Addressing the Vepris verdoorniana complex (Rutaceae) in West Africa, with two new species
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ISSN: 0075-5974 (print) ISSN: 1874-933X (electronic)
Addressing the Vepris verdoorniana complex (Rutaceae) in West Africa, with two new species Martin Cheek1 , Jean-Michel Onana2, Shigeo Yasuda1, Poppy Lawrence3, Gabriel Ameka4 & Greta Buinovskaja5 Summary. Vepris verdoorniana (Rutaceae) has long been regarded as a widespread and variable species occurring
from Guinea to Gabon. Recent evidence has shown that the original material from the type locality in Cameroon consists of two different species, V. verdoorniana in the strict sense, endemic to Lower Guinea (Cameroon, Gabon and C.A.R. in W-C Africa) and V. letouzeyi Onana, which was thought to occur from Guinea to Cameroon. In this paper we show that the West African (Upper Guinea) material previously referred to as V. letouzeyi/V. verdoorniana is separate morphologically from that in Cameroon (Lower Guinea). In fact the West African material referred to comprises two distinct species, here described as V. occidentalis Cheek & Onana (Guinea to Ghana, but probably extending to Benin) a tree of lowland marginal dry evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, and V. fer Cheek, a species restricted to four mainly lower submontane forest locations on iron substrates in Liberia and Sierra Leone (also Upper Guinea). Vepris occidentalis is here assessed as Least Concern due to its wide range and high frequency, whilst V. fer is assessed as Endangered due to the low number of locations and threats from iron ore mining projects. Both new species are illustrated and mapped. Key Words. Arcelor Mittal, conservation assessments, endangered, Gola, iron substrate, mining natural products,
Teclea.
Introduction Vepris Comm. ex A.Juss. (Rutaceae-Toddalieae), is a genus with 86 accepted species, 22 in Madagascar and 65 in Continental Africa with one species extending to Arabia and another endemic to India (Plants of the World Online, downloaded 25 May 2018). Four new species were recently described from Cameroon (Onana & Chevillotte 2015; Cheek et al. 2018a) and one more is in press (Onana et al. 2019), taking the total in Cameroon to 22 species, the joint highest number for any country. Many of these 22 species are endemic to western Cameroon (SouthWest Region and NorthWest Regions of Cameroon) and several are threatened (Onana & Cheek 2011). Western Cameroon is the most species-diverse area for vascular plants per degree square in tropical Africa and contains several refugia areas (Barthlott et al. 1996; Cheek et al. 2001). In continental Africa, Vepris are easily recognised. They differ from all other Rutaceae because they have digitately (1 –) 3 (– 5)-foliolate (not pinnate) leaves, and unarmed (not spiny) stems. The genus consists of
evergreen shrubs and trees, predominantly of tropical lowland evergreen forest, but with some species extending into submontane forests and some into drier forests and woodland. Vepris species are often indicators of good quality, relatively undisturbed evergreen forest since they are not pioneers (Cheek, Onana pers. obs. 1992 – 2016). Species of Vepr
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