Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm., 2014

Callmander, Martin W., 2014, Validating a striking new species endemic from New Caledonia: Pandanus bernardii H. St. John ex Callm., sp. nov. (Pandanaceae) and its monospecific section: Pandanus Parkinson sect. Bernardia B. C. Stone ex Callm., sect. nov., Adansonia (3) 36 (1), pp. 45-51 : 47-50

Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm. , sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 )

Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex B.C.Stone , Adansonia, sér. 2, 12: 418 (1972); Botanical Magazine of Tokyo 95: 230 (1982); Revision of the genus Pandanus Stickman. Part 61. Pandanus of New Caledonia: 11 (1989), nom. nud.

Haec species inter congeneros novacaledonicos syncarpio subgloboso pallide viridi 12-15 × 11-13 cm, drupa obovoidea truncata leviter compressa longitudinaliter profunde crebiterque porcata atque stigmatibus 6 ad 15 plerumque deltoideis sed interdum profunde bifidis secus stylum adpressum elevatis (1-3 mm) saepe in seriebus 2 (vel 3) dorsoventraliter imbricatis distinguitur.

TYPUS. — New Caledonia. Grande Terre, Rivière Bleue , in regione submontana, [22°05’30’’S, 166°41’30’’E], 200 m, 4.VII.1965, fr., Bernardi 9431bis (holo-, G [ G00305792 ]! ; iso-, BISH!, MO!, NOU!, P [ P00700914 ]!, PH!).

