Gossia diversifolia (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow

Snow, Neil, 2020, A revision of New Caledonian Gossia N. Snow & Guymer (Myrtaceae), Adansonia 42 (7), pp. 131-177 : 154-158

Gossia diversifolia (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow ( Figs 2 ; 6 ; 13A-D )

Austrobaileya 8: 180 (2010). — Eugenia diversifolia Brongn. & Gris, Bulletin de la Société botanique de France 12: 180 (1865). — Myrtus diversifolia (Brongn. & Gris) Guillaumin, Bulletin de la Société botanique de France 85: 631 (1938).

— Typus: New Caledonia. Grande Terre, North Prov. Circa Balade, Vieillard 476 (lectotype designated by Snow & Veldkamp 2010: 180); second-stage lectotype, here designated, Vieillard 476 (P[P00462912]) : epitype, here designated, Pancher s.n. (P[P00462909], and see comments below).

Myrtus flavida Schltr., Botanische Jahrbucher für Systematik 40 (3): Beibl. 92: 30 (1908), syn. nov. — Typus: New Caledonia. South Prov., Le Rat 2003 (type-, B? n.v.).

ETYMOLOGY. — Derived from the Latinization of “diversely leaved” by the authors in the protologue.

DISTRIBUTION, HABITAT AND PHENOLOGY. — Eastern coast of Grande Terre and locally common around Baie de Tina ( Fig. 6 ); in sclerophyllous forests among hills, sometimes behind mangroves, on black clays or soils derived from schists or calcareous schists; 5- 100 m. Flowering December through May; fruiting December through October.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. North Prov., Pouembout, conservatoire botanique de Tiéa, 5.IX.2000, Dagostini 209 (P[P00316468]); Pouembout , 16.II.1972, MacKee 25012 ( NOU [ NOU028889 ]) ; Pouembout , 16.IV.1981, MacKee 38948 ( NOU [ NOU028896 ]) ; Creek hervouet (propriété Johnson), 10.X.2004, Munzinger 1866 (MO[ MO-6175968 ], NOU [ NOU006339 ], P[P06668680]) ; Poya , forêt de Nekoro, 28.IX.1988, Veillon 6896 ( NOU [ NOU028902 ]) ; Poya , forêt de Neoni, 29. VI.1989, Veillon 7054 ( NOU [ NOU028897 ]) ; Poya, propriété Johnston, 10-20 m, 6. V.1998, Veillon 8096 ( BISH, NOU [ NOU028904 ], P[P00467803]). — South Prov. , Nouméa, 1868- 1870, Balansa 126 (A, G, P[P00462889, P00462890, P00462891]) ; Baie de Prony , Herbarium L. Roterau s.n. (P[P00500668]) ; Baie de Tina , 18. V.1985, Hoff 905 ( NOU [ NOU028906 ]) ; Baie de Tina , 1. VI.1974, Jaffré 1303 ( NOU [ NOU028894 ], P[P0462898, P0462890]) ; Baie de Tina , 9.IX.1988, Jaffré 2988 ( NOU [ NOU028905 ]) ; Parc forestier de Nouméa, 11.VII.1992, Jaffré 3167 ( NOU [ NOU028893 ]) ; Nouméa , parc forestier, 19.III.1993, Jaffré 3228 ( NOU [ NOU053230 ]) ; Mt. Dzumac , 9.X.1909, Le Rat 547 (P[P00462900, P00462901]) ; Forêt de Magenta , Le Rat 2085 (A, P[P004629802]) ; Route de la prise d’eau, Dumbéa, IX.1904, Le Rat 2269 (P[P00462903]) ; Port Despointes , 17.IV.1956, Mac- Kee 4420 (A, L, P[P00462904]) ; Montravel , parc forestier, 30 m, 2.III.1965, MacKee 12178 ( NOU [ NOU028892 ], P[P00462905]) ; MacKee 12412, Montravel, parc forestier, 50 m, 9.IV.1965 (MO[ MO-5813360 ], NOU [ NOU028891 ]) ; Nouméa , Baie de Tina, 16.III.1972, MacKee 25151 ( NOU [ NOU028890 ]) ; Baie de Tina , 24.III.1974, MacKee 28365 ( NOU [ NOU028895 ]) ; Nouméa : Baie de Tina, 3.X.1974, MacKee 29369 ( NOU [ NOU028898 ], P[P02089820]) ; Nouméa : Baie Tina, 4.III.1975, MacKee 29834 ( NOU [ NOU028901 ]) ; Nouméa : Baie de Tina, 20.II.1976, Mac- Kee 30715 ( NOU [ NOU 02899]) ; Rivage SE Baie La Conception, 2.IV.1981, MacKee 38895 ( NOU [ NOU028900 ]) ; Baie de Tina , 12.II.1988, MacKee 43897 ( BRI, MO[ MO-6751078 ], NOU [ NOU053243 ], P[P02089873]) ; Baie Tina , 10-15 m, 16.X.1990, Müller 54 (P[P04682695]) ; Montravel Jardin Botanique , 19. VI.1965, Schmid 351 ( NOU [ NOU028907 ]) ; Bois de Port Desfontes (Nouméa), X.1942, Virot 794 (P[P00500654]) ; Bois de Port Desfointes (Nouméa), 14.XI.1942, Virot 817 (A, P[P00462915, P00462916]) ; Bois de Port Desfointes , 13.XII.1942, Virot 918 (A, MO[ MO-04856944 ], P[P00462918, P00462919]). — Ab loco. 1868, Balansa 416a (Z[Z-000050493]) ; Balansa 3400 (P[P00462894, P00462893]); Baudouin s.n. (P[P00462895]); Deplanche 211 (P[P00462897]); Pancher 50 (P[P00462925]); Herbarium Pancher s.n. (G[G00340971, G00340966]); Vieillard 476 (P[P00462913]).

