Ocotea sessiliflora Kosterm.
Creators: name: Werff, Henk Van Der
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Laurales
Lauraceae
Ocotea
Ocotea sessiliflora

description: 29. <i>Ocotea sessiliflora</i> Kosterm. (Fig. 6) <i>Communication (Pengumuman) of the Forest Research Institute</i>, <i>Indonesia</i> 60: 22 (1957). — Typus: <b>Madagascar</b>, Forêt de Analamazaotra, près de Perinet, 15.X.1953, fls, <i>Service Forestier (Capuron) 8564</i> (holo-, P [P00541620]!; iso-, P [P00541619]!, TEF). SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — Befoza, Périnet, <i>Réserves Naturelles 1444</i> (MO, P[P01955922, P01955923]); Forêt d’Analamazaotra, Périnet, <i>Service Forestier (Capuron) 8564</i> (P[P00541619, P00541620], TEF); Ankazomanitra, PK 45 route Moramanga-Anosibe, forêt sèche, <i>Service Forestier 26806</i> (MO, P[P00346374]); ouest du village d’Antanandava (PK 45 de la route Moramanga-Anosibe), <i>Service Forestier 28424</i> (MO, P[P01955921]). DISTRIBUTION. <i>— Ocotea sessiliflora</i> is only known from four collections from the Périnet area; altitude not mentioned on any of the collections. PHENOLOGY. — Flowers collected in July and August. VERNACULAR NAME. — Varongy fotsy. DESCRIPTION Tree,to 20 m tall.Twigs angular,glabrous or somewhat pubescent near the apex; terminal buds appressed pubescent.Leaves alternate,coriaceous, 4-7 × 1.8-3.5 cm, glabrous, base and apex acute, sometimes base obtuse, lateral veins 5-6, these and tertiary venation raised on both surfaces, margin flat or recurved, domatia lacking.Petioles 4-8mm long, glabrous, canaliculate. Inflorescences in axils of deciduous bracts, 3-6 cm long, puberulous-tomentose, especially towards the flowers, bracts subtending flowers present at anthesis, these to 3 mm long, densely pubescent outside, glabrous inside.Tepals more or less erect at anthesis, 6, equal, densely pubescent near base, sparsely on upper &amp;frac23;, <i>c.</i> 3 mm long, stamens 9, 4-celled, <i>c.</i> 1.5 mm long, filaments sparsely pubescent, inner three stamens with 2 glands at base of filaments, staminodia 3, stipitiform, 0.8mm long, pubescent; pistil glabrous, 2.5-3 mm long, ovary about as long as the style, receptacle deep,cup-shaped,glabrous inside.Immature fruit enclosed in the cupule (0.5 cm long); young cupule with persistent tepals; bracts still present in young fruiting stage. REMARKS Diagnostic for this species is the combination of glabrous leaves with raised reticulation on both surfaces, the sessile flowers with a densely pubescent base and the persistent bracts at the base of the flowers. The bracts persist even in young fruiting stage. It can be readily confused with <i>O. eriothyrsa</i>, but this species had pedicellate (not sessile) flowers, the base of the receptacle pubescent (not glabrous) and has the young twigs more pubescent. Also, in <i>O. sessiliflora</i> the basal lateral veins are frequently more ascending than the more distal ones. <i>Ocotea sessiliflora</i> seems restricted to Périnet, one of the best collected areas in Madagascar and it is therefore surprising that only 4 collections are known from this species.
description: Published as part of <i>Werff, Henk Van Der, 2013, A revision of the genus Ocotea Aubl. (Lauraceae) in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, pp. 235-279 in Adansonia (3) (3) 35 (2)</i> on pages 267-268, DOI: 10.5252/a2013n2a5, http://zenodo.org/record/5206484
description: {"references": ["KOSTERMANS A. J. G. H. 1957. - Le genre Ocotea Aubl. (Lauracees) a Madagascar. Communication (Pengumuman) of the Forest Research Institute 57: 1 - 44."]}