linear, apex obtuse, base broad and concave, yellow to light green, pubescent with base glabrous to sericeous outside, pubescent and glabrous towards base inside; inner petals 3, valvate, 16-31 mm long, 1.9-2.5 mm wide at base, linear, apex acute, base broad and concave, yellow to light green, pubescent outside, pubescent inside; stamens ca. 100, in 7 to 8 rows, 1-2 mm long, oblong; connective apex shield-like, glabrous, red; carpels 7 to 12, ovary ca. 1 mm long, stigmas connivent, sometimes free at tips, filiform, 1.6-2.5 mm long, pubescent. Monocarps sessile; monocarps 6 to 8, 26-41 mm long, 11-22 mm wide, obovoid, ellipsoid or oblongoid, becoming slightly ridged and sunken between the ridges when dried, apex rounded, glabrous, greenish brown, flecked with pale brown lenticels outside, endocarp pink-red; seeds up to 10 per monocarp, in two rows, 7-11 mm long, 6-8 mm wide, ellipsoid; sarcotesta greenish white in vivo; aril absent. Distribution. Central Cameroon to southwestern Central African Republic and south to southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo; in Cameroon known from East, South, Central and South-West regions. Habitat. A common species, in lowland or submontane evergreen or semi-deciduous rain forest, sometimes along forest edges, and in gallery forest. Altitude 400-900 m. a.s.l. Local and common names known in Cameroon. abiès (Bulu, de Wilde 7963), odjobi (Foury 101); moley, munjié, monjié, sangé, sangi (Bibaya); nom akwi, mvomba (Yaoundé). IUCN conservation status. Least Concern (LC) (Botanic Gardens Conservation International and IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group 2019f). Uses in Cameroon. None reported. Notes. Xylopia hypolampra is easily distinguished from other species of Xylopia by its narrow, lanceolate to elliptic leaves that are distinctly silvery-sericeous below. The flower pedicels are short, the flowers appearing sessile in the leaf axils. The monocarps are sessile and when fresh are brown with pale brown lenticels. At maturity the monocarps open along 3 lines, and reflex strongly, showing the seeds covered with a greenish white sarcotesta on a red endocarp. Hornbills and monkeys feed on the fruits and seeds; at the Dja Faunal Reserve site in Cameroon Ceratogymna hornbills were particularly effective in extending the seed shadow for individual trees (Holbrook and Smith 2000). Specimens examined. Central Region: Mefou proposed national park near Mefou town, 3.62°N, 11.58°E, 08 March 2004, Cheek M. 11487 (K,YA); Méfou National Park just after Ape Action Africa center along road, 3.62°N, 11.58°E, 24 April 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 420 (WAG,YA); Ottotomo Forest Reserve 1 km after reserve base near small loggers road, 3.66°N, 11.28°E, 25 June 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 450 (WAG,YA); Yaoundé, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, 01 January 1935, Foury P. 101 (OWU,P); Banlieu de Yaoundé sur une piste après la borne 9, 3.87°N, 11.52°E, 26 November 1959, Mpom B. 362 (P,YA). East Region: 74 km south of Yokadouma 30 km after Ngato 15 km after river ALPICAM 'base de vie’ then 40 km on forestry road starting 4 km before Maséa village, 3.16°N, 14.71°E, 04 March 2019, Couvreur T.L.P. 1198 (MPU,WAG,YA); A 30 km au NE de Bange (km 75 route Yokadouma-Moloundou), 3.02°N, 15.12°E, 25 May 1963, Letouzey R. 5139 (P,YA); entre Bidjum et Dscha-Posten, 3.15°N, 13.61°E, 13 May 1911, Mildbraed G.W.J. 5183 (HBG); Deng Deng, 5.2°N, 13.52°E, 01 January 1914, Mildbraed G.W.J. 8827 (BM,K). South Region: 21 km east from Lélé village, 2.27°N, 13.33°E, 07 September 2013, Couvreur T.L.P. 467 (WAG,YA); Campo Ma’an National Park 11 km on trail from Ebinanemeyong village on road 7 km from Nyabessan to Campo town, 2.47°N, 10.33°E, 13 February 2015, Couvreur T.L.P. 694 (WAG,YA); 17 km on the road from Ebolowa to Minkok, 2.81°N, 11.13°E, 06 February 1975, de Wilde J.J.F.E 7963 (B,BR,K,MO,P,U,WAG,YA); Bipindi - Ebolowa, 3.00°N, 10.92°E, 01 December 1913, Mildbraed G.W.J. 7618 (B,K); Mvie (Akom II), 2.88°N, 10.58°E, 28 January 1998, van der Burgt X.M. 364 (P).
Published as part of Couvreur, Thomas L. P., Dagallier, Leo-Paul M. J., Crozier, Francoise, Ghogue, Jean-Paul, Hoekstra, Paul H., Kamdem, Narcisse G., Johnson, David M., Murray, Nancy A. & Sonke, Bonaventure, 2022, Flora of Cameroon - Annonaceae Vol 45, pp. 1-532 in PhytoKeys 207 on pages 460-463, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.207.61432
{"references":["Johnson, DM, Murray, NA, 2018. A revision of Xylopia L. (Annonaceae): the species of Tropical Africa. PhytoKeys 97: 1 - 252, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.97.20975","Le Thomas, A, 1969b. Annonacees. In: Aubreville, A, Ed., Flore du Gabon. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris: 1 - 371","Holbrook, KM, Smith, TB, 2000. Seed dispersal and movement patterns in two species of Ceratogymna hornbills in a West African tropical lowland forest. Oecologia 125: 249 - 257, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420000445"]}