Corresponding author: Neil Snow (
Academic editor: S. Renner
Five new species of
Based on the author’s current taxonomic perpectives and including those newly proposed here,
The five species newly proposed here were recognized during curatorial duties associated with floristic inventories in Papua New Guinea by Bishop Museum. The purpose of this paper is to describe the new species of
Measurements are based primarily on dried herbarium specimens, although dimensions for flowers and fruits were supplemented by rehydrating material in boiling water. Terminology follows that used in recent treatments for the genus (
The data underpinning the new species described in this paper are deposited at GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility,
Papua New Guinea. Morobe Province, Aseki, Menyama Subdistrict,
Trees of unknown height; crown dense. Bark of main bole light grey, vertically fissured. Indumentum (branchlets, flowers, fruit) short-sericeous, sparsely to moderately dense, color more or less saffron (
Island of New Guinea, showing localities of new species. Triangle (▲) =
Flowering unknown; fruiting confirmed only for May.
Known only from Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, on the side of a ridge in a secondary forest; ca. 1465 m.
Data Deficient; but the subsequent lack of collections of this species over the past 45 years locally and regionally suggest that Threatened might more accurately reflect is true status.
PapUa New Guinea. Milne Bay District, north slopes of Mt. Dayman, Maneau Range, 2250 m, ca.
Trees 15–18 m. Indumentum (branchlets, inflorescence axis, flowers) densely appressed sericeous or sericeous-villous (trichomes yellowish). Branchlets terete to compressed, brown (dried), epidermis smooth, becoming flakey or scaly, sericeous-villous. Leaves opposite, evenly distributed along branchlets, strongly discolorous, internodes 1–3 cm long; venation perfect basal acrodromous, secondary and tertiary veins visible above and below; intramarginal vein closely paralleling leaf margin, 0.5–0.7 mm from margin at midpoint of blade. Colleters absent. Petioles 5–9 mm long, slightly sulcate throughout. Leaf blades 3.8–7.0 cm long, (1.1–)1.5–3.0(–3.5) cm wide, elliptic (rarely broadly elliptic), base cuneate, apex narrowly acuminate, tip acute and somewhat falcate; adaxial surface matte, sericeous but becoming glabrescent, midvein slightly sulcate in proximal half but more or less flush distally; abaxial surface densely sericeous between the secondary and tertiary veins, midvein projecting throughout, oil glands (if present) entirely obscured by indumentum. Inflorescence axillary, flowers solitary (=monads) or in 3-flowered cymes (=botryoids), solitary to paired or fascicled in axils, pedicels of monads up to 1–5 mm long, rigid and ascending. Bracteoles 1.5–3.0 mm long, less than 0.5 mm wide at base, linear, mostly erect or ascending, mostly persistent in flower. Hypanthium 2.5–3.3 mm long, ca. 2.5 mm wide at base of calyx lobes, cupulate, densely hairy. Calyx lobes 2.7–3.0 mm long, broadly obtuse, glabrescent adaxially, densely sericeous abaxially. Petals 5.5–7.0 mm long, 3.0–3.5 mm wide, ovate to narrowly ovate, whitish, mostly glabrous adaxially, densely sericeous abaxially, oil glands common. Stamens 65–75, multiseriate; staminal disk short-hairy; filaments 2–3 mm long; anther sacs 0.3–0.5 mm long, globose to subcylindrical, sub-basifixed or basifixed, crowned by a single large apical gland. Style ca. 4.5 mm long, glabrous; stigma narrow to slightly capitate, prominently papillose. Ovary and locule 1, placentas 2, linear, ovules disposed in regular rows.
Flowering in June; fruiting interval unknown.
Papua New Guinea, Milne Bay Province, north slopes of Mt. Dayman in the Maneau Range; mossy forest of ridge crests over metamorphic rocks (see
Data Deficient. The collection label indicates the species was common (at least locally) at the time of its collection in 1953. However, the absence of additional collections over the past sixty years suggests that Threatened might more accurately reflect its true status.
