Meiogyne saundersii
| Meiogyne saundersii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae |
| Genus: | Meiogyne |
| Species: | M. saundersii |
| Binomial name | |
| Meiogyne saundersii Junhao Chen & M.F.Liu | |
Meiogyne saundersii is a species of flowering plant in the family Annonaceae. It was described in 2026 from material from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo.[1]
Description
Meiogyne saundersii is a tree or treelet 5–20 m tall. Its leaves are elliptic with a cuneate base and an abruptly caudate apex. The flowers have dull yellow petals with a dull purplish centre, and the adaxial surface of the inner petals bears a glabrous, tentacular corrugated patch.[1]
The fruits are composed of 6–8 shortly stipitate cylindrical monocarps borne on a globose receptacle. The monocarps are 10–22 mm long, sparsely hairy, and usually narrowed into a narrow beak 1–4 mm long.[1]
Taxonomy
The species was described in 2026 by Junhao Chen and Ming-Fai Liu.[1] It had previously been included within a broad concept of Meiogyne cylindrocarpa, but recent molecular phylogenetic studies supported its recognition as a distinct species.[1]
The specific epithet honors botanist Richard Mark Kingsley Saunders for his contributions to the systematics, phylogeny, and pollination ecology of Annonaceae.[1]
Distribution and habitat
Meiogyne saundersii is distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo, including Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan.[1] It occurs in lowland dipterocarp forest and secondary forest, sometimes near streams, on sandstone-derived clay soils and more rarely on ultramafic substrates, at elevations of 20–855 m.[1]
Phenology
Flowering specimens have been collected from March to November, and fruiting specimens from July to December.[1]
Conservation
The species was assessed as Least Concern because it is relatively widespread and occurs in several protected areas.[1]