Les Sapotaceae de Madagascar, deux nouvelles espèces du genre Mimusops L.

Abstract

Members of the family Sapotaceae, occurring in Madagascar’s various forest types, are mostly known as nanto in local dialects; some of their cultural and social values are described here. While the circumscription of Mimusops is well - defined, the delimitation of species within the genus remains unclear and their identification is often difficult. A study of herbarium specimens assigned to this genus deposited in key herbaria, two in Madagascar (TAN and TEF) and three outside the country (G, MO and P), revealed two new species: Mimusops boeniensis Randrianaivo sp. nov. and Mimusops masoalensis Randrianaivo sp. nov. This brings the number of Mimusops species recognized in Madagascar to 16. Both of these newly recognized species are illustrated, and detailed information is provided concerning their morphology and the differences between them and other members in the genus, as well as on their ecology and distribution.