Among the species of
Papua New Guinea. Milne Bay Province: E. of Mt. Suckling in valley of the upper Maiyu R[iver] c. 15 km WNW of Biniguni airstrip, ca.
Trees to 25 m. Buttresses present but low of stature; fluting or twisting absent. Bark of main trunk reticulate-flaky, brownish. Indumentum, where present (branchlets, petioles, abaxial leaf surface, distal portion of adaxial leaf midvein, peduncles, bracteoles, hypanthium, calyx lobes, adaxial petal surfaces), densely tomentose and velvety in texture, consisting of stellate, ferrugineous trichomes. Branchlets terete to compressed. Leaves opposite, more or less evenly distributed along branchlets, discolorous; venation perfect or imperfect suprabasal acrodromous, secondary and tertiary veins faint but visible adaxially, intramarginal vein faintly visible from adaxially, tracing irregularly between tips of secondary veins and ca 0.5 mm from blade margin. Colleters absent. Petioles 4.5–6.5 mm long, rounded in transverse section. Leaf blades 4.5–7.5 cm long, 1.4–2.2 cm wide, narrowly elliptic, base cuneate, margin flat, apex acuminate and sometimes falcate, tip (uppermost 10% of blade) acute; adaxial surface matte, midvein slightly sulcate more or less throughout to sometimes flush distally, tomentose proximally; abaxial surface orangish-velvety by virtue of indumentum, midvein projecting throughout. Inflorescence terminal and lateral, solitary or paired to mostly a fasciculate cluster of monads, the monads sessile or on pedicels up to 3 mm long. Bracteoles 1.8–2.3 mm long, 0.4–0.6 mm wide, linear, rigid, ascending to erect, the apex not reaching base of calyx lobes, persisting. Hypanthium campanulate; anthopodium (if present) up to 1 mm long; metaxyphylls absent. Calyx lobes 4, 2.2–2.7 mm long, 2 (of the 4 lobes) more or less rectangular (length-width ratio 3:2), slightly longer than the 2 shorter, broadly ovate (3:2) lobes; adaxial surface densely tomentose or somewhat less so basally and near margins, abaxial surface densely tomentose throughout. Petals (material sparse) 2–2.5 mm long, 2–2.3 mm wide, elliptic to ovate, tomentose above and below. Stamens ca. 30–40, filaments 2–3 mm long; anther sacs ca. 0.5 mm long, globose, sub-basifixed. Style 3.5–4 mm long, hairy below; stigma narrow to slightly capitate. Fruit not seen.
Flowering confirmed only for early July but likely also in late June; fruiting unknown but probably June to July and possibly longer.
Papua New Guinea, Milne Bay Province; known only from rainforest on a plateau of ca. 350 meters elevation.
Data Deficient.
From the local vernacular name “makumak” as a noun in the nominative.
1 | Leaves elliptic to broadly elliptic, 11–18 cm long, apex abruptly cuspidate-caudate | |
– | Leaves narrowly elliptic or narrowly ovate to ovate or elliptic, 4–12 cm long, apex acute to acuminate | 2 |
2 | Flowers pedicellate, pedicels mostly > 5 mm long; leaf apex acute | |
– | Flowers sessile or nearly so; leaf apex acute to acuminate | 3 |
3 | Flowers sessile or pedicels to 3 mm; leaf apex acuminate and sometimes falcate |
|
– | Flowers pedicillate, pedicels 3.5–6 mm long; leaf apex acute to acuminate, rarely mucronate, never falcate | 4 |
4 | Seeds with a thin but pronounced equatorial ridge; plants of Australia, 650–1300 m | |
– | Seeds lacking an equatorial ridge; plants of Australia and Papua New Guinea, sea level to ca. 500 m |
Superficially resembling species with stellate and typically ferrugineous trichomes but differing by its highly crispate trichomes.
