Phoebe petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok, 2023

De Kok, Rogier P. J., 2023, The Lauraceae Juss. of Indo-China: fifteen new species, four new combinations and two neotypifications, Adansonia (3) 45 (1), pp. 1-25 : 20-22

15. Phoebe petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok , sp. nov.

( Figs 12 ; 15 )

Phoebe petelotii Kosterm. , unpublished; P.H.Hô, Câycỏ Việtnam 1: 486 ( Hô 1991), nom. inval.; Nguyén Kim Đào, Lauraceae in Checklist of Plants Species of Vietnam 2: 110 (Nguyén Kim Đào 2003), nom. inval.; Nguyén Kim Đào, Flora of Vietnam 20: 114 (Nguyén Kim Đào 2017), nom. inval.

DIAGNOSIS. — This species differs from its close relative Phoebe macrocarpa C.Y.Wu by having 4-5 pairs of secondary nerves and small fruits (14-18 × 10-12 mm), while P. macrocarpa has 23-34 pairs of secondary nerves and large fruits (35-42 × 19-22 mm).

TYPE SPECIMEN. — [ Vietnam, Lào Cai], Bosquet près de l'Église, Chapa, 22°18’56.016”N, 103°51’24.012”E, alt. 2500 m, IV.1935, Pételot 5383bis (holo-, P [ P00752532 ]; iso-, P [ P00752533 ]) .

VERNACULAR NAME. — Vietnamese: Re trắng petelot (Nguyén Kim Đào 2017: 114).

DISTRIBUTION. — Vietnam (see Fig. 12 ).

ECOLOGY. — Growing in forest over limestone at 800-2500 m altitude. Flowering in August to February; fruiting in August.

CONSERVATION. — Endangered (EN B1ab(i,iii), B2ab(ii,iii)). This species is only known from three collections representing two localities, both in Vietnam. An analysis of the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) gives an IUCN Conservation Assessment of Endangered.

ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS SEEN. — Vietnam. Lâm Dông: Blao, 11°31’43.392”N, 107°48’7.632”E, 16.II.1933, Poilane 21978 (BO, K, P [ P02009080 , P02009081 ]) ; Lào Cai, Massif calcaire près de l’Église, Chapa, 22°18’56.016”N, 103°51’24.012”E, IV.1935, Pételot 5383 ( P [ P00752534 , P00752535 ]) .

DESCRIPTION

Trees 8-9 m tall, dbh c. 10 cm; twigs robust, 4-5 mm thick, velutinous when young, scars of terminal leaf buds concentrated at base of twigs; terminal leaf bud ovoid, 3.4-3.7 mm long, apex acute, velutinous; leaves alternate; blade elliptic, 6.5-10.5 × 3-5.7 mm, apex acute, base cuneate, blade leathery, penninerved, secondary nerves 4-5 pairs, brochidodromous, tertiary nerves scalariform-reticulate; upper surface glabrous, midrib sunken, secondary nerves and tertiary nerves indistinct; lower surface sparsely hairy, midrib and secondary nerves raised, tertiary nerves distinct; petiole channelled, slender, 15-25 mm long.

Inflorescence a panicle 40-120 mm long, velutinous when young. Flowers: inner perianth lobes larger than outer ones, 3.3-4.5 × 2.2-2.3 mm, apex acute, velutinous outside and inside; stamens 9, 1.8-2 mm long, sparsely hairy; ovary globose, c. 0.6 mm diameter, glabrous.

Fruits ellipsoid to globose, 14-18 × 10-12 mm, apex rounded to acute, smooth, glabrous; cupule lobes 4.2-4.7 × 2.3-2.4 mm, apex acute (often truncated later), erect, sparsely hairy, glabrescent (see Fig. 15 ).

NOTES

This species name was first proposed by Kostermans on herbarium sheets in several herbaria, but no evidence that this name was ever validly published could be found and is therefore validated here.

Figures

FIG. 12. — Distribution of Litsea rubrobrunnea de Kok, sp. nov. (), Litsea salmonea A.Chev. ex de Kok, sp. nov. (), Machilus coriacea A.Chev. ex de Kok, sp. nov. (), Neocinnamomum huongsonensis Kim Dao, sp. nov. () and Phoebe petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok, sp. nov. ().

FIG. 15. — Holotype of Phoebe petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok, sp. nov., held at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris (P00752532).