Cyrtandra nitida Karton. & H.J.Atkins

Atkins, H. J. & Kartonegoro, A., 2021, A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) IN SULAWESI, INDONESIA, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 78 (364), pp. 1-122 : 79-81

25. Cyrtandra nitida Karton. & H.J.Atkins , Edinburgh J. Bot. 75(2): 24 (2018).

– Type: Indonesia, Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, North of Mangkutana, Wotu to Lake Poso road, 20 ii 2000, Mendum, Argent & Hendrian 00111 (holotype BO; isotypes CEB, E). Figure 40 .

Herb to 2 m in height, sometimes branching from the base. Stems longitudinally ridged, flushed purple, sparsely woolly-hairy, more densely so on young growth. Leaves opposite, both well developed but somewhat unequal in size; blades 15.5–30.5 × 4.5–9 cm, oblong to narrow oblong, apex acuminate, base decurrent becoming auriculate, clasping the stem and touching the base of the opposite leaf, margin serrulate; 11–15 pairs of lateral veins, tertiary venation obscure; dark glossy green turning almost white at the base, more or less glabrous with some scattered hairs above; much paler below with a sparse covering of fine, golden hairs, more densely so on the midrib and veins. Inflorescences axillary, sessile, tucked in to the auriculate leaf bases, with c.10–12 flowers at various stages of development; single bract green, 15–22 × 5–8 mm, lanceolate-ovate, apex acuminate, margin slightly serrate, densely hairy above, less so below, caducous; bracteoles lanceolate, green, 15–20 × 4–5 mm; pedicels light green, 3–5 mm long, hairy. Calyx green, 7–8 mm long, more or less evenly 5-lobed, lobes divided almost halfway to the base, 3–4 mm, acuminate, sparsely hairy, more densely so on lobes. Corolla white, 8–12 mm long, tube narrow, lobes spreading, slightly projecting forwards, upper and lateral lobes orbicular, c.5 × 4 mm, lower lobe slightly longer and ovate, c.6 × 4 mm, subglabrous externally, with a dense covering of short, glandular hairs internally on the lobes and the mouth of the tube. Stamens with filaments 1–2 mm long, attached c. 4 mm from the base of the corolla, glabrous; anthers c. 1 mm long, glabrous; staminodes 3, c. 0.5 mm long. Gynoecium 4–6 mm long; disc cupular with undulate margin, c. 1 mm long, glabrous; ovary glabrous at base; style glandular hairy towards apex; stigma bilobed, lobes vertical, 0.8–1 mm across. Fruits ovoid, dark green, brown and verrucose when dry, 4–5 × 2–3 mm; most of calyx and base of style persistent.

Distribution. Central and South Sulawesi, close to the border of both provinces (see Figure 43 ).

Habitat and ecology. Steep, rocky roadside banks in hill and upland forest at an altitude of 500–1255 m.

Etymology. This species is named for its distinctive glossy leaves ( Kartonegoro et al., 2018).

Proposed IUCN conservation category. It has not been possible to calculate the EOO for Cyrtandra nitida because the exact locality of two of the collections is not known, but it has an AOO of 8 km 2, based on a 2 × 2 km grid cell size, under the B criteria ( Bachman et al., 2011). It has been collected in hill and upland forest between 500 and 1255 m in relatively disturbed areas without formal protection (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN, 2019). We determine that the threat from habitat disturbance is continuous and assess this species as Critically Endangered (CR), B2ab(iii).

Additional specimens examined. INDONESIA. Central Sulawesi. Poso: Pegunungan Biru, Mt Mad, Poso – Napu road divide, 3 viii 2018, Ardi WI 291 ( KRB) .

South Sulawesi. East Luwu : 21 km south of border line between S. and C. Sulawesi, 12 xii 1994, Sidiyasa 1369 ( K, L) .

Cyrtandra nitida is very distinctive and unlike any others in Sulawesi due to its glossy upper leaf surface and the auriculate leaf bases that clasp the stem and hold the inflorescence.

Figures

Figure 40. Cyrtandra nitida. a, Fruit with and without calyx; b, habit; c, anthers; d, opened corolla, showing position of stamens and staminodes; e, front and side views of gynoecium, including pedicel; f, opened calyx; g, side view of corolla; h, internal and external views of bracts. Drawn by Claire Banks from Sidiyasa 1369 (habit and fruit) and Mendum et al. 00111 (flowers). Reproduced from Kartonegoro et al. (2018) with the permission of the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Figure 43. Distribution of Cyrtandra nitida (red squares), C. parvicalyx (black triangle) and C. polyneura (white circles).