European Journal of Taxonomy

European Journal of Taxonomy 126: 1-8
http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2015.126

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ISSN 2118-9773
www. europeanj ournaloftaxonomy. eu
2015 • Jongkind C.C.H.

Research article

Description of Gaertnera luteocarpa (Gentianales: Rubiaceae),
with two subspecies, a new forest shrub species from Liberia,

Ivory Coast and Ghana

Carel Christiaan Hugo JONGKIND

Botanic Garden Meise, Herbarium, Nieuwelaan 38, Meise, BE-1860, Belgium.

carel.jongkind@kpnmai1 nl

Abstract. Gaertnera luteocarpa sp. nov., with two subspecies, is described and illustrated. The new
species resembles G. spicata K.Schum. but has yellow, not reddish, fruits. With G. cooperi and G. aurea
it shares the ruminate endosperm.

Keywords. Rubiaceae, Gaertnera, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia.

Jongkind C.C.H. 2015. Description of Gaertnera luteocarpa (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), with two subspecies, a new
forest shrub species from Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana. European Journal of Taxonomy 126: 1-8. http://dx.doi.
org/10.5852/ejt.2015.126

Introduction

The Paleotropical genus Gaertnera Lam. comprises 69 species of shrubs and small trees according to the
taxonomical revision by Malcomber & Taylor (2009). The 12 species that they recognize for continental
Africa are all endemic. Only five of these grow in the forests west of Nigeria, G. aurea Malcomber,
G. cooperi Hutch. & M.B.Moss, G. liberiensis E.M.A.Petit, G. longivaginalis (Schweinf. ex Hiern)
E.M.A.Petit and G. paniculata Benth., with the new species described here this number will be six.

Almost 20 years ago I found in Ankasa Forest in south-west Ghana a yellow fruiting Gaertnera shrub. It was
thought at that time to be G. cooperi with immature fruits, because of its robust leaves and branchlets, and
because the mature fruits of G. cooperi are known to be dark purple. In the revision the fruits of all species of
Gaertnera are described as “(as far as observed) all black or violet-black at maturity” (2009: 587). The plant
from Ankasa was re-identified by Taylor for the revision as G. aurea (on MO herbarium sheet), probably
by eliminating other possible species (the key in the revision only works with flowering plants). Recently,
I collected another yellow fruiting Gaertnera , now in Sapo National Park in Liberia, and realised that the
large sweet tasting yellow fruits of both plants (Figs 1-2) were in fact mature and not similar to the fruits of
G. cooperi (Fig. 3B) or G. aurea. The collection and photos of a red fruiting G. spicata K.Schum. from Gabon
by O. Lachenaud (Fig. 3 A) confirms that, at least in continental Africa, the colour of the fruits in Gaertnera
is indeed more variable than concluded in the revision. The colour of the fruit is not the only character
that separates the abovementioned species from G. cooperi and G. aurea. The compact, almost spicate
inflorescence and the large size of the mature fruits, in which it resembles G. spicata , are other characters.
With G. cooperi and G. aurea it shares the ruminate endosperm, a rare character in African Gaertnera species
(Malcomber & Taylor 2009: 581) and not present in G. spicata. There are, in my opinion, clearly 2 new and

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European Journal of Taxonomy 126: 1-8 (2015)

closely related taxa involved here but, because there are very few open flowers and mature fruits, it is hard
to be sure whether they are different species or subspecies. More flowering and fruiting material is needed
to get a better idea of their differences. For the moment, I think it is best to describe them as subspecies,
G. luteocarpa sp. nov. subsp. luteocarpa and G. luteocarpa sp. nov. subsp. sinoensis subsp. nov. This new
species adds a bit more variation to an already very variable genus (Malcomber & Taylor 2009: 590).

The new species was already mentioned a few years ago by William Hawthorne as Gaertnera sp. A
(Hawthorne & Jongkind 2006: 646).

Materials and Methods

The available material of Gaertnera from the BR, K, P, and WAG herbaria was studied. The herbarium,
where the specimens are located, is indicated by the international code (herbarium acronym) registered in
Index Herbariorum (Thiers, continuously updated). Photos were seen from plants in the FHO herbarium
cited here. Gaertnera luteocarpa spec. nov. has recently been studied in the field on several occasions.
Preliminary assessments of the IUCN Red Fist categories of threat were performed using the IUCN
criteria through the RBG Kew website http://geocat.kew.org .

