Summary
Allophylus samoritourei from the lowland and submontane forests of the Loma-Man highlands in Guinea-Conakry and Liberia, Africa and Allophylus bertoua from lowland eastern Cameroon are described and illustrated as part of a synoptic revision of the four spiny African species of Allophylus. IUCN conservation assessments are given for all species. The phenomena of androgynophores and of spiny structures in the Sapindaceae, and the possibility of monophyly of spiny Allophylus are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
Both authors thank Rio Tinto Atlantic Iron Ore, Guinea, SIMFER S.A. for supporting the fieldwork that led to the discovery of Allophylus samoritourei, and so thence to that of A. bertoua. Dr Seydou Magassouba, Director-Adjoint, Université de Gamal Abdel Nasser-Herbier National de Guinée, is thanked for arranging permits and for carrying the type specimens of Allophylus samoritourei to K from Guinea-Conakry. P. K. Haba is thanked for his collections and observations of the species. Janis Shillito is thanked for typing the manuscript. George Gosline assisted with access to electronic specimen data. This paper was completed under the project Important Plant Areas in the Republic of Guinea supported by the Darwin Initiative of the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK government (project Ref. 23-002). Sven Buerki and an anonymous reviewer are thanked for constructive comments on an earlier draft of the paper.
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Cheek, M., Haba, P. Spiny African Allophylus (Sapindaceae): a synopsis. Kew Bull 71, 57 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-016-9672-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-016-9672-3