Berlinia razzifera Mackinder & Wieringa

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/103851275/112189055

Conservation

EN - endangered

Kew Species Profiles

General Description

Berlinia razzifera is a rare rainforest tree from river banks in the Loango National Park of Gabon.

The first known collection of Berlinia razzifera was made in April 2004 by Jean-Claude Mouandza Mbembo in Gabon. That first specimen was subsequently recognised as a species new to science by Kew botanist Barbara Mackinder.

The Latin word razzifera means 'bearing rockets' and refers to the plant's erect inflorescences (flowering stems), which resemble a rocket-like firework. The glowing embers of the rocket are called to mind by the persistent, hanging, reddish-brown bracts, above which extends a long, straight axis of showy, white flowers.

Species Profile

Geography and distribution

Berlinia razzifera is native to the Loango National Park, on the west coast of Gabon, in west-central Africa.

Description

Overview: A small to medium-sized forest tree up to about 20 m tall, Berlinia razzifera has a trunk about 50 cm in diameter.

Flowers: The showy, large white flowers are arranged along long terminal axes. One petal is markedly longer and wider than the other four. Unusually for this genus, the bracts (another floral structure) below the flower persist even after the petals have matured and fallen.

Fruits: The pods (fruits) are huge, oblong and flat, measure up to 40 cm long by 13 cm wide and contain 1-4 seeds. When mature, the pod releases its seeds by opening rapidly with a force thought to expel the seeds up to 50 m away, although the ejected seeds have never been collected.

Threats and conservation

Berlinia razzifera is known from only eight individuals from three nearby localities, all at similar latitudes in the Loango National Park, Gabon.

First collection of this species

The first known collection of Berlinia razzifera , comprising foliage and flowers, was recognised as a species new to science by Kew botanist Barbara Mackinder.

Jean-Claude Mouandza Mbembo returned to the field with colleagues from the National Herbarium of Gabon (HNG) and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2005 to search for more trees of this new species and in particular to find, if possible, their fruits. The team was successful in finding both trees and fruits.

This species at Kew

Pressed and dried specimens of Berlinia razzifera are held in Kew's Herbarium where they are available to researchers by appointment.

Symbiotic relationships with fungi

Berlinia razzifera is known to form symbiotic relationships (in which both partners benefit) in the wild with several species of ectomycorrhizal fungi, such as Lactarius chromospermus , Lactifluus gymnocarpoides and Russula meleagris .

Ectomycorrhizal fungi develop their symbiotic relationships with plants (often trees) by forming a sheath around the root tips that allows the fungus to absorb organic compounds from the plant whilst taking up water and nutrients for the host plant.

Many other tropical African trees from the pea and bean family (Leguminosae) or Fabaceae sensu APG III (2009), such as Isoberlinia doka and Gilbertiodendron dewevrei , are also thought to form ectomycorrhizal relationships with fungi.

Distribution

Gabon

Ecology

Riverine lowland rainforest.

Conservation

Vulnerable (VU) according to IUCN Red List criteria.

Hazards

None known.

Mackinder, B. & Wieringa, J. (2007). Novitates Gabonenses 58: Two New Species of Berlinia (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae: Detarieae). Kew Bulletin, 62(1), 159-164. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20443330

Type

Gabon, Ogooue - Maritime. Loango National Park, Rembo Rabi R., downstream from debarcadere (landing point) at Rabi village, Harris et al. 8527 (holotypus E!; isotypi K!, LBV, WAG!).

Morphology General Habit

Tree 6 - 18 m; dbh 50 - 60 cm

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules falling early, base leaving an intrapetiolar collar-like rim