Results

Order Gentianales Juss. ex Bercht. & J.Presl
Family Rubiaceae Juss. nom. cons.

Genus Gaertnera Lam. nom. cons.

Key to the species in Upper Guinea (forest area west of Nigeria)

(Largely based on the key in Malcomber & Taylor 2009)

1. Stipules 4-lobed, with several to numerous setae at the apex of the stipule rim, each 0.5-9 mm

long.2

- Stipules 2 to 4-lobed or without lobes, without setae at apex of the stipule rim.3

2. Leaves 6-12 x 1.5-3 cm; petiole < 1 cm long. Corolla in bud white.

. G. liberiensis E.M.A.Petit (only known from type with flower buds)

- Leaves 18-29 x 5-9 cm; petiole 1.5-3.2 cm long. Corolla in bud red.

. G. spicata K.Schum. (only known from Gabon)

3. Stipules with ridges or wings not extending below the petioles, the stems merging smoothly into the

petiole base or the base encircled by a thin, ciliolate, skirt-like flap.4

- Stipules with ridges or wings extending below petiole as a thickened, well-developed wing or flange

encircling petiole base.5

4. Corolla tube 2.5—4 mm long, lobes 1.5-2.5 mm long. Stipules drying chartaceous.

. G. paniculata Benth.

- Corolla tube 4-6 mm long, lobes 2.5-5 mm long. Stipules drying membranous.

. G. longivaginalis (Schweinf. ex Hiern) E.M.A.Petit

5. Corolla tube 8-11 mm long, lobes 3.5-6 mm long, the lobes inflated and cucullate at apex, in bud

the lobes forming an urceolate cap. Mature drupes violet-black, 5-10 mm long.

. G. cooperi Hutch. & M.B.Moss

- Corolla tube 1.8-9 mm long, lobes 0.8-5 mm long, the lobes flattened at apex or with an adaxial

hook or flange, in bud the lobes forming a smoothly tapered, acute apex. Mature drupes purplish or
yellow.6

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JONGKIND C.C.H., Gaertnera luteocarpa (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), new from West Africa

6. Corolla tube 1.8-3.3 mm long, lobes 1.8-2.7 mm long. Mature drupes violet-black, 5-10 mm long

. G. aurea Malcomber

- Corolla tube c. 9 mm long, lobes c. 5 mm long. Mature drupes yellow, 18-20 mm long.

. G. luteocarpa sp. nov., 7

7. Stipular tube densely pale hairy. Fertile branchlets 4 mm wide (when dry).

. G. luteocarpa subsp. luteocarpa

- Stipular tube glabrous. Fertile branchlets 2 mm wide (when dry).

. G. luteocarpa subsp. sinoensis subsp. nov.

Gaertnera luteocarpa Jongkind sp. nov.
urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77147376-1

Figs 1-2, 4

Gaertnera sp. A, Hawthorne & Jongkind, Woody plants of Western African forests: a guide to the forest
trees, shrubs and lianes from Senegal to Ghana : 646 (2006).

Diagnosis

Resembling G. spicata K.Schum., with almost similar spicate inflorescences, but differing by its yellow,
not red, fruits, ruminate endosperm and by the absence of setae on the edge of the stipular tube.

Etymology

The species is named after its yellow fruits.

Type

IVORY COAST. Region du Bas-Sassandra, km 41 Sassandra-San Pedro road, fl. bud and fr., 16 Nov.
1968, Breteler 6052 (holo-: WAG; iso-: BR, K, MO n.v., PRE n.v., W n.v.)

