Gossia ngaensis N. Snow, sp. nov.

(Figs 18A-C; 19)

Resembling Gossia nigripes but with longer and flatter leaf blades (margins not recurved), and without an obtuse apex.

TYPUS. — New Caledonia. Grande Terre, South Prov., Île des Pins, Pic Nga near Kuto, 22°39’18.00”S, 167°27’24.98”E, c. 100 m, 14.VIII.1982, G. McPherson 4878 (holo-, MO [MO-3210881]; iso-, BISH fragment, NOU [NOU052879]).

REPRESENTATIVE HERBARIUM SPECIMEN. — No images currently available.

ETYMOLOGY. — Derived from Pic Nga, the locality of the type specimen.

DISTRIBUTION, HABITAT AND PHENOLOGY. — Known only from the type collection from Pic Nga near Kuto on Île des Pins (Fig. 19); in scrub over ultramafics along a creek, c. 100 m. Flowering August; fruiting August.

DESCRIPTION

Shrub

To 2 m.

Branchlets

Terete to strongly compressed; internodes> 5 mm.

Leaves

Coriaceous, 2 per node; petioles 3-5 mm, sometimes slightly sulcate; blades (2.8-)5.0-8.3 × 1.2-4.0 cm, elliptic, base cuneate, surface flat, margin flat to slightly revolute, apex broadly obtuse and sometimes slightly retuse, midnerve sulcate in lower half, secondary veins flush to slightly raised above, oil glands of lower surface dense and prominent.

Inflorescence

Of single flowers or simple cymes, terminal or axillary; extrafloral bracts absent.

Bracteoles

Unknown.

Hypanthium

4.5-7 × 4-5 mm wide (in fruit), obconic, surface smooth, glabrous; ovary apex glabrous.

Calyx

Lobes 5, 1.7-2.5 mm, broadly triangular to broadly rounded, sparsely short ciliate near apex, greenish.

Petals

c. 5 × 5 mm, glabrous above, glabrous to sparsely sericeous below.

Filaments

4-6 mm; anther sacs 0.4-0.6 mm.

Style

c. 5 mm, sparsely sericeous.

Fruits

5.5-7 × 5-7.5 mm, globular, base rounded, green (immature); seeds 1-2.

REMARKS

Gossia ngaensis sp. nov. allegedly was photographed on Pic Nga during September 2017 (G. Gâteblé pers. comm. 2018), but no voucher was taken and its identification was not confirmed. The species most closely resembles G. nigripes (see key for differences). It also resembles G. mandjeliaensis sp. nov., but its hypanthium is sericeous and it occurs on Massif du Panié on the northeast part of Grande Terre.