Anonidium usambarense

Anonidium usambarense is an extinct species of the family of Annonengewächse. She was endemic to the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.

Description

Anonidium usambarense was a tall tree of size not described. The young shoots had short fitting rust-colored hairs. The older branches were blackish, smooth, covered with fine wrinkles and Korkporen. The leaves were verkehrteiförmig elongated about 25 cm long and 9-10 cm wide. The apex was rounded or acuminate obtuse, the base of the leaf blunt wedge-shaped. The leaf texture was like parchment, shimmering and smooth on both sides. The smooth or finely hairy petioles were fluted 5 to 7 mm in length and above. The habit of the hermaphroditic flowers is unknown. The male inflorescence axis was covered from 1 to 1.2 cm long and with rust-colored Filzhärchen. In the middle she wore a stalk comprehensive husk, which was 3 to 4 mm long. The broad rounded or pointed at the apex of sepals were 4-5 mm long and 7-8 mm wide. On the outside they were hairy tomentose, smooth on the inside. The petals were outside hairy graufilzig and smooth inside. The outer petals lanceolate, 2.5 to 3.5 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, egg-shaped inner petals of 1.8 to 2 cm long and 1.1 cm wide. There were numerous 3 mm long anthers with smooth appendages.

Status

Anonidium usambarense was collected only once in December 1910 at an altitude of 900 m. Despite intensive field work in the region, the species was not found again. Causes for the disappearance of Anonidium usambarense were of commercial logging and the degradation of habitat by agricultural use.