Empogona jenniferae Cheek

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Slopes of "Mt Chimanimani", western side Mevumodzi Valley, Eastern Chimaniamani Mts.

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:	Rare and Local
Status:	Native
Description:	Small tree c. 3 m tall with finely fissured bark; branches pale brown, minutely and sparsely velvety. Leaves opposite elliptic or rarely rhombic-ovate, 3–6.3 cm long, glossy and leathery, yellowish green, asymmetric at the base, net-veining conspicuous on both surfaces; domatia absent; petiole channelled above, mostly 2–4 mm long, often narrowly winged by the decurrent leafbase, hairless; margin rolled under. Stipules free, not sheathing but margins united with petiole bases, forming a pocket c. 2 by 2.5 mm, apex with aristae 3–4 mm long, sparsely velvety. Inflorescences in the upper leaf axils, 1–4-flowered, c. 1.5 cm long; peduncle 1–1.5 mm long. Flowers sessile, subtended by a cup-shaped calyculus, 1.1–1.8 by 2 mm. calyx limb-tube short c. 0.1–0.2 mm; calyx lobes 4-5, 0.6–0.8 by 0.8–0.9 mm, not touching when flowers open, hairless on both surfaces or with 1–3 hairs near the margin on the inner surface, the margin with 7–9 patent fimbriae 0.05–0.13 mm long. Corolla white with tube dilating, 5 mm long, 2 mm wide at base, 4 mm at apex, lobes 4-5 reflexed, about as long as tube, ovate-oblong 5–67 mm long, with 5–10 minute hairs 0.1 mm long at the apex, otherwise hairless. Inner surface hairless, except for five densely hairy patches between the stamen filaments. Fruit ellipsoid, c. 7 by 6 mm, apex crowned by the persistent calyx lobes, black when ripe.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	jenniferae: in memory of Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer, a philanthropist, committed conservationist and supporter of Kew’s Tropical Important Plant Areas work in Mozambique.
Habitat:	Growing among quartzite sandstone boulders on cliffs and in forest
Altitude range:	1200 - 1580 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Only known from the Chimanimani Mts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Mozambique distribution:	MS
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:	Near Endemic
Red data list status:	Critically Endangered
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Thursday 5 July 2018
Literature:	Cheek, M., Chipanga, H. & Darbyshire, I. (2018-07-05). Notes on the plant endemics of the quartzitic slopes of Mt Chimanimani (Mozambique & Zimbabwe), and a new, Critically Endangered species, Empogona jenniferae (Rubiaceae-Coffeeae) Blumea 63 Pages 87 - 90. Protologue (Includes a picture). Darbyshire, I., Timberlake, J., Osborne, J., Rokni, S., Matimele, H., Langa. C., Datizua, C., de Sousa, C., Alves, T., Massingue, A., Hadj-Hammou, J., Dhanda, S., Shah, T., Wursten, B. (2019). The endemic plants of Mozambique: diversity and conservation status Phytotaxa 136 Page 92. Timberlake, J., Darbyshire, I., Wursten, B., Hadj-Hammou, J., Ballings, P., Mapaura, A., Matimele, H., Banze, A., Chipanga, H., Muassinar, D., Massunde, J., Chelene, I., Osborne, J., Shah, T. (2016). Chimanimani Mountains: Botany and Conservation. Report produced under CEPF Grant 63512. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Page 48. As Empogona sp. nov. near E. ruandensis Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 98. As Empogona sp. nov. near E. congesta

Other sources of information about Empogona jenniferae:

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Flora of Zimbabwe: Empogona jenniferae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Empogona jenniferae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Empogona jenniferae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Empogona jenniferae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Empogona jenniferae
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iNaturalist: Empogona jenniferae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Empogona jenniferae
JSTOR Plant Science: Empogona jenniferae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Empogona jenniferae
Plants of the World Online: Empogona jenniferae
Tropicos: Empogona jenniferae
Wikipedia: Empogona jenniferae