Phyllanthus kidna , the only tree species of Phyllanthus from Cameroon, is described and analysed. Its combination of bilocular berries and two connate stamens indicate no clear affiliation with any known species or infrageneric group within Phyllanthus. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place it as sister to the Indian and East African species Phyllanthus pinnatus and it is also closely related to the New World species of P. acidus and P. chacoensis. Only five individuals are currently known and the species is assessed as critically endangered. The proposed Mefou National Park near Yaounde could save this species from extinction.
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1 October 2011
Phylogenetically Distinct and Critically Endangered New Tree Species of Phyllanthus from Cameroon (Phyllanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae s. l.)
Gill Challen,
Maria S. Vorontsova,
Harald Schneider,
Martin Cheek
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Systematic Botany
Vol. 36 • No. 4
October 2011
Vol. 36 • No. 4
October 2011
Cameroon
conservation
critically endangered
Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthus
tree