Annonaceae from Cameroon

In February 2012 I went on a field trip to Cameroon. The goal of this trip was to collect species of rattan palms for my master degree student. However, along the way I also made some nice collections of Annonaceae which I explain here. The first nice discovery was a small population of the species Boutiquea platypetala in the National Parc of Campo Ma’an. Boutiquea ressembles the liana genus Neostenanthera by the shape of its flowers and the septate anthers (anthers with clear seperations between pollen sacs). However, the fruits of Boutiquea are sessile, while those of Neostenanthera are pedicillate. Moreover, B. platypetala is a small tree, up right or sometimes scandent, while species of Neosteranthera are lianas. Unfortunately, the phylogenetic relations between both genera are no yet as Boutiquea has not been included in the molecular phylogeny of the family. The population we stumble upon was located at the top of a small hill on a rocky and well drained soil. There were numerous individuals scattered around the hill. I was able to get some leaves in silicagel for DNA extraction that will no doubt shed some light on its relationship with Neostenanthera and other Annonaceae genera. (see pics under the name) The next finding was a large tree of the genus Isolona, I. pleurocarpa. It was the first time I saw this species in the field. It is a large tree (over 30 m tall) that grows in the Ngovayang massif, south of Yaoundé, between the famous Bipindi and Lolodorf. Zenker had collected this species several times, but recent collections have been scarce. I was only able to get flowers on the floor as the tree was too tall to climb. We also found a fruit confirming its morphology (still doubtful in the monograph of the genus). We saw this species a few times suggesting a good population was present there. Although the massif isn’t officially protected, the forest there is in good shape, but logging activities have been reported. (see pics under the name) We also collected Uvariodendron giganteum, Duguetia staudii and Meiocarpidium lepidotum. (see pics under the name)