Phyllanthera nymanii (K. Schum.) Venter, 2001

Takeuchi, Wayne, 2012, Modern sequels to the Kaiserin-Augusta-Fluss itinerary of Carl Ledermann: floristic discoveries from the upper Sepik of Papua New Guinea, Phytotaxa 60 (1), pp. 17-31 : 22-26

Phyllanthera nymanii (K. Schum.) Venter in Venter & Verhoeven (2001: 566).

Streptomanes nymanii Schumann (1905: 352) . Type:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Madang Province: Stephansort, Nyman 1020 (holotype B, lost; isotype UPS).

Additional specimen examined: — PAPUA NEW GUINEA. East Sepik Province: Ambunti District, Waskuk Hills, buttress ridge north of Garuka , foothill forest, 4°11'19"S, 142°43'37"E, 200 m, 25 November 2004, Takeuchi, Towati & Ama 17446 ( A!, LAE! [2 sheets], and six undistributed duplicates!) .

Phyllanthera nymanii was previously documented by only six specimens, obtained from montane forests in Central and Morobe Provinces ( Forster 1990). The latest gathering establishes a new distributional endpoint near the Indonesian border .

The Ambunti population is a lowland morphotype with short dichasia (2–6 cm long) and adaxially hairy petals. It may be deserving of future recognition as a distinct variety.

Dilleniaceae

Tetracera lanuginosa Diels (1922: 439) . Type:— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. East Sepik Province: Sepik- Gebiet, Aprilfluss , virgin forest, 50–100 m, 8 September 1912, Ledermann 8586 (holotype B, lost; isotypes BM, K).

Additional specimens examined: — PAPUA NEW GUINEA. East Sepik Province: Ambunti District, Waskuk Hills, lowland foothill forest on ridge and slopes above Garuka village , ca. 4°11'S, 142°44'E, 300 m, 22 August 1994, Takeuchi 10124 ( A!, LAE!); ridge above Langu-Garuka track, natural-growth foothill forest near the crest, 4°11'19"S, 142°43'37"E, 195 m, 22 November 2004, Takeuchi, Towati, Jisaka & Ama 17335 ( A!, LAE!, and 3 undistributed duplicates!) .

Tetracera lanuginosa has not been reported since its initial discovery during the Kaiserin-Augusta-Fluss Expedition. The twining species is locally common in the Ambunti area and is also scattered through the upper Sepik to at least the Frieda River (pers. obs.).

Fabaceae

Archidendron calliandrum Wit (1952: 80) . Type :— PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Western Division : Fly River, October 1885, Bäuerlen 608 (holotype MEL; isotypes BO, MEL).

Additional specimens examined: — PAPUA NEW GUINEA. East Sepik Province: Ambunti District, Waskuk Hills, midslopes of buttress ridge above Garuka , 4°11'10"S, 142°44'20"E, 95 m, 17 November 2004, Takeuchi , Towati , Jisaka & Ama 17235 ( A!, LAE!, and 4 undistributed duplicates!); Waskuk Hills, spur ridge northwest of Musapien bivouac, hill forest, 4°10'36"S, 142°43'55"E, 360 m, 10 November 2007, Takeuchi & Ama 21911 ( A!, LAE!, and 6 undistributed duplicates!); near 4°10'36"S, 142°43'55"E, 550 m, 11 November 2007, Takeuchi, Wiakabu & Ama 21964 ( A!, LAE!, and 5 undistributed duplicates!); Mt. Musapien bivouac, hill forest, 4°10'36"S, 142°43'55"E, 360 m, 22 November 2007, Takeuchi & Ama 22307 ( A!, LAE!, and 3 undistributed duplicates!) .

The Waskuk specimens ( Figs. 7–10 ) are the only correlated collections (i.e., flowers and fruits clearly of conspecific origin) from the " bellum complex" of species with exceptionally large seeds (sensu Verdcourt 1979). Taxonomic interpretation of the complex has been complicated by past inability to connect the flowering and fruiting structures of its component taxa. Owing to the uncertainties arising from uncorrelated material, Verdcourt (1979) and Nielsen et al. (1985) expressed doubts about the reliability of circumscriptions within this group. With the complete sets now in hand, Archidendron calliandrum keys out cleanly from A. bellum Harms (1917: 40) and A. rufescens Verdcourt (1977: 230) suggesting that at least with these three species, the separations are viable.

Archidendron calliandrum was previously known only from the Strickland-Fly River and the Vogelkop ( Nielsen et al. 1985). The Waskuk occurrence extends the range into northern PNG.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Archidendron calliandrum deWit. A, leaf rachis (vertical axis), glands are inconspicuous or absent; B, leaves, pinnae 2- jugate. A–B from Takeuchi & Ama 21911.

FIGURE 8. Archidendron calliandrum deWit. A, pre-anthetic cauline panicles; B, umbelliform flower buds. A–B from Takeuchi, Wiakabu & Ama 21964.

FIGURE 9. Archidendron calliandrum deWit. A, the pendulous fruits are produced from woody callosities on the bole and lower branches; B, main trunk. A–B from Takeuchi, Towati, Jisaka & Ama 17235.

FIGURE 10. Archidendron calliandrum deWit. A, dehisced legume—seeds (in vivo) are cobalt blue, glaucous, 41–43 × 25–27 mm, turning jet black after drying. A from Takeuchi & Ama 21911.