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, paripinnate; petioles 21 - 50 mm long, rachises 5.2 - 33 cm long, finely and somewhat unevenly longitudinally ribbed when dry, glabrous or moderately puberulous, the indumentum only visible at magnifications greater than x10; petiolules 8 - 13 mm long, puberulous; leaflets in 3 - 5 pairs, the upper pair opposite, the lower pairs opposite or subopposite, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly oblong, usually straight but occasionally slightly falcate, concolorous or discolorous, glabrous above, appears glabrous below at x10 magnification but puberulous at higher magnifications, more densely so in the lower half and along the mid-vein and secondary veins, mid-vein often sunken above but prominent with fine, uneven longitudinal ribs below, secondary venation in 8 - 18 pairs, tertiary venation visible and slightly raised above and below, apex acute or shortly acuminate, base rounded or cuneate; upper leaflet pair largest, 12.4 - 26.5 x 3.9 - 8.8 cm; lower leaflet pair smallest, 8.5 - 15.2 x 3.3 - 6.3 cm

Morphology Leaves Leaflets

Sapling leaflets (Harris et al-8770) narrowly obovate, smaller than mature foliage, upper leaflets 12.5 - 16.5 x 6.0 - 7.2 cm, apex long-acuminate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a robust erect terminal raceme, occasionally with one (Harris et al-8525) or two (Harris et al-8770) branches, axes moderately to densely grey puberulous, 17- 24 cm long (including the peduncle)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts persistent, conspicuous, hanging limply from the rachis long after the flowers have fallen, 22 - 40 x 10 - 18 cm, oblong-elliptic, apex acute, pale green when fresh, turning reddish-brown post maturity

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles

Bracteoles valvate, thick, 22 - 42 x 14 - 20 mm, completely enclosing the bud before anthesis, a keel formed at their junction, outer surface densely pale puberulous, inner surface sparsely puberulous to glabrous except for a rim of puberulous indumentum

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium

Hypanthium tubular, 10 - 17 mm long, glabrous or with sparse scattered pubescence

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 5, subequal, narrowly-oblong, 26 - 32 < 5 - 8 mm, rounded to slightly flattened at apex, longitudinally veined

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals unequal in length; adaxial petal largest 51 - 70 x 54 - 66 mm, glabrous on both surfaces or if present, indumentum restricted to the lower third of the outer surfaces of the claw, apex bilobed, sulcus up to 20 mm deep, but inner edges of lobes overlapping so lobing not apparent in herbarium specimens, base of claw auriculate, auricules fleshy, up to 7 x 6 mm; lateral and abaxial petals smaller; lateral petals 40 - 52 x 12 - 20 mm, base not auriculate; abaxial petals 40 - 50 x 12 - 18 mm, base auriculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 10, nine fused at base for c. 3 mm, free filaments 51 - 61 mm long, filaments sparsely to moderately pubescent in lower third, one stamen free, anthers dorsifixed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary shortly stipitate, faces glabrous, sutures pubescent, individual hairs clearly visible at x10 magnification, upper suture clearly broader than lower; style 43 - 56 mm long at anthesis, stigma terminal, minute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Fruiting pedicels stout, c. 28 mm long x 14 mm diameter

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pod oblong, laterally compressed; pods close to maturity and still attached 28 - 38 x 7.5 - 11 cm, mid-brown, sparsely puberulous when young becoming glabrous save for a few scattered hairs at maturity, with conspicuous transverse ribs when dry, possibly smooth when fresh, slightly glossy, beak c. 12 mm; mature valves gathered from forest floor c. 39 - 43 x 12 - 14 cm, dark brown to black, glabrous and pitted, ridges not visible at maturity, 4 - 5 seed positions, upper suture broad, c. 15 mm wide

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds and seedlings not known.

Distribution

Africa: Gabon.

Ecology

Riparian forest; 1 - 20 m.

Conservation

Berlinia razzifera is assessed here as Vulnerable (VU:D9) under the criteria of IUCN (2001). This species is known from very few collections (7 individuals) at three locations, all at the same latitude, separated at most by c. 32 km.

Note

From razzo (rocket: Italian): razzifera (bearing rockets), a reference to the erect inflorescences resembling a rocket-like firework. The glowing embers of the rocket are represented by the persistent, hanging, reddish-brown bracts at the head of which are the dazzling white flowers. The epithet is also connected to the English term razzle-dazzle which is commonly understood to refer to an extravagant or showy display (as the inflorescences certainly are) but also has the connotation of being an action designed to bewilder or deceive, which the very first collection of Berlinia razzifera achieved (having been mistaken initially for B. bracteosa).