Cryptocarya adpressa 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 : 166-168

Cryptocarya adpressa Munzinger & McPherson , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 ; 2 )

TYPUS. — New Caledonia. Province Nord, Mandjélia , 860 m, fl., 1.X.2009, 20°23’48’’S, 164°31’55’’E, Munzinger et al. 5832 (holo-, P [ P02433555 ]! ; iso-, MO [ MO-2849665 ]!, MPU [ MPU026702 ]!, NOU [ NOU051487 ]!).

DIAGNOSIS. — The new species resembles several other New Caledonian Cryptocarya species ( C. leptospermoides , C. gracilis , C. chartacea Kosterm. , C. mackeei Kosterm. , C. schmidii Kosterm. ) in having relatively small leaves (up to 7 × 4 cm) with pinnate venation, but can be most easily distinguished from them by its persistent and strongly appressed indument on the inflorescences (vs inflorescences glabrous or rapidly glabrate in C. mackeei and C. schmidii ), its short (up to 3.6 cm) inflorescences and unraised lenticels (vs inflorescences 5-10 cm and lenticels prominent in C. chartacea ), and by its relatively long flowers (2.5-3.5 mm) (vs 2.0- 2.5 mm in C. leptospermoides and C. gracilis ).

PHENOLOGY. — Flowers in April, May, October, November. Fruits in March, July, August, September, November, December.

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet refers to the tightly appressed indument, very distinctive within New Caledonian Cryptocarya species.

H ABITAT. — The tree is restricted to the “forêts denses humides de basse et moyenne altitudes sur roches volcano-sédimentaires” sensu Jaffré et al. (2012), from 500 to 1000 m.

DISTRIBUTION. — This tree is known from the forests of the Mont Koghis region in the south to the Tendé basin in the north-east; it apparently does not occur on ultramafic substrates ( Fig. 2 ).

CONSERVATION STATUS. — The plant appears to be quite common in dense humid forest. It occurs in the Aoupinié and Panié protected areas in the North Province, as well as in Parc des Grandes Fougères, and Thy in the South Province. The calculated EOO is 3067 km 2 and the AOO is 153 km 2, but there is no special threat identified against this species. We assign Cryptocarya adpressa , sp. nov., a preliminary status of Least Concern (LC).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Nord de la Conception, vers 600 m, fr., IV.1970, Balansa 2901 (P[P01963127, P01963128, P01963129]) ; Monte Colnett, 500-950 m, fl., 19.IV.1968, Bernardi 12781 (P[P01979772]) ; Australian Camp, La Foa , Forest , 800 m, fr., 29.XI.1949, Mac’Daniels 2347 (P[P01979770]) ; près Chapeau de Gendarme: Crête au N La Conception , Forêt humide, 550 m, fr., 31.III.1966, MacKee 14629 (P[P01979768, P02116872], MO[MO-2849667]) ; Pouébo: Expl. For. Frouin, Pente E Mt. Mandjélia , Forêt humide, 600 m, fr., 12.XII.1968, MacKee 20009 ( BM, G, K, L, MO [ MO-2849666 ], MPU, NOU [ NOU016291 ], NSW, P [ P01979775 ]) ; Farino: Expl. For. Germain , Forêt Mépéou , Forêt humide, 500 m, fr., 25.XII.1969, MacKee 21378 (MO[ MO-2849668 ], NOU[ NOU016293 ], P[ P01979769 ]) ; Pouébo: Crête entre Mandjélia/ Tiebo , Forêt humide, 750 m, fr., 19.IX.1973, MacKee 27385 (MO[MO-2849669], NOU[ NOU016294 ], P[P01963131]) ; Haute Diahot: Tendé , Forêt humide, 600 m, fl., 16.V.1981, MacKee 39053 (MO[MO-2849670], NOU[ NOU016499 ], P[P02003045]) ; Mont Colnett, 1000 m, fl., 29.X.2003, 20°30’0’’S, 164°42’52’’E, McPherson et al. 19024 (MO[MO-2849663), NOU[ NOU004324 ], P[P02033422]) ; Mandjélia, Forested slopes, 700 m, fr., 18.VIII.1981, McPherson 4072 (NOU[ NOU016280 ], P[P01991732]) ; Mandjélia, Forested slopes, 650 m, fr., 1.VIII.1982, McPherson 4762 (MO[MO-2849662], NOU[ NOU016298 ]) ; Plateau de Dogny , entrée de la forêt vers la cascade, 930 m, fl., 19.XI.2007, 21°36’50’’S, 165°52’49’’E, Munzinger et al. 4849 ( G, MO [ MO-2849671 ], NOU [ NOU030688 ], NSW, P [ P02033421 ]) ; Roches de la Ouaième, Panié , Forêt , 947 m, fr., 4.XI.2010, 20°38’29.9’’S, 164°51’38.5’’E, Munzinger et al. 6160 (NOU[ NOU063337 ], P] ; La Guen, Forêt , 785 m, fr., 21.XI.2010, 20°37’0.384’’S, 164°46’52.7’’E, Munzinger et al. 6419 (CANB, NOU[ NOU063599 ], P) ; Hauts de Robinson, prop. Lavoix , 560 m, fl., 11.XI.2015, 22°11’23.06’’S, 166°31’8.60’’E, Munzinger et al. 7398 (CNS, MO, MPU, NOU, P[P02439900]) ; Col d’Amieu, fr., Sarlin 283 [P01979773] ; Col d’Amieu, Forêt , 700 m, bt.fl., 30.X.1972, Schmid 4225 (NOU[ NOU016290 ]) ; Ouégoa, bassin de la Tendé , Forêt dense et humide en sous-bois, fr., 31.VII.1973, Veillon 3000 (NOU[ NOU016304 ], P[P00555346]).

DESCRIPTION

Tree 6-25 m. Diameter 15-20 cm. Bark brown, somewhat rough to nearly smooth. Twigs somewhat flattened, densely puberulous at first with minute, tightly appressed, essentially straight hairs, soon glabrescent, wrinkled and shallowly ridged at first, becoming smoother in the lower leaf-bearing region, lenticels not prominent; terminal buds densely appressed puberulent. Leaves alternate, blades elliptic to slightly ovate, 2.6-7.0 × 1.1-4.0 cm; base acute to broadly acute, subcuneate to somewhat attenuate-decurrent into the petiole; apex rounded to shortly acuminate and obtuse; margin not or only slightly thickened, typically flush; texture coriaceous; adaxial surface typically glossy, glabrous except near the base while immature, abaxial surface dull, typically glaucous at least when young, glabrous except near the base and on the midrib while immature; lateral veins (4-)6-9 on each side, uniformly pinnate, flush on both surfaces or slightly raised adaxially, lower venation obscure or very finely reticulate on both surfaces; petioles 4-7 × c. 2 mm, flat adaxially.

Inflorescences axillary or appearing terminal, 1.2-3.6 cm long, paniculate, densely appressed puberulent; peduncle 3-22 mm long, 1 mm wide; bracts up to 5 mm long, bracteoles up to 1 mm long, acute, caducous; pedicels (uppermost bracteoles to hypanthium base) of at least the central flower of each dichasium 0.5-1.0(-2.0) mm long, those of the lateral flowers often shorter. Flowers yellow-green to green, 2.5-3.5 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter at anthesis, externally appressed puberulent, the tube 1-1.5 mm long, the tepals 1.5-2.3 mm long, erect to slightly spreading at anthesis, subequal, ovate, pubescent adaxially as well; stamens 9, all 2-celled, pubescent, c. 1.5 mm long, the filaments about as long as the anther cells, the connectives prolonged beyond the anther cells; stamens shorter than the tepals and hidden behind them; paired glands at the bases of the inner three stamens globose, c. 0.4 mm in diameter; staminodia c. 0.6 mm long, ovate; pistil glabrous, c. 2 mm long, the style not exerted; receptacle cylindric, pubescent at the rim, otherwise glabrous. Fruits spherical or somewhat flattened, 2.0- 2.5 cm in diameter × 2.0- 2.1 cm high (dried), reddish to black at maturity, the pericarp 1.5- 2 mm thick (dried), the embryo golden yellow to orange in cross-section.

NOTE

Cited as [ Cryptocarya sp. “glauque” (Munzinger 5832)] in Munzinger (2013). Most of the collections identified by Kostermans (1974) as Cryptocarya leptospermoides Kosterm. belong to this new species.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Cryptocarya adpressa Munzinger & McPherson,sp.nov.:A, flowering branch;B, C, inflorescences;D, E, flowers;F, fruiting branch;G, fruit;A, C, E, McPherson et al. 19024 (P); B, D, Munzinger et al. 4849 (P); F, G, MacKee 21378 (P). Drawn by Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa. Scale bars: A-C, F, G, 1 cm; D, E, 1 mm.

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).