Cryptocarya barrabeae Munzinger & McPherson, 2016

Munzinger, Jérôme & McPHERSON, Gordon, 2016, Novitates neocaledonicae IV: Three new species of Cryptocarya R. Br. (Lauraceae), Adansonia 38 (2), pp. 165-174 : 168-171

Cryptocarya barrabeae Munzinger & McPherson , sp. nov.

( Fig 3 ; 4 )

TYPUS. — New Caledonia. Province Sud, Col d’Amieu , fl., 11.II.2005, Barrabé, Pillon, D., I. & C. Létocart 280 (holo-, P [ P01963123 !] ; iso-, MO [ MO-2849659 !], NOU [ NOU004589 !], P [ P01963124 !]).

DIAGNOSIS. — Among New Caledonian species of Cryptocarya , the new species most closely resembles C. pluricostata in having relatively large leaves (blades mostly> 7.5 cm long and petioles> 10 mm long) with typically more than five pairs of lateral veins and a dense, suberect indument; however, in C. barrabeae , sp. nov., the leaf blade is elliptical (vs ovate in C. pluricostata ), the longer petioles at midpoint are> 2.5 mm in diameter (vs 2 mm), the indument of the inflorescence axes is longer (0.5-1 mm) and more-or-less straight (vs short <0.5 mm and contorted) and that of the abaxial leaf surface is persistent (vs mostly worn away at leaf maturity), and the hypanthial cavity is densely pubescent (vs glabrous).

PHENOLOGY. — Buds/flowers in January, February; green fruit in June and November.

VERNACULAR NAME. — Citronelle (French) fide Papineau (in MacKee 37451), but this name is given to several species of the genus with this odour ( Sarlin 1954).

LOCAL USE. — Used as timber.

ETYMOLOGY. — The plant is dedicated to Laure Barrabé, whose excellent flowering collection alerted us to the existence of this new species, and whose studies of the genera Psychotria and Thiollierea (Rubiaceae) have increased our understanding of New Caledonia’s flora ( Barrabé et al. 2011a, b; 2012; 2014; Barrabé 2014).

HABITAT. — The tree is restricted to the “forêts denses humides de basse et moyenne altitudes sur roches volcano-sédimentaires” sensu Jaffré et al. (2012); it has been encountered between 390 and 760 m.

DISTRIBUTION. — The plant is known from Col d’Amieu (in the South) to Mandjélia (in the North), on the eastern part of the main Island “Grande Terre” ( Fig. 4 ).

CONSERVATION STATUS. — The plant appears to be quite common in dense humid forest; and is probably under-collected. It occurs in Aoupinié and Panié protected areas in North Province, and Parc des Grandes Fougères in the South Province. The calculated EOO is 2321 km 2 and the AOO is 117 km 2, but there is no identified threat to the species. We assign Cryptocarya barrabeae , sp. nov., a preliminary status of Least Concern (LC).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Réserve de l’Aoupinié, côté Goa , Lisière de forêt dense humide, 560 m, bt.fl., 15.I.2009, 21°9’20.2’’S, 165°19’12.6’’E, Barrabé et al. 854 ( K, MO [ MO-2865867 ], NOU [ NOU033955 ], P [ P02033420 ], Z] ; Mandjélia juste sous l’antenne, 860 m, stér., 1.X.2009, 20°23’48’’S, 164°31’55’’E, Munzinger et al. 5841 (MO[MO-2849672], NOU[ NOU053514 ]) ; Nato, Forêt dense humide, 390 m, stér., 5.II.2013, 21°2’43’’S, 165°21’48’’E, Munzinger et al. 7109 (NOU, P) ; Forêt Pembaï, col d’Amieu, fr., 13.XI.1980, Suprin 886 (NOU[ NOU016441 ]) ; Col d’Amieu, forêt persan, 370 m, parcelle a1x, 7 n °10, Forêt dense de moyenne altitude sur forte pente à 35°, bt.fl., 18.I.1993, Veillon 7614 (NOU[ NOU016430 ]) ; Col Amieu , Forêt humide, 500 m, stér., X.1978, MacKee (leg. Papineau) 37451 (P[P01962722]) ; Mt. Aoupinié, Forêt humide, 600 m, stér., 11.V.1990, MacKee (leg. Cherrier) 44903 (P[P02033444]) ; Ponandou, stér., 2.X.2009, Munzinger et al. 5854 (NOU[ NOU051356 ]) ; Versant La Foa: Col Amieu , Forêt humide, 400 m, fr. vert, 10.VI.1973, MacKee 26761 (MO[MO-2865868], NOU[ NOU016440 ], P[P01753192, P02116878]).