Papua New Guinea. Milne Bay District, Nowata, c. 6 miles W. of Rabaraba,
Trees to ca. 5.5 m. Bark of main bole unknown. Indumentum (branchlets, leaves, flowers, fruit) mostly densely tomentose-lanate, the trichomes highly crisped, ferrugineous, and generally somewhat appressed (see also description of abaxial leaf surface below). Branchlets terete to slightly compressed, reddish-brown (dried); epidermis smooth but finely and evenly striate throughout becoming somewhat fissured with age; oil glands sparse to common (obscured by indumentum on younger branchlets). Leaves opposite, evenly distributed along branchlets, somewhat discolorous; venation perfect basal to slightly suprabasal perfect or imperfect acrodromous, secondary and higher order veins abaxially prominent, the secondaries varying greatly in prominence (and thus hard to estimate numerically) but mostly spaced (2–)3–7 mm along the midvein; intramarginal vein less pronounced than the secondary veins, paralleling leaf margin closely, mostly ca. 0.5–1.0 mm from margin at midpoint of blade. Colleters absent. Petioles 9.0–13.5 mm long, terete, densely lanate-tomentose. Leaf blades 6.5–12.0 cm long, 3.1–5.2 cm wide, elliptic to ovate, base cuneate to nearly rounded, apex acute to acuminate, tip acute to acuminate; adaxial surface matte, initially lanate but becoming glabrescent, midvein slightly impressed throughout; abaxial surface lanate along midvein and secondary veins when younger, increasingly glabrous with age, densely/minutely hoary between veins, midvein raised prominently throughout. Inflorescence lateral in current season’s growth, flowers solitary to mostly densely fascicled, sessile to subsessile with pedicels up to 5 mm long, the pedicels lax, sometimes bending. Bracteoles ca. 2.0–2.5 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide at base, linear, persisting in flower and frequently in fruit. Hypanthium cupulate. Calyx lobes 2.5–3.5 mm long, ovate, apex obtuse, densely hairy abaxially but adaxially less so (especially proximally) with age, persisent and erect in fruit. Petals (material scanty), ca. 4.0–4.5 mm long, up to 3.5 mm wide, broadly obovate, more or less glabrous adaxially, densely lanate abaxially. Staminal disk ca. 4.5 mm in diameter; staminal ring narrow, shortly villous-lanate (trichomes whitish-yellow). Stamens numerous (estimated 75–105); anthers sacs (material scanty) cylindrical, ca. 1.0 mm long, bearing a single apical gland; filament length unknown. Styles not seen, but persisting bases densely lanate in fruit. Ovary with 1 locule; placentas 2; placentation parietal; ovules numerous. Fruit subglobose, 7.5–8.5 mm long (probably immature) x 8.0–9.5 mm wide, greenish when young but becoming brownish on account of dense indumentum. Seeds somewhat compressed, ca. 1–2 mm thick.
Flowering unknown; fruiting in July.
Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea; in secondary (regrowth) forest with
Data Deficient; possibly Threatened for same reasons cited above for
The specific epithet is derived from
Locally known as
The tomentose to lanate indumentum on the branchlets and inflorescences (
Indonesia. Waigeo Island, Go Isthmus, path from Poean Bay to Fofak Bay, 17 Feb 1955, P. van Royen 5556(holotype: A! [bar code no. 00307477]; isotypes: CANB!, K!, L n.v.).