PARATYPI. — New Caledonia. Grande Terre. Mandjélia, 20°24’S, 164°32’E, 610 m, 4.I.1978, fr., Bamps 6140 ( BM, NOU [ NOU048601 ]). — Forêt Demazures, vallée La Coulée , [22°10’44’’S, 166°36’59’’E], 10.III.2005, fr., Barrabé 295 ( NOU [ NOU004603 ]). — Mois de Mai , rivière blanche sup., [22°08’59’’S, 166°36’34’’E], 300 m, 25.VI.1951, fr., Baumann-Bodenheim & Guillaumin 14308 ( G, BISH, P [ P02077319 ]). — Pic du Pin, versant SE, [22°14’34’’S, 166°49’31’’E], 450 m, 14.II.2008, fr., Dagostini 1570 ( NOU [ NOU031140 , NOU031141 , NOU050577 ]). — Forêt des Éoliennes, en contrebas du col de Prony , [22°18’S, 166°45’E], 190 m, 1.XI.2007, fr., Fambart-Tinel (leg. Barriera) 156 ( NOU [ NOU024184 , NOU050588 ]). — En dessus de la cabane des Électriques , [22°10’11’’S, 166°39’32’’E], 240 m, 3.IX.1958, fr., Hürlimann 3422 ( BISH [mixed with P. pancheri (Brongn.) Solms ], G). — Route de Prony , [22°18’30’’S, 166°46’E], 10.VII.1984, fr., Jaffré 2509 ( NOU [ NOU050553 , NOU048600 ], P [P02077371], PH). — Haute Rivière Bleue, [22°05’26’’S, 166°41’30’’E], 150-200 m, 27.IX.1967, fr., MacKee 17590 ( P [ P02077372 , carpo.]). — Haute Diahot, forêt Tendé , [20°24’37’’S, 164°31’17’’E], 500 m, 30.IX.1968, fr., MacKee 19677 ( G [carpo.], FI [carpo.], NOU [ NOU048593 ], P [ P02077373 , carpo.]). — Pouébo, crête entre Mandjélia et Salandané , [20°23’12’’S, 164°31’17’’E], 600 m, 15.XII.1969, fr., MacKee 21287 ( G [carpo.], MO [carpo.], NOU [ NOU048590 ], P [ P02077387 , carpo.]). — ibid. loc., st. fl., MacKee 21289 ( G, NOU [ NOU048589 ], P [ P02077369 ]). — Haute Néaoua, Ouen Sieu , [21°23’12’’S, 165°32’13’’E], 500 m, 12.II.1970, st. fl., MacKee 21607 ( G, NOU [ NOU048591 , NOU048592 ], P [ P02077370 , carpo.]). — Pouébo, Ouangati , [20°26’25’’S, 164°34’20’’E], 800 m, 26.V.1971, fr., MacKee 23791 ( G, FI [carpo.], MO [carpo.], NOU [ NOU048585 , NOU048586 ], P [ P02077368 , carpo.]). — Crête au S Baie Ouinné , [21°59’51’’S, 166°40’15’’E], 400-600 m, fr., 10.XI.1973, MacKee 27774 ( G, FI, MO, NOU [ NOU048587 ], P [ P02139394 ]). — Forêt Faux Bon Secours , [22°10’02’’S, 166°41’33’’E], 300 m, 13.XII.1979, fr., MacKee 37677 ( G, NOU [ NOU048595 , NOU050551 ], P [ P02077385 , carpo.], PH). — Haute Kuébini , [22°13’53’’S, 166°57’48’’E], 400 m, 29.X.1981, fr., MacKee 39839 ( NOU [ NOU050555 ], P [ P02082014 , carpo.], PH [2 sheets]). — Mt Panié, c. 20 air-km NW of Hienghène , [22°13’53’’S, 166°57’48’’E], 500 m, fr., 3.III.1981, McPherson 3691 ( MO, NOU [ NOU048599 ], P [P02077383], PH). — Réserve du Pic du Grand Kaori, [22°17’31’’S, 166°53’37’’E], 30.VIII.2007, fr., Munzinger 4503 ( NOU [ NOU029159 ]). — Yaté Barrage, 21.VIII.2008, fr., Munzinger 5082 ( NOU [ NOU050788 ]). — Forêt cachée, [22°11’20’’S, 166°47’10 ‘’E], fr., Munzinger s.n. ( NOU [ NOU050597 ]). — Vallée de la Pourina, 13.XI.2008, 22°02’58’’S, 166°43’23’’E, fr., Pillon 1337 ( NOU [ NOU049504 ]). — Hills above La Riv. Bleue , [22°05’26’’S, 166°41’30’’E], 550 m, 30.VIII.1971, fr., Stone 10547 ( BISH, G, K, NOU [ NOU048580 ], PH). — Riv. Bleue, route d’accès à la haute Pourina , [22°05’26’’S, 166°41’30’’E], 400 m, 25.XI.1982, st. fl., Suprin 2175 ( NOU [ NOU048596 , NOU048597 ], PH). — Yaté, Rivière Bleue (après la cabane), [22°06’46’’S, 166°41’04’’E], c. 250 m, 6.IX.1967, fr., Veillon 1339 ( NOU [ NOU048598 , NOU050550 ], P [P02077381, P02077382, carpo.]). — Le Cresson, exploitation Frouin , [20°29’14’’S, 164°18’17’’E], 500 m, 28.XI.1967, fr., Veillon 1573 ( NOU [ NOU048584 ]). — Plaine des Lacs, 19.XII.1969, [22°16’13’’S, 166°56’59’’E], fr., Veillon 2082 ( BISH, NOU [ NOU048581 , NOU048582 , NOU048583 ]). — Plaine des Lacs, [22°16’13’’S, 166°56’59’’E], 19.XII.1969, st. fl., Veillon 2082A ( BISH). — La Rivière Bleue , près du Grand Kaori , [22°05’59’’S, 166°40’21’’E], X.1979, st. fl., Veillon 4212 ( NOU [ NOU048499 ], P [P02081988], PH).

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — Pandanus bernardii H.St. John ex Callm. , sp. nov. is known from lowland humid forests from 200-800 m in southern and northeastern New Caledonia ( Fig. 1 ). It grows on schist and serpentine.

ETYMOLOGY. — This species and the monospecific section it belongs to is named in honour of Luciano Bernardi (1920-2001), former curator at the “Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève”. Bernardi, an “infatigable explorateur”, is known for his numerous field trips around the world, especially in Africa, Asia, Madagascar, South America and the South Pacific (see Spichiger et al. 2002). Over tens of thousands of specimens, among which the type of the species described here, were gathered in the course of his expeditions.

CONSERVATION STATUS. — With an EOO of 9 020 km2, an AOO of 69 km 2, and six subpopulations (calculations following Callmander et al. 2007), two of which are situated within the protected area network (Forêt Cachée, Montagne des Sources, Mt. Panié, Pic du Grand Kaori, Pic du Pin, Rivière Bleue), Pandanus bernardii H.St. John ex Callm. , sp. nov. is assigned a preliminary status of Vulnerable