Richardson’s Breonia (Breonia richardsonii)

This species has been described in 2002 on the basis of herbarium material that had been collected in 1965 from a lowland forest in the Maroantsetra District in the Toamasina Province of Madagascar.

“This species is very different from other species of Breonia because of its tubular, ap- pressed inflorescence bracts with 3 to 4 broadly triangular lobes and post-anthesis fusion of adjacent ovaries.” [1]

The species has not been recorded since the type material was collected and is either extremely rare or even already extinct.

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The photo below shows a related species, Perrier’s Breonia (Breonia perrieri Homolle), which is likewise endemic to Madagscar.

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References:

[1] Sylvain G. Razafimandimbison: A systematical revision of Breonia (Rubiaceae-Naucleeae). annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89(1): 1-37. 2002

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edited: 26.02.2024