Synopsis of the genus Vitex (Lamiaceae) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Author
Meerts, Pierre
text
Plant Ecology and Evolution
2018
2018-11-28
151
3
380
392
http://dx.doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.2018.1504
journal article
10.5091/plecevo.2018.1504
7.
Vitex djumaensis
De Wild.
(
De Wildeman 1909: 128
);
Pieper (1928: 70)
;
Moldenke (1955b: 321)
;
Lebrun & Stork (1997: 524)
;
Cabral (2013: 199)
.
–
Type
:
D.R. Congo
,
Vallée de la Djuma
,
Jul. 1902
,
Gentil
s.n. (lecto-: BR barcode BR0000008905543 designated by
Cabral
(2013)
;
isolecto-: BR barcode BR00000089055292)
.
Asmall tree. Leaves in whorls of 3. Leaf glabrous except for ciliate domatia; leaflets 5; petiolules
3–17 mm
; lamina coriaceous, acute or shortly acuminate. Inflorescence of dichasia; peduncle short (<
2 cm
), calyx
2 mm
, ovary hairy. Fruit small c. 9 ×
7 mm
.
Distribution
– Endemic to D.R. Congo.
Note
–
V. djumaensis
is related to
Vitex doniana
(glabrous leaves, petiolulate leaflets, pubescent ovary). It has an original combination of traits, i.e. ternate leaves, leaflets with few secondary veins (6–10 pairs), small fruit, and ciliate domatia.
Vitex djumaensis
is endemic to southern D.R
Congo
. It is a poorly known taxon. All the specimens cited by
Moldenke (1955b)
are misidentifications. New specimens have been found, from
Bas-Congo
,
Kasaï
and W
Katanga
, which had been previously misidentified as
V. doniana
.