Diospyros tehno C.Puglisi, Jimbo & Hagwood, 2022

Puglisi, C., Jimbo, T. & Hagwood, A., 2022, Two new species of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from New Guine, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 79, pp. 1-10 : 6-9

Diospyros tehno C.Puglisi, Jimbo & Hagwood , sp.nov.

Diospyros tehno is similar to Diospyros fusicarpa Bakh. in the shape of the fruit, the cauliflory and the overall leaf texture. It differs in the leaf being hairy on both sides (vs glabrous above and hairy only along the midrib below in Diospyros fusicarpa ), the pronounced midrib on the upper side (vs very slightly so or flat in D. fusicarpa ), and the pigmentation which is light green (fresh) or mid-brown (dry) on the lower side (vs reddish when fresh and amaranth brown when dry in D. fusicarpa ).

– Type: Papua New Guinea, Sandaun (West Sepik) Province, Kwima – Wara John , 125 m a.s.l., 17 v 2018, Jimbo, Hagwood, Sule, Aika, Maharape, Cook LAE 91326 (holotype LAE , isotype K) . Figures 3 , 4 .

Small tree to 3 m high, bark black, younger stems densely tomentose; terminal bud c. 0.5 cm long, broadly conical. Leaves simple, alternate; petiole 7–10 mm long, 3–3.5 mm thick, densely tomentose, slightly flat above; lamina dark green above (silver brown when dry), light green beneath (mid-brown when dry), elliptic to obovate, 30–35 × 8–11.5 cm (only three mature leaves seen), base broadly acute, apex acuminate; indumentum simple on both sides, denser along the venation, and including small, widespread, superficial, pale glands which are more noticeable on the lower surface; black pitted glands absent; midrib raised on both sides, secondary veins weakly raised above, more pronounced beneath, visibly anastomosing through serial scalariform tertiary veins, these inconspicuous above and weakly raised beneath. Inflorescences and flowers not seen. Female trees cauliflorous, inflorescences probably multiflorous. Fruiting calyx tetramerous, tube c. 0.6 cm long, conical, lobes spreading, oblong-ovate, apex acute, rigid, c. 1 cm wide at base, at least 1.7 cm long (no entire calyx lobes seen); tube and basal part of the lobes hairy outside and inside, the distal portion glabrescent outside, sparsely hairy inside. Fruit fleshy, turbinate, red, pilose with a fine upright indumentum, c.10.7 × 3.8 cm, narrower at the base and acute at the apex, epicarp smooth, held upright from the trunk. Seeds 2, c. 6.5 cm long, turbinate, dark brown, surface minutely punctate.

Distribution. New Guinea (see Figure 2 ).

Etymology. The epithet is the local name of this tree in the Abau language.

Other specimen examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Sandaun (West Sepik) Province: Utai Station, Nuya Forest Area, 206 m a.s.l., 19 iii 2018, Jimbo & Magun LAE 91714 ( LAE) .

Figures

Figure 2. Map showing the distribution of Diospyros multimaculata (●) and D. tehno (▲) in New Guinea.

Figure 3. Diospyros tehno C.Puglisi, Jimbo & Hagwood, sp. nov. A, Habit; B, upper leaf surface and profile of midrib; C, lower leaf surface and profile of midrib; D, fruit, showing attachment to the tree trunk; E, fruit, side view with calyx removed; F, dissected fruit, showing the seeds; G, apical view of the fruit dissection; H, apical view of the calyx, showing the fruit attachment. Drawn by Andrew P. Brown from the type collection, Jimbo, Hagwood, Sule, Aika, Maharape, Cook LAE 91326 (K).

Figure 4. Diospyros tehno C.Puglisi, Jimbo & Hagwood. A, Fruit; B, cauliflorous stem; C, leaves. All photographs of the type collection, Jimbo, Hagwood, Sule, Aika, Maharape, Cook LAE 91326 (LAE), taken by T. Jimbo and A. Hagwood.