Coffea ankaranensis

Coffea ankaranensis View in CoL J.-F. Leroy ex A.P. Davis & Rakotonas., sp. nov.

Coffeae perrieri Drake ex Jum. & H. Perrier affinis sed foliis latioribus plerumque ovalibus vel obovatis vel late ellipticis (nec ellipticis nec elliptici-oblongis nec anguste ellipticis nec elliptici-oblanceolatis), calyculis pubescentibus vel villosis (nec puberulis), floribus majoribus [13.5-17 × 12-14 mm nec 10-13(-16) × 6-14(-20) mm] et fructibus majoribus (2.3-2.5 × 1.1- 1.3 cm nec 1.1-1.2 × 0.9-1 cm) distinguenda.

TYPUS. — Capuron 23166-SF, Madagascar, Ouest (Nord): plateau de l’Ankarana , massif d’Antsandoko , au Sud d’Antsandoko, au Sud d’Ambondromifehy , 22 Dec. 1963, fl. (holo-, P!; iso-, K!, TEF!) .

Tree or small tree, (3-) 4-10 m high, dbh (3.5-) 5-9(-10) cm. Bark dark brown to grey-brown, smooth. Branches terete, 6-10 mm in diam., light grey or light brown, or whitish, smooth. Branchlets ± terete, 2-5 mm in diam., light grey to whitish or light brown, smooth to slightly rough, sometimes splitting when dry, glabrous. Stipules caducous, deltate to triangular, 1.6-2 × 1.8-3 mm, subcoriaceous to ± woody, usually with a pitted texture, glabrous, margin glabrous; apex acute to shortly apiculate, apiculum c. 0.5 mm long.

Leaves: petioles 0.4-0.7 cm long; leaf-blades oval, obovate, or broadly elliptic to very broadly elliptic, rarely elliptic, (4.7-)5.4-12 × (2.7-) 4.4- 6.2 cm, subcoriaceous; base attenuate; margins subrevolute to revolute; apex rounded to obtuse or subacuminate; midrib prominent; abaxial surface: midrib prominent; secondary veins manifest, (6-)8-10 pairs, ascending at an angle of c. 45°, straight to slightly curved, joining to form a hooped intramarginal vein; tertiary venation weak to obscure, reticulate; higher order venation invisible; adaxial surface: venation manifest less clearly than that of the abaxial surface; domatia crypt type, indistinct to prominent, located in the axils of the secondary veins, against or on the edge of the midrib, the orifice round, 0.5- 0.7 mm in diam., or oval to slit-like, c. 0.1 × 0.2 mm, margin often chartaceous or darkened, and slightly swollen, glabrous; invisible to indistinct on the adaxial surface.

Inflorescences 1 per leaf axil, 4-6-flowered, ± umbellate, unbranched or with 1 very short (c. 0.2 mm long) branch, 10-15 mm long, elongating during fruit development, not or hardly covered with exudate; inflorescence axis (bearing calyculi) 5-11 mm long. Calyculi 4, the basal calyculi often falling, ± sessile, subcoriaceous, pubescent to villous, margins with many hairs (0.3-0.6 mm long), colleters sometimes present; basal (1 st) calyculus 2.5-3 × 3.1-3.5 mm, stipular lobes broadly ovate, 2.5-3 × 2.3-2.5 mm, foliar lobes ovate-elliptic, 2-2.3 × 1.1-1.3 mm; middle (2 nd) calyculus 2.3-3.5 × 4-4.3 mm, stipular lobes broadly elliptic to obovate, 3-3.2 × 2.4-2.6 mm, foliar lobes ± ligulate to elliptic, 1- 1.3 × 0.4-0.5 mm; middle calyculus (3 rd) 2.5- 3.3 × 4-4.5 mm, stipular lobes ± square to transversely oblong, 2.7-2.8 × 2.6-2.8 mm, foliar lobes ovate-elliptic, 2.2-2.3 × 1.1-1.3 mm; upper calyculus (4 th) cupular to ± tubular, 1.1- 1.7 × 2.5-2.8 mm, not lobed; internal surfaces of calyculi densely covered with colleters, particularly at the base, interspersed with fine, whitish to semi-translucent hairs (0.2-0.4 mm long); colleters narrowly ellipsoid to ± conical, 0.2- 0.3 mm long, white.

Flowers 5-merous; pedicel 3-7(-8) mm long, with 1 or 2 bractlets; bractlets hemi-ellipsoid to ± square, 0.6-1 × 0.5-0.9 mm, bearing colleters; colleters 10-16 in each bractlet, ± cylindrical, 0.4- 0.6 mm long, white. Calyx (hypanthium) ± turbinate, 1.4-1.7 × 2.4-2.7 mm, texture slightly rough, very sparsely papillate or sparsely covered with very short, minute echinae; calyx limb truncate, much shorter than disc. Corolla 13.5-17 × 12-14 mm, corolla tube ± equal to the corolla lobes or slightly shorter, smooth; corolla tube ± very broadly funnel-shaped, 7-9 mm long; corolla lobes 7-8 × 3.6-4 mm. Stamens: filaments infradorsifixed, 2.5-2.7 mm long; anthers narrowly elliptic to linear, 5.7-6.3 mm long. Ovary: disc prominent, ± discoid-tubular. Style 11.5- 14.5 mm long; stigma lobes 2.3-2.6 mm long.