REPRESENTATIVE HERBARIUM SPECIMEN. — P00462909.

DESCRIPTION

Erect shrubs or treelets

1.5- 4 m.

Branchlets

4-angled; internodes mostly> 5 mm.

Leaves

Coriaceous, 2 per node; petioles 0.8-1.7 mm, round to flattened above; blades 1.8-3.1 × 0.9-2.1 cm, ovate to widely ovate, base rounded to cordate, surface flat or slightly irregular, margin slightly undulate, apex obtuse to somewhat acute, midnerve above flush, secondary veins sometimes prominent above, oil glands of lower surface common but faint (typically most abundant along margin).

Inflorescence

0.6-1.5 cm, of monads (mostly) or simple cymes, terminal or axillary, extrafloral bracts (at base of pedicel) scale-like.

Bracteoles

0.5-0.8 mm, narrowly ovate to ovate, glabrous to sparsely sericeous.

Hypanthium

1.4-2 × 2.0- 2.5 mm, campanulate, surface smooth (or minutely ribbed in fruit), glabrous; ovary apex shortly hairy.

Calyx

Lobes 5, 0.8-1.8 mm, broadly rounded, glabrous above and below, green.

Petals c. 3.5 × 3-4 mm, glabrous above and below, white.

Filaments 2-4 mm, white; anther sacs c. 0.5 mm, pale yellowish.

Style

c. 3.5 mm, sparsely sericeous below.

Fruits

5-8 × 5-7 mm, globular, base rounded, green turning reddish to black; seeds 2.

REMARKS

The combination of 4-angled branchlets, cordate or rounded leaf bases, and the tapered fruit base easily diagnose the species vegetatively from congenerics. The tapered fruit bases can also occur in G. vieillardii . The images of living material were taken in a semi-manicured area (with mowed lawn) in the Parc Forestier de Nouméa.

Among the collections Brongniart & Gris (1865: 180) mentioned in the protologue (Pancher s.n., [collected in] 1862; Vieillard 462), Snow ( Snow & Veldkamp 2010: 182) designated Vieillard 462 as the lectotype. Since Vieillard 462 consists of two sheets (unknown to the author at the time of lectotypification), a second-stage lectotypification is provided above. Moreover, epitypification (Art. 9.9, Turland et al. 2018) is desirable given the sterile condition of the lectotype, and that Vieillard 462 at P consists of two sheets, both of which lack fertile material. At the present time, the two sheets of Pancher at P are databased as “types”, but no such indication or annotation appears on the specimens, and it is unclear at this point whether I was aware of their type status when I first annotated one of these specimens (P00462908) from Eugenia to Gossia in 2004. Among the two sheets of Pancher, one in Pancher’s hand (P00462908) indicates the specifics of the collection on the blue label (on the left), whereas the collecting year of 1862 (also in Pancher’s hand) is on the label (to the right), however this specimen also is sterile. The other specimen of Pancher (P00462909) indicates the year 1861 (printed, not written by hand) on the right-hand label, but details of the collection on the blue label to the left also are in Pancher’s hand (and are nearly identical to those of P004652908), and since this specimen has four flowers, it is selected as the epitype.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Gossia alaternoides (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow: A, young leaves with tomentose indumentum and flower; B, Gossia diversifolia, close-up of flowers and buds, unvouchered taken in Parc Forestier de Nouméa. Vouchers: A, Callmander 1273, used with permission; B, photo: ©Benoît Henry, used with permission (http://endemia.nc).

FIG. 6. — Distribution maps for Gossia bourailensis N. Snow, sp. nov., G. colnettiana (Guillaumin) N. Snow, G. conduplicata N. Snow, sp. nov. and G. diversifolia (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow.

FIG. 13. — A-D, Gossia diversifolia N. Snow, sp. nov.: A, branch with flowers; B, detail of branchlet with quadrangular-winged young stems; C, flower in bud; D, immature fruit; E-I, Gossia aphthosa (Vieill. ex Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow subsp. longipedunculata N. Snow & Munzinger, subsp. nov.: E, leaves and terminal inflorescence; F, flower detail prior to anthesis;G, apical view of flower with staminal disk (petals and stamens removed);H, branch with leaves and inflorescence; I, maturing fruit. J, K, Gossia kaalaensis N. Snow, sp. nov.: J, branch with inflorescences, petiole (adaxial view) to right, raised adaxial leaf venation near margin (enlarged at upper left); K, immature fruit. Vouchers: A-C, MacKee 43897 (NOU); D, Jaffré 3228 (NOU); E-G, MacKee 26628 (NOU); H-I, MacKee 25749 (NOU); J, K, McPherson 2551 (P). Scale bars: A, J, 2 cm; B, 1 cm; C, D, K, 3 mm; E-G, I, 5 mm; H, 2 mm.