Description

Shrub 2-3 m high. Most leaves distichous and evenly arranged on plagiotrophic branches. Twigs
glabrous, with a pronounced ridge around the petiole base. Leaves glabrous; blade 6-25 x 2-7 cm,
elliptic to elliptic oblong, apex acuminate, base cuneate; midrib prominent at both sides; secondary
veines 6-12 pairs, tertiary venetion conspicuously subparallel; petiole 0.5-6 cm long. Stipules tubular,
ending in 4 lobes, glabrous or pale hairy, tube c. 2 cm long. Inflorescence terminal, densely flowered,
not or very shortly branched, congested; bracts 2-5 mm long, triangular to lanceolate. Flower 5-merous,
almost sessile; calyx cup-shaped, truncate, c. 1 mm high, glabrous or with small hairs on the edge;
corolla white, glabrous outside, with acute apex in bud, tube 9 x 2-3 mm, white hairy inside above the
insertion of the stamens, glabrous below this point, hairs exserted from the mouth, lobes 5 mm long,
glabrous; stamens completely included in the corolla tube; ovary superior. Drupes subglobose with
flattened apex, smooth, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, yellow, pulp whitish and sweet, with 2 pyrenes; pyrenes
more or less plano-convex, 10 mm in diameter and 5 mm in cross-section, rugose, endosperm ruminated.

Distribution and habitat

Undergrowth of evergreen lowland forest. Known from the south-east of Liberia to the south-west of Ghana.

Conservation status

The “Extent of Occurrence” (EOO) is 20649 km 2 and the “Area of Occupancy” (AOO) is 36 km 2 , the
first counts as “Near Threathened” and the second as “Endangered”. The AOO is based on a cell width
of 2 km. The calculation of the EOO as one continuous area is (much) too high looking at the big gap
between the western occurrences and the eastern ones. Most forest that could be found inside the EOO
a century ago has been removed since. All eastern specimens were collected in the Ankasa Reserve and

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European Journal of Taxonomy 126 : 1-8 ( 2015 )

that is the only place where the species is not rare. Because G. luteocarpa sp. nov. is, when flowering or
fruiting, a conspicuous plant it should not be easy overlooked in the forest and it can be expected that it
is really a rare species that is only becoming more rare because of the ongoing deforestation. Therefore
I propose “Endangered” for this new species (Bl & B2 ab(iii) IUCN 2015).

Note

The plagiotrophic branching with distichous leaves has been seen by the author in the field for all
Gaertnera species he encountered in West Africa.

Fig. 1. Gaertnera luteocarpa sp. nov. subsp. luteocarpa. A. Habit in fruit. B. Fruits. C. Stipules.
D. Twig showing ridges around base of petiole. A, B & D from Hawthorne & Gyakari 205a063 ; C from
Hawthorne & Gyakari 201a223. Photos W.D. Hawthorne.

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JONGKIND C.C.H., Gaertnera luteocarpa (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), new from West Africa

Gaertnera luteocarpa Jongkind subsp. luteocarpa

(Figs 1,4)

Diagnostic characters

Fertile branches twice the size of the other subspecies (4 mm wide in dry state). Stipular tube densely
pale hairy.

Distribution

Undergrowth of evergreen lowland forest often on swampy places. South-west Ghana and south Ivory
Coast.

Additional specimens studied

GHANA. Western Region, Ankasa River Forest Reserve, fr., 4 Jan. 1969, Enti & Hall GC 39103 (GC
n.v., K); ibid., young fr., 29 Dec. 1966, Hall & Enti GC 36155 (K); ibid., young fr., 12 Nov. 1967,
Hall GC 37121 (K); Ankasa River Reserve, 24 Apr. 2001, Hawthorne & Gyakari 201a223 (FHO);
ibid., 3 Mar. 2003, Hawthorne & Gyakari 203al23 (FHO); ibid., 28 Feb. 2005, Hawthorne & Gyakari
205a063 (FHO); near Ankasa Game Reserve, fr., 28 Feb. 1995, Jongkind, Abbiw & Markwei 2077 (MO,
WAG)

Conservation status

The EOO is 1398 km 2 and the AOO is 20 km 2 , both count as “Endangered”. The AOO is based on a
cell width of 2 km. This calculation of the EOO as one continuous area is much too high looking at the
big gap between the most western occurrence and all other ones. Most specimens were collected in the
Ankasa Reserve and that is the only forest area where this subspecies is found more than once. Most
forests connecting the two locations of the subspecies has disappeared in recent years. Like for the
species itself I propose “Endangered” for this subspecies (Bl & B2 ab(iii) IUCN 2015).

