Tragia mildbraediana Pax & K. Hoffm.

3. Tragia mildbraediana Pax & K. Hoffm. View in CoL ( Pax and Hoffman 1919: 96)

Figs 3 View Figure 3 , 4 A View Figure 4

Type

CAMEROON – East Region • Molundu [Moloundou] am Dscha [by the Dja]; [ 2°02’46”N, 15°12’49”E]; 23 Nov. 1910; Mildbraed 3899; lectotype ( designated here): HBG [ HBG 515788 ] image GoogleMaps .

Description

Twining perennial herb of unknown height; young and mature branches hispid with stinging hairs up to 1 mm long. Stipules triangular-lanceolate, 6–7.5 × 2.1 mm, acute, subglabrous externally, ciliate with hairs up to 1.5 mm long. Petioles (0.4 –) 1.2–2.7 cm long, hispid with stinging hairs up to 1 mm long; distally pulvinate. Leaf blade obovate to elliptic, (5.5 –) 8–11.5 × (2.8 –) 3.7–5.8 cm; rounded to slightly cordate at base, acuminate at apex, with acumen up to 0.5 cm, slightly dentate, upper surface sparsely hairy with stinging hairs up to 1 mm long, lower surface indumentum similar to that found on the upper surface but denser on veins, basal veins 3–5, secondary veins in 5–6 pairs. Inflorescences bisexual, up to 3.5 cm; peduncle up to 1.8 cm, hispid, with stinging hairs up to 0.5 mm long. Male segment up to 1.5 cm long; bracts obovate-lanceolate to obovate, apically sinuate or crenate, acute, sometimes irregularly dentate (2–3 teeth), 2.8 × 1.1 mm, sparsely hairy with short hairs, ciliate with hairs up to 0.5 mm long; without bracteoles. Female segment with 1 flower; bracts deeply trilobate with lobes ovate-lanceolate (longer one 4 × 1 mm long), sparsely hairy, ciliate (with hairs up to 0.5 mm long); bracteoles ovate-elliptic, 2 × 1.2 mm, sparsely hairy with scattered hairs externally, ciliate with short hairs up to 0.5 mm long. Male flower pedicel ca 2 mm long, slightly puberulous, with short hairs up to 0.1 mm long; buds ca 0.8 mm in diameter; calyx lobes 0.4 mm long, slightly puberulous, with minute hairs; stamens 3; filament ca 0.2 mm long; anthers 0.15 × 0.2 mm. Female flower sessile; calyx with 6 lobes, elliptic, with 1–2 teeth on each side, 2 × 1 mm, pubescent, with hairs ca 0.8 mm long; ovary 2 × 1 mm, densely hispid; styles 3.5–4 mm, connate until the middle, sparsely hairy. Fruits sessile, 5.5 × 8 mm, densely pubescent, with hairs up to 0.8 mm; calyx lobes lobulate, up to 6 mm long, with 1–3 teeth on each side, with laminula elliptic 2 (– 3) × 1 mm, slightly hardened in the central part, pubescent, with short hairs up to 0.8 mm long; columella 3 mm long. Seeds 3 mm in diameter, light brown with dark brown patches.

Distribution

Cameroon (Pax and Hoffmann 1919), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo (Fig. 4 A View Figure 4 ).

Habitat and ecology

This species grows in open secondary forests at 5–680 m elevation.

Additional material examined

CAMEROON – East Region • 17 km N of Bertoua, along road to Deng Deng ; [ 4°43’15”N, 13°37’10”E]; 680 m; 6 Jan. 1962; Breteler, de Wilde & Leeuwenberg 2417; BR [ BR 0000016248816 ] image, WAG [ WAG.1338866 , WAG.1338868 ] images GoogleMaps • 15 km E of Dimako ; [ 4°20’43”N, 13°41’59”E]; 650 m; 13 Dec. 1965; Leeuwenberg 7328; BR [ BR 0000016249080 ] image, WAG [ WAG.1338864 , WAG.1338865 , WAG 0144378 ] images GoogleMaps • A 4 Km au SSW de Koso (village situé à 60 Km au SSW de Batouri) ; [ 3°55’33”N, 14°09’01”E]; 29 Jul. 1963; Letouzey 5535; P [ P 00346743 ] image GoogleMaps .

