| Korupodendron | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Vochysiaceae |
| Genus: | Korupodendron |
| Species: | K. songweanum |
| Binomial name | |
| Korupodendron songweanum Litt & Cheek |
|
Korupodendron is a genus of the family Vochysiaceae. The genus is represented by a single species: K. songweanum. It was first discovered in Korup NP in NW Cameroon and named in honor of Dr N. Songwe. Korupodendron differs from the other African genus Erismadelphus by having three conspicuous and petaloid sepals and two inconspicuous sepals.
Contents |
K. songweanum is a tall canopy tree species, with opposite simple leaves; the leaf shape is elliptic to ovate,with an entire margin, acute to obtuse base and an accuminate apex, chartaceous, glabrous (dimensions: 8–12.5 x 4–6 cm).The sessile flowers are zygomorph with five white sepals fused at the base, and five free petals readily deciduous; the upper sepal forms a sac-like spur over the unilocular ovary;the only fertile stamen and the style are strait to slightly curved; fruits indehiscent with three large wings and two smaller ones.
The species natural habitat is wet upland tropical rain forest.
The species is distributed from NW Cameroon to north Gabon with a disjunction for most of Cameroon. A population was recently discovered in Mbé National Park in Gabon.[2]