Remark

The holotype of G. luteocarpa sp. nov. was not recognized before as a Gaertnera species and for years
misplaced in the herbarium as Bertiera racemosa (G.Don) K.Schum.

Gaertnera luteocarpa Jongkind subsp. sinoensis Jongkind subsp. nov.

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77147377-1

(Figs 2, 4)

Diagnosis

Fertile branches half the size as of the other subspecies (2 mm wide in dry state). Stipular tube glabrous,
not densely hairy.

Type

LIBERIA. Sino County, Sapo National Park not far from Camp 6, 5°18.5’ N, 8°44.8’ W, alt: 220 m, fr.,
22 Nov. 2010, Jongkind, Bilivogui & Daniels 9832 (holo-: WAG, iso-: BR).

Etymology

The subspecies is named after “Sinoe”, the river close to which it was seen for the first time.

Distribution and habitat

Known only from the south-east of Liberia.

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European Journal of Taxonomy 126 : 1-8 ( 2015 )

Additional specimens examined

LIBERIA. Sino County, SSW of May’s Town near the Sinoe River, 5°20’ N, 8°49’ W, alt: 90-100 m, fl.
bud, 10 Mar. 2009, Jongkind, Bilivogui & Dorbor 8923 (WAG); c. 50 km east of Greenville, 5°04.61’ N,
8°30.42’ W, alt: 59 m, fl., 18 Mar. 2014, Jongkind & Mulbah 12500 (BR, K, MO).

Fig. 2. Gaertnera luteocarpa sp. nov. subsp. sinoensis subsp. nov. A. Fruits and leaves. B. Close up of
fruits. From Jongkind, Bilivogui & Daniels 9832. Photos C.C.H. Jongkind.

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JONGKIND C.C.H., Gaertnera luteocarpa (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), new from West Africa

Conservation status

The EOO is 54 km 2 and the AOO is 12 km 2 , both count as “Endangered”. The AOO is based on a
cell width of 2 km. Only one of the specimens was collected in a protected area. Considering all the
economical development planned in this part of Liberia, I propose “Endangered” for this subspecies (Bl
&B2 ab(iii) IUCN2015).

Fig. 3. A Gaertnera spicata fruits. B. Gaertnera cooperi fruits. A from Lachenaud & Walters 1163.
Photo O.L.S. Lachenaud. B from Jongkind, de Wet & Sambolah 12104. Photo C.C.H. Jongkind.

/ n Ivory Coast

Liberia

( Ghana

L

)

i

Fig. 4. Distribution map. Gaertnera luteocarpa sp. nov. subsp. luteocarpa (stars) and G. luteocarpa
subsp. sinoensis subsp. nov. (dots).

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European Journal of Taxonomy 126 : 1-8 ( 2015 )

Acknowledgements

The author wants to thank William Hawthorne and Olivier Lachenaud for the use of the photos they made
available for this publication. The expeditions that made it possible to collect the fruits of G. luteocarpa
sp. nov. in Sapo National Park were funded by Fauna and Flora International.

References

Hawthorne W.D. & Jongkind C.C.H. 2006. Woody plants of Western African forests: a guide to the forest
trees, shrubs and Hanes from Senegal to Ghana. Kew Publishing, Richmond.

IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge,
U.K.

Malcomber S.T. & Taylor C.M. 2009. A systematic revision of Gaertnera (Rubiaceae, Gaertnereae).
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 96 (4): 575-671. http://dx.doi.org/10.3417/20Q2161

Thiers B. continuously updated. Index Herbariorum: A global directory of public herbaria and associated
staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium [online]. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual
Herbarium, New York. Available from http://sweetgum.nvbg.org/ih/ [accessed 11 Sep. 2014],

Manuscript received: 29 September 2014
Manuscript accepted: 16 April 2015
Published on: 19 June 2015
Topic editor: Thomas Janssen
Desk editor: Charlotte Thionois

Printed versions of all papers are also deposited in the libraries of the institutes that are members of the
EJT consortium: Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium;
Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium; Natural History Museum, London, United
Kingdom; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium; Natural history Museum of
Denmark, Copenhagen, De nm ark

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