Trees 5–7 m; girth to 15 cm. Branchlets terete to slightly compressed, the epidermis later becoming fissured; indumentum densely sericeous, mostly yellowish or somewhat ferrugineous but becoming more whitish with age. Leaves opposite, evenly distributed along branchlets, discolorous, glossy above and below, the nacreous sheen below imparted by the dense, tightly appressed greenish-white indumentum. Colleters absent. Petioles 5–6.5 mm long, somewhat flattened above, densely sericeous (or somewhat tomentose with age), the indumentum yellowish but aging whitish. Leaf blades (3.5–)6.0–10.0 cm long, (1.8–)2.5–3.7 cm wide, narrowly ovate to ovate, surface flat or slightly wavy; base cuneate, apex acuminate and occasionally somewhat falcate, tip acute; venation perfect basal acrodromous; secondary veins numerous but thin, ca. 0.8–2.0 mm apart; marginal nerve prominent, mostly 0.7–0.9 mm from mid-leaf margins; margins flat; adaxial surface sparsely sericeous, midvein flush throughout, oil glands invisible; abaxial surface densely sericeous with greenish-whitish indumentum but this mostly not obscuring venation, midvein raised throughout, oil glands invisible. Inflorescence (limited material) a 3-flowered cyme, terminal, solitary (one per leaf subtending leaf); peduncle ca. 5 mm, stiff, terete in transsection, densely yellowish-orangish sericeous; pedicel to ca. 3 mm long, indumentum as per peduncle. Bracteoles 2, narrowly triangular and stiffly erect, ca. 2 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide, sericeous, sometimes persisting into fruit. Hypanthium cupulate, densely sericeous, oil glands absent, texture smooth. Calyx lobes 4, 2.3–3.5 mm long, broadly ovate, sericeous above, densely sericeous below, more or less reflexed in fruit. Petals 4, 5.5–7.0 mm long, width uncertain (material scanty), apparently obovate to broadly obovate, white (based on specimen label), sparsely sericeous above, densely sericeous below. Staminal disk 2.5–3.5 mm wide, densely short-hairy. Ovary apex densely short-hairy. Stamen number uncertain but almost certainly greater than 20, filaments and anthers red (from specimen label); anthers subcylindrical (material scanty), ca. 0.5 mm. Stigma not seen. Locule 1, placentation parietal, placentas 2, ovules numerous. Fruit (reportedly immature) globose-subglobse, up to 8 mm long and 9.5 mm wide, light green when immature, densely sericeous but indumentum thinning with maturity. Seeds irregularly angular, up to 4 mm long (small sample), up to 9 per fruit, crowded; seed coat hard. Embryos not seen.
Flowering February; fruiting in January and February.
Waigeo Island, Indonesia; from ca. 10–150 m elevation in xerophytic,
Data Deficient given the lack of recent information or collections.
The herbarium label indicates that the leaves are used for making cigarettes.
Waigeo Island is part of the Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesian New Guinea. The region harbors unusual vegetation assemblages (van
The label of the type specimen refers directly to the xerophytic vegetation located behind the small village of Waifoi on the east bank of Majalibit Bay. Takeuchi (2003a,b) reported that the Waigeo ultrabasic vegetation resembles the pioneer communities on the ultrabasics at the Kamilai Wildlife Management Area (KWMA) in the Bowutu Mountains (Morobe Province, Papua New Gueina). Communities at KWMA can be topographically unstable due to landslides, but in general appearance and composition are similar to those on Waigeo. However,
A xerophytic vegetation similar to that occuring on the hills upslope of Waifoi, the village near the type collection, was encountered elsewhere by van Royen (1960: 39, 41) in the Kambelay Hills and the Go Isthmus of Waigeo Island. This general type of xerophytic vegetation is said to recur on Rauki Island, which lies northwest of Kabaré Bay, where it occurs at the higher elevations (probably less than ca. 40 m, but reported by van Royen [p. 45] as 25 m) along the southern end of the island (van
Van Royen (1960: 32) described the soils underlying the xerophytic vegetation on Waigeo as “sandy brown clays with much limestone”. The relatively open vegetation on the slopes was indicated as being spare of trees but conspicuous in its presence of shrubby
West Papua (Papua Barat; as Radjah Ampat on label), Waigeo Island, Waifoi on E bank of Majalibit [= Mayalibit] Bay, 18 Jan 1955, P. van Royen 5227 (L).
Sixteen new species of
Additional studies still are clearly needed in
Efforts also should be made to recollect all species of
I thank the curators at A, BM, BISH, BRI, CANB, K, L, MEL, MO, NSW, NY, QRS, PH, RSA, and US for loaning material critical to this project. The Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum (A) kindly gave permission to capture digital images of Brass 22718and van Royen 5556. Krista Anandakuttan provided the illustrations of