Gossia virotii (Guillaumin) N. Snow

Snow, Neil, 2020, A revision of New Caledonian Gossia N. Snow & Guymer (Myrtaceae), Adansonia 42 (7), pp. 131-177 : 172-173

Gossia virotii (Guillaumin) N. Snow ( Fig. 20 )

Austrobaileya 8 (2): 192 (2010). — Myrtus virotii Guillaumin, Mémoires du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, sér. B, Bot. 4: 33 (1953).

— Typus: New Caledonia. Grande Terre, South Prov ., Vallée de la Rivière de Humboldt , environs de la Case Marc (ancien campement pages), 130 m, 13.XI.1940, Virot 411 (holo-, P [ P00602573 ]; iso-, A[00255457], NOU[NOU006235], NY, P[P00462850], Z).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. South Prov., Baumann- Bodenheim 8119, Col de Vulcain, 11.XI.1950, (P[P00459517], US, Z); Col de Vulcain , 900 m, 11.XI.1951, Baumann-Bodenheim 8184 (P[P00459519], US) ; Col de Vulcain , 11.XI.1951, Bauman 8209 (A, P[P00459520], US) ; Vale des von Mts Humboldt , 3.XI.1924, Däniker 459 (Z[Z-000050488]; Vallée Koéalagoguamba, 9.X.1977, MacKee 34057 ( NOU [ NOU028911 ], P[P00462841]); Hte vallée de la Tontouta, 22.X.1968, Veillon 1857 ( NOU [ NOU028913 ], P[P00462844]).

REPRESENTATIVE HERBARIUM SPECIMEN. — P00462850.

ETYMOLOGY. — After Robert Virot (1915-2002), French botanist and collector of the holotype.

DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY AND PHENOLOGY. —Southern Grande Terre in maquis over ultramafics ( Fig. 20 ), to c. 130 m. Flowering August through February; fruiting September through March.

DESCRIPTION

Shrubs

To 1 m tall.

Branchlets

Round, internodes mostly greater than 5 mm long, emerging pubescent becoming glabrous and grayish.

Petioles 0.5-2 mm, emerging hairy becoming glabrous.

Leaves Coriaceous, 2-4 per node.

Petioles

Less than 2 mm long.

Blades

1.5-3.0 × 0.2-0.6 cm, broadly linear to very narrowly obovate, base cuneate, margins slightly recurved, apex retuse, sparsely hairy becoming more or less glabrous below, midvein sulcate above throughout, venation inconspicuous but secondary veins slightly raised above, inconspicuous to not visible below.

Inflorescences

Of ascending axillary monads, infrequent, pedicels less than 5 mm.

Calyx

Lobes 4, whitish pubescent above.

Petals

Said to be whitish (none seen).

Stamen disk

Pubescent.

Anthers

Said to be ovate (none seen).

Fruit

Unknown.

REMARKS

The species is recognizable by its frequent occurrence of 3-4 narrow leaves per node with their retuse tips. The species resembles Gossia conspicua comb. nov., but G. virotii differs by its thinner textured, narrower and less strongly recurved leaf blades. In addition, the leaves of G. virotii are aggregated less densely at the tips of branchlets compared to G. conspicua comb. nov. The leaves of Baumann-Bodenheim 8184 are suggestive of Gossia alaternoides , given their greater width than other specimens of G. virotii . Recent checks (August 2019) indicate that one specimen still is annotated (incorrectly) as G. alaternoides (P[P00462841]) and another (incorrectly) as G. conspicua comb. nov. (P[P00462844]).

Additional descriptive data are needed for fertile material, but despite the inadequate description of flowers (and none yet for fruits), the species is easily distinguished from G. conspicua comb. nov.

Figures

FIG. 20. — Distribution maps of Gossia pancheri (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow, G. ramiflora N. Snow, sp. nov. and G. virotii (Guillaumin) N. Snow.