Fruit (immature), ellipsoid to ellipsoidobovoid, 2.3-2.5 × 1.1-1.3 cm, green; fruit wall 1.5-2 mm thick; pedicel 7-9 mm long; calyx limb inconspicuous. Seeds (immature) ellipsoid to ellipsoid-obovoid, c. 15 × 7-8.7 mm, c. 9 mm thick, brown (when dry). — Fig. 1. View Fig

D I S T RIBUTION. — Endemic to northern Madagascar, in the Antsiranana Province; mostly restricted to the Ankarana Massif and in nearby forests, but with two collections from the Forest of Sakaramy   GoogleMaps (due north east of Montagne d’Ambre   GoogleMaps , c. 12º26’S, 49º16’E). — Fig. 2.

HABITAT AND ECOLOGY. — Seasonally dry forest: either deciduous forest, or mixed deciduousevergreen forest. On limestone and basalt lavas. Altitude 200-600 m.

PHENOLOGY. — Flowering in November and December; fruiting January and February. Phenology of cultivated material not included.

CONSERVATION STATUS. — IUCN Red List Category: Endangered (EN B1 a,b). B1 — total extent of occurrence less than 5000 km 2 (c. 500 km 2); a. — severely fragmented, and possibly existing at no more than five locations; b (i-v). — continuing decline, observed and inferred. Fieldwork in the forest of Sakaramy (DAVIS & RAKOTONASOLO, pers. observ. 1988) failed to find C. ankaranensis ; this forest is now much reduced and highly degraded. This evidence suggests that it has been either erroneously recorded (herbarium specimen locality data incorrect) or is now extinct at this locality. If C. ankaranensis does not occur at Sakaramy, the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy would be significantly reduced, possibly placing this species in the Critically Endangered Category (CR). Some populations of C. ankaranensis are located within a protected area, namely the Réserve Spéciale d’Ankarana.

PARATYPES. — NMADAGASCAR, Antsiranana: Capuron 28723-SF, Ouest (Nord): lapiaz dans les calcaires du Mur de l’Ankarana, 16-28 Jan. 1969, fr. ( P); Guillaumet 2318, face Ouest de l’Ankarana de Diego-Suarez , village d’Andrafiabe , 19 Jan. 1969, fr. ( P, TAN); Capuron 24554-SF, Ouest (Nord): plateau de l’Ankarana: près d’Ambondromifehy , 5 Feb. 1966, fr. ( K, P, TAN, TEF); Humbert 32397, forêt de Marovato , canton d’Anivorano Nord , 30 Jan. 1960, fr. ( K, P); Vianney A. 529 (herb. Leroy 3-43), forêt d’Antsandoko , 9 Nov. 1966, ster. ( P); Davis & Rakotonasolo 2331 (Kianjavato acc. no. A. 525), Andranofehy , recollected from Coffee Research Station at Kianjavato (FOFIFA), recollected 27 Nov. 1999, fl. ( K, P, MO, TAN); coll. ignot. A. 526 (herb. Leroy 3-38), forêt d’Antsandoko , 8 Nov. 1966, ster. ( P); Guillaumet 2187, route de Jofferville , km 4.5 ( Diego-Suarez ) [locality not traced], 200 m, 4 Aug. 1968, ster. ( P, TAN); coll. ignot. A. 525 (herb. Leroy 3- 36), forêt d’Antsandoko , Ankarana , 8 Nov. 1966, ster. ( P, TAN); coll. ignot. A. 518, forêt de Sakaramy , 6 Nov. 1966, ster. ( K, P); Davis & Rakotonasolo 2336 (Kianjavato acc. no. A. 518), forêt de Sakaramy , recollected from the Coffee Research Station at Kianjavato (FOFIFA), recollected 28 Nov. 1999, fl., fr. ( K, P, MO, TAN); coll. ignot., s.n., forêt de Sakaramy, 13 Nov. 1970, fl. ( P) .

Coffea ankaranesis is characterized by a combination of characters not present in any other Coffea species. The main characters are as follows. The leaves are oval to obovate, or broadly elliptic, and usually rather broad in relation to their width (usually 5.4-12 × 4.4-6.2 cm). The calyculi are pubescent to villous, and the flowers (13.5-17 × 12-14 mm) and fruits are rather large (2.3-2.5 × 1.1-1.3 cm). Coffea ankaranesis is similar to C. perrieri Drake ex Jum. & H. Perrier but the leaves of this species are elliptic to elliptic-oblong, narrowly elliptic, or elliptic-oblanceolate, and not particularly broad in relation to their width (usually 9.5-13 × 3- 5.5 cm); the calyculi are puberulous, and the flowers (10-13 × 6-14 mm) and fruits are smaller (1.1-1.2 × 0.9-1 cm). The ecology of these two species differs considerably. Coffea ankaranensis is usually found in seasonally dry, deciduous forest on limestone and basalt, whereas C. perrieri is almost always restricted to gallery forest, on riverine sand or quartzites.

Coffea ankaranesis is so named because it comes from Ankarana, a large limestone massif in Antsiranana Province in northern Madagascar.