DESCRIPTION

Tree 4-20 m; 25-50 cm in diameter. Bark brown, somewhat rough, not aromatic.Twigs subterete, densely pubescent with long, erect, reddish brown, straight to somewhat curved, persistent hairs; lenticels not evident in the leafy portions; terminal buds densely erect-pubescent. Leaves alternate; blades elliptical, 4-13.5 × 2-7(-9) cm; base broadly acute (in the smaller leaves) to obtuse (in the larger), often briefly attenuate; apex rounded to truncate or briefly acuminate to an acute or narrowly obtuse tip; margin not or only slightly revolute; texture subcoriaceous; adaxial surface glossy, scrobiculate, glabrous except on the midrib and larger veins, abaxial surface dull, sometimes glaucous, scrobiculate (sometimes only shallowly so), pubescent with long (c. 0.5 mm), erect, reddish brown, essentially straight hairs, the hairs persistent on mature leaves; lateral veins 5-7(-8) on each side, regularly spaced, slightly sunken on the adaxial surface, prominently raised abaxially, lower venation typically evident on both surfaces; petioles (7-)11-22 × 1.6-3.5 mm, densely pubescent, flat adaxially.

Inflorescences axillary, 2-3(-4) cm long, sometimes appearing terminal, paniculate, densely pubescent; reduced leaves of the terminal inflorescences 3-6 mm long, caducous, densely pubescent; bracts and bracteoles 1-2 mm long, caducous, densely pubescent; pedicels essentially absent, the flowers sessile or very nearly sessile above the most distal bracteoles. Flowers yellowgreen, 6-7 mm long, c. 3 mm in diameter distally, externally densely pubescent, the tube 3-4 mm long, c. 2 mm in diameter, the tepals 2.5-3 mm long, 1-1.5(-2) mm wide, erect at anthesis, equal (in height), narrowly ovate, densely pubescent adaxially; stamens 9, all 2-celled, pubescent, c. 1.5 mm long, slightly shorter than the tepals and hidden behind them; the filaments c. 0.5 mm long, the anther cells c. 1.0 mm long, the connectives prolonged beyond the anther cells; paired glands at the bases of the inner three stamens globose, c. 0.5 mm in diameter; staminodia ovoid, c. 1 mm long; pistil glabrous, c. 4 mm long, the style not exerted; receptacle cylindric, densely pubescent within. Fruits pubescent and longitudinally ridged when immature; mature fruits not known.

NOTE

Cited as [ Cryptocarya sp. “ aff. pluricostata ” (Barrabé 280)] in Munzinger (2013).

Figures

FIG. 3. — Cryptocarya barrabeae Munzinger & McPherson, sp. nov.: A, flowering branch; B, details of infructescence with young fruits; C, young fruit; D, flower; E, detail of the leaf. A, D, Barrabé et al. 280 (holotype, P); B, C, MacKee 26761 (P). Drawn by Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa. Scale bars: A, B, 1 cm; C, 5 mm; D, 1 mm; E, 0.4 mm.

FIG. 4. — Distribution of Cryptocarya barrabeae Munzinger & McPherson, sp. nov. Symbols, abbreviations and areas: See Figure 2.

FIG. 2. — Distribution of Cryptocarya adpressa Munzinger & McPherson,sp.nov.: █, herbarium specimens;█, are observations (no voucher) from the NC-PIPPIN network (Ibanez et al. 2014). Abbreviation and areas: T, type specimen; grey areas, ultramafic substrates; dotted areas, protected regions; slanting lines, rep- resent low elevation dense humid forest on volcano-sedimentary substrate (Jaffré et al. 2012).