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African Annonaceae
Monodora junodii Engl. & Diels
SUMMARY
Tree or shrub to 7-8 m high; d.b.h. to 10 cm; outer bark light grey to brown, striate; young branches blackish with white lenticels, glabrous; old branches striate, grey, glabrous. Petioles 3-12 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, glabrous, leaf lamina inserted on side, broadly grooved adaxially. Leaf lamina 5-16 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, length:width ratio 2-3.3, narrowly obovate to obovate or narrowly elliptic to elliptic, base cuneate to obtuse to rounded, apex acuminate, acute or obtuse, acumen up to 9 mm long, sub-coriaceous or papyraceous, glabrous; midrib glabrous on both sides; secondary veins (7-)9-12(-17) pairs, uniformally curving upwards, glabrous. Flowers single, leaf-opposed, developing before or during leaf flush, pendulous. Flowering pedicels 5-30(-40) mm long, glabrous to sparsely covered with short appressed hairs. Upper bract inserted sub-basally to centrally on the pedicel, 9-14 mm long, 4-10 mm wide, length:width ratio 0.8-1.5, broadly ovate to ovate, base decurrent, apex rounded to obtuse, covered with short erect hairs. Sepals 5-15 mm long, 4-11 mm wide, length:width ratio 1.2-1.8, ovate to oblong, base truncate, apex acute, covered on both sides with short appressed hairs, pale green, non persistent in fruit; margins straight, densely covered with short curly hairs. Outer petals (18-)25-35(-41) mm long, 13-30 mm wide, length:width ratio 1.2-2, ovate to broadly ovate or elliptic to broadly elliptic, base narrowed, apex acute to rounded, sparsely covered with short erect hairs to glabrous on both surfaces, green with purple base when young, dark reddish-purple at anthesis; spreading horizontally then curving downwards, margins straight, densely covered with short curly hairs to glabrous. Inner petals (8-)10-21 mm long, 8-18 mm wide, length:width ratio 1.2-1.6, clawed ovate to rhomboid, base truncate or rounded to acute, apex rounded or acute to shortly acuminate, covered with short appressed hairs on both surfaces except on the proximal part of the lamina or sometimes glabrous on the outside, whitish-green with purple base, the centers of inner petal lamina pressed against each other over receptacle, with a bi-lobed gland at base of lamina; margins straight, folded outwards, covered with short erect hairs; claw curved inwards, 4-8 mm long, 2-4 mm long, claw:inner petal ratio 0.3-0.7, glabrous to sparsely covered with short erect hairs, white. Receptacle ca. 4 mm in diameter, slightly convex. Stamens in 8-10 rows, 0.7-1 mm long; connective shield 0.2 mm long, glabrous, those of inner whorl not extended over ovary wall. Ovary ca. 2 mm long, 1-1.2 mm in diameter; stigma ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, covered with short erect hairs. Fruiting pedicels 1-5 cm long, 3-5 mm in diameter. Fruits 3-5.5 cm long, 1.2-5.5 cm in diameter, length:width ratio 1-1.5, globose to broadly ovoid, wrinkled, constricted over seeds, glabrous, dark green spotted with white; pericarp 1-2 mm thick. Seeds 8-16 mm long, 5-8 mm wide, broadly ellipsoid, packed in white pulp; testa smooth, darkish brown; raphe very slightly thickened, dark brown; hilum 3-3.5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, elliptical.