EQUATORIAL GUINEA – Bioko Norte • Malabo, aeroporto, estrada km 6 ; 32 NMK 7014; 26 Sep. 1986; Carvalho 2510; MA [ MA-716364 ] • Entre Malabo y el aeropuerto, junto al km 6 de la autopista ; 32 NMK 6915; 7 Jul. 1986; Fernández Casas 10254; MA [ MA-699764 ] .

GABON – Estuaire • Parc National de la Pongara, camp de Gabon Environnement, Pointe Ouingombé ; 0°19.7’N, 9°19.2’E; 5 m; 20 Mar. 2007; Dauby 219; BRLU, LVB, MO GoogleMaps . – Ogooué-Ivindo • Mwagna National Park and peripheric area, northeast of national park around the Mabekwe camp ; 0°36’05”N, 13°49’52”E; 502 m; 19 Jan. 2018; Texier 1868; LVB, MO GoogleMaps . – Woleu-Ntem • Mont Miwa, inselberg a 3 km du village de Kumassi, a 35 km d’Oyem vers Bitam ; 1°50’N, 11°38’E; 680 m; 15 Apr. 2002; Parmentier 2563 bis; BRLU GoogleMaps .

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – Bouenza • Loudima , bord de l’eau; [ 4°06’46”S, 13°04’44”E]; 1 Oct. 1950; Koechlin 1379; IEC [ IEC 008051 ] GoogleMaps . – Sangha • District de Ngbala, UFA Tala Tala, Forêt de Godha ; [ 1°24’02”N, 15°20’07”E]; 433 m; 6 Aug. 2010; Nsongola 278; IEC [ IEC 026530 , IEC 026531 ] GoogleMaps • District de Souanké, ca 52 km SW of Souanké along Garabinzam road, Bessié village (near ” Koulmélen ”) ; [ 1°56’N, 13°54’E]; 510 m; 9 Nov. 1991; Thomas 8810; WAG [ WAG.1338875 ] image GoogleMaps .

Notes

We have selected the specimen Mildbraed 3899 ( HBG 515788 ) as the lectotype of Tragia mildbraediana because it was the only original material found.

Tragia mildbraediana is a relatively little-known species, newly reported here for Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo. After a preliminary revision of material from West Africa, we confirm that this species is not present in Ghana, Ivory Coast, or Liberia ( Govaerts et al. 2000).

Tragia mildbraediana coexists with T. zenkeri , from which it can be distinguished by its obovate-lanceolate leaves of 9–11.5 × 3.7–5.8 cm (vs leaves elliptic, 4.2–8.4 × 2.3–3.8 cm), deeply trilobate female bracts, with ovate-lanceolate lobes, ca 3.5 mm long (vs female bracts subcuneate distally 3–4 - dentate until 1 / 3 of the length, ca 1.5 mm long), the styles connate to the middle, up to 4 mm long (vs styles connate at the base, up to 1 mm long), and calyx lobes up to 6 mm long in fruit, with laminula elliptic 2 (– 3) × 1 mm (vs calyx lobes ca 4 mm long in fruit, with laminula oblanceolate 1.5 (– 2) × 1 (– 1.5) mm).

Tragia mildbraediana is morphologically similar to T. sericea , but can be distinguished by its obovate-lanceolate leaves of 9–11.5 × 3.7–5.8 cm (vs elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5–8 × 3–4.4 cm), deeply trilobate female bracts, with ovate-lanceolate lobes (vs bracts of the female flower obovate with entire margin), branches hispid with simple, subulate stinging hairs up to 1 mm long (vs. branches pubescent with minute retrorse, appressed hairs), and calyx lobes up to 6 mm long in fruit, with laminula elliptic 2 (– 3) × 1 mm (vs calyx lobes up to 2.5 mm long in fruit, with laminula lanceolate 1.3 × 1 mm).