''Sirdavidia'' is a
monotypic genus
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
of flowering plants from the family
Annonaceae
The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...
described February 4, 2015, by Thomas L.P. Couvreur of France's
Institute of Research for Development, Raoul Niangadouma of the Herbier National du Gabon, Bonaventure Sonké of the
University of Yaoundé, and Hervé Sauquet of
Université Paris-Sud. The genus was named in honor of Sir
David Attenborough. The type species ''Sirdavidia solannona'' was discovered and collected in
Gabon
Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...
in
Crystal Mountains National Park on November 15, 2013, at elevations of 300–600 meters. The species name refers to the resemblance of the flowers to those of ''
Solanum
''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solana ...
'' species.
Description
''Sirdavidia'' is distinguished from other Annonaceae by its floral morphology, which is indicative of
buzz pollination, a phenomenon that has never been observed in Annonaceae or
Magnoliidae but is common amongst
Solanaceae.
This species is a tree growing about 4 to 6 meters tall with a narrow trunk just a few centimeters wide. The leaves are up to 26 centimeters long by 9 wide, roughly oval in shape with long, pointed tips. The inflorescences occur in the leaf axils and directly from the trunk. There are male and bisexual flowers. Each is made up of three whorls: one whorl of red
sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
s and two whorls of red petals. As the flower blooms the petals spread outward and sometimes curl backward toward the stalk. At the center are 16 to 19 stamens with bright yellow tips. The mature fruit and seeds have not yet been described.
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See also
* List of things named after David Attenborough and his works
References
Annonaceae
Annonaceae genera
Endemic flora of Gabon
Monotypic Magnoliales genera
Plants described in 2015
David Attenborough
{{Annonaceae-stub