Cyrtandra multinervis Karton. & R.Bone

Atkins, H. J. & Kartonegoro, A., 2021, A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) IN SULAWESI, INDONESIA, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 78 (364), pp. 1-122 : 77-79

24. Cyrtandra multinervis Karton. & R.Bone , Edinburgh J. Bot. 75(2): 21 (2018).

– Type: Indonesia, Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Tongoa, Mt Potong , 8 iii 2001, Kessler et al. PK 2974 (holotype BO; isotypes E, K, L). Figure 38 .

Branching shrub to 4 m in height. Stems ridged, striate, glabrous. Leaves opposite, subequal; petioles 4–5 cm long, glabrous; blades up to 31 × 9.5 cm, narrow oblong or narrow elliptic, base acute, somewhat oblique, margin subentire to minutely and distantly crenulate, apex acuminate; 17–19 pairs of lateral veins and faint, reticulate tertiary venation, dark green and glabrous above, paler green and glabrous below. Inflorescences axillary, 1- to 5-flowered; peduncle 15–18 mm long, glabrous; bracts 20–23 × 9–12 mm, enclosing the flowers when in bud, ovate, glabrous; bracteoles, 9–11 × 3–4 mm, ovate-elliptic, glabrous; pedicels 6–8 mm long, glabrous. Calyx tubular, pale green, 16–18 mm long, glabrous, lower lobes acuminate, 7–8 mm long, upper lobes, 3–4 mm long. Corolla white with red in the throat, 18–23 mm long, glabrous, lobes recurved, just showing above the top of the calyx, upper lobes rounded, c.6 × 4 mm, lower and lateral lobes rounded, c.4 × 3 mm. Stamens with filaments 5–7 mm long, attached c. 9–10 mm above the base of the corolla, glabrous; anthers c. 2 mm, cohering at apices. Gynoecium c. 15 mm long; disc cupular c. 1 mm long, glabrous; ovary glabrous; style glabrous at base, short hairy at apex; stigma bilobed, c. 1 mm across. Fruits oblong to narrowly cylindrical, sometimes curved, drying black, (10–)17–25 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, smooth; base of style persistent, calyx not persistent.

Distribution. Central Sulawesi ( Figure 39 ).

Habitat and ecology. Upland forest at an altitude of c. 980 m.

Etymology. Named for the high number of lateral veins on the leaf blades ( Kartonegoro et al., 2018).

Proposed IUCN conservation category. It has not been possible to calculate EOO because there is only one collection for this species, but the AOO is 4 km 2, based on a 2 × 2 km grid cell size ( Bachman et al., 2011). It has only been collected once from a relatively well-collected area of Sulawesi, suggesting that it is probably not locally abundant. It was collected in upland forest, which is one of the more threatened habitats in Sulawesi ( Cannon et al., 2007), and although the collection locality falls within the limits of the Lore Lindu National Park, satellite imagery shows habitat degradation and conversion at that site, suggesting that the small population, if still extant, is decreasing in size. Cyrtandra multinervis is therefore assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), B2ab(iii).

This species has been described from a single collection but is distinctive in Sulawesi due to its combination of narrow fruits and many-nerved leaves.

Figures

Figure 38. Cyrtandra multinervis. a, Habit; b, opened calyx, showing inner surface; c, gynoecium, showing disc; d and e, fruit; f, infructescence. Drawn by Claire Banks from Kessler et al. PK 2974. Reproduced from Kartonegoro et al. (2018) with the permission of the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Figure 39. Distribution of Cyrtandra luteiflora (red circle), C. mollis (black diamonds) and C. multinervis (black triangle).