Neoschmidia pallida T.G. Hartley, 2003

Hartley, Thomas G., 2003, Neoschmidia, a new genus of Rutaceae from New Caledonia, Adansonia (3) 25 (1), pp. 7-12 : 10

1. Neoschmidia pallida T.G. Hartley , nom. nov.

Eriostemon pallidus Schltr., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 39: 142, “ pallidum ” (1906), nom. illeg., non F. Mueller 1869. — Type: Schlechter 15148, New Caledonia, Ngoye, 150 m, 30 Nov. 1902, fl. (holo-, B, lost; lecto-, here designated, P!) .

Eriostemon pallidus var. latifolius Guillaumin, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. , sér. 2, 27: 470, “ pallidum var. latifolium ” (1955). — Type: MacKee 2204, New Caledonia, road to Montagne des Sources, 800 m, 13 Mar. 1955 (holo-, P!).

Shrub 0.4-4 m high. Young branchlets glabrous to pubescent or sericeous. Leaves sericeous or rarely nearly glabrous or puberulent below, glabrous above, elliptic or narrowly so to obovate, oblanceolate, or sublinear, 1.5-10 × 0.4-2 cm, apex obtuse (and usually retuse) to acute or rarely rounded and retuse, secondary veins usually obscure. Inflorescences puberulent to sericeous, 1- to several-flowered, 0.8-4.5 cm long; pedicels 1-7 mm long. Sepals sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially, connate at base or up to 1/4 their length, the free portion triangular to lanceolate, (2-) 3-5 mm long; petals white to mauve, sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially; ovaries like the follicles glabrous to pubescent. — Fig. 1.

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Neoschmidia pallida ranges from east-central New Caledonia southward to the southern end of the island; recorded mostly from maquis, also from forests (rain forest, ravine forest, gallery forest), thickets, and open places (stream margins and rocky slopes); 20-1300 m altitude; on ultramafic and schistose terrains.

SELECTED SPECIMENS (97 collections examined). —

NEW CALEDONIA: Balansa 1357, St. Louis, 21 Dec.

1868, fl. ( P); Balansa 3535, embouchure du Dothio, Dec. 1871, fl., fr. ( P) ; Bamps 5984, Mt. Vulcain - Mt. Humboldt, 1000 m, 14 Dec. 1977, fl. ( P) ; Hartley 14966, Montagne des Sources , 300 m, 18 Nov. 1979, fl. ( CANB) ; Hoff 3583, fausse Yaté, 10 July 1981, fl., fr. ( NOU) ; Le Rat 2574, Mt. Dzumac , 1000 m, Apr. 1905, fl., young fr. ( P) ; MacKee , leg. Cherrier, 37209, Thio, Mt. Ningua, 1300 m, 27 Mar. 1979, fl. ( P) ; MacKee 40032, vallée de la Ni, 100 m, 3 Dec. 1981, fl. ( CANB) ; MacKee 44283, Mt. Dore, 300 m, 21 Apr. 1989, fl., fr. ( CANB) ; MacKee 46055, Poro, Kaséoua, 550 m, 17 Dec. 1992, fl. ( CANB) ; McPherson 2085, Montagne des Sources, 100 m, 18 Nov. 1979, fl., fr. ( CANB, P) ; McPherson 2647, N of Thio toward mine Pauline, 200 m, 14 May 1980, fl. ( CANB) ; Morat 6364, forêt de Saille, Mar. 1979, fl. ( P) ; Schmid 1121, Dumbéa N, 30 Mar. 1966, fl., fr. ( P) ; Suprin 2307, bassin de la Ouinné, 700 m, 5 Oct. 1983, fl., fr. ( P) .

Figures

Fig. 1. — Neoschmidia pallida T.G. Hartley: A, flowering branchlet; B, flower; C, androecium, disc, and gynoecium (rehydrated, five stamens removed, one shown in abaxial view); D, fruit; E, dorsilateral endocarp; F, seed with ventral endocarp and embryo. (A, B, McPherson 2085; C, Hartley 14966; D-F, MacKee 44283).