Korupodendron songweanum Litt & Cheek

Tree ca. 35 m tall, 45 cm diam. at breast height. Bole cylindrical, with 7-8 short but- tresses. Bark white. Leaves opposite, sim- ple; petiole 1 cm; blade elliptic to ovate, entire, chartaceous, glabrous, 8-12.5 X 4- 6 cm, base acute or obtuse, apex acuminate; venation brochidodromous, the major lat- eral veins forming a looping marginal vein 3 mm from the margin except the basalmost lateral vein, which terminates at the margin; midvein sulcate adaxially, raised abaxially; major lateral veins raised abaxially, 3-4(- 6) pairs, 1-2.5 cm apart, inconspicuous adaxially, the basal pair inserted near the petiole and decurrent, the upper lateral nerves nearly patent. Inflorescence race- mose, rachis slender, 3-5 cm long, mostly glabrous or with very sparse simple golden hairs but pubescent at nodes; bracts hemi- orbicular, ca. 1 mm long, deciduous, leav- ing raised scar, opposite scars connected across the rachis by a slight raised ridge; flower buds not seen. Flowers zygomor- phic, sweetly scented (at 10 A.M.), opposite; pedicel 1 cm, slender, or flowers sessile. Calyx white, sepals 5, fused basally to the inferior ovary, glabrous except for a some- what sparse fringe of simple golden hairs along the edge; three larger sepals elliptic, the dorsal (uppermost) larger sepal with a red-speckled, pale yellow band along the midrib, sepals somewhat membranous and transparent when dried, 7-10 X 2.5-3 mm, midrib and 6-7 parallel veins somewhat conspicuous, very conspicuous in dried ma- terial; two smaller sepals deltoid-elliptic, green at the base, 1 mm long; spur of fourth sepal cylindric, straight, white, 2-4 X 1- 1.5 mm, tip rounded, greenish or brownish. Corolla white, petals 5, free, readily decid- uous, glabrous, clawed, elliptic, similar in shape to the large sepals but slightly nar- rower, 9.5 X 1.5-2.5 mm, apex subacumi- nate, transparent in dried material. Androe- cium of one fertile stamen inserted at the top of the ovary; filament straight or slight- ly curved, 2-3 X 0.5 mm, glabrous; anther sagittate, 2 mm long, glabrous, connective broad, purple. Staminodes not observed. Ovary inferior, unilocular, glabrous; ovule 1, inserted laterally; style straight or slightly curved, slightly tapered, 3 X 0.5 mm; stig- ma lateral, oval, 0.5 mm, wet. Fruit inde- hiscent, winged, the body turbinate, ca. 1.5 X 1.5 cm, the 5 wings formed by the ac- crescent growth of the sepals, three wings large, two small, reflecting the proportions of the sepals; larger wings oblanceolate, 4.5-5 X ca. 1.7 cm.

Source: Litt A. and M. Cheek. 2000. Korupodendron songweanum, a new genus and species of Vochysiaceae from West-Central Africa. Brittonia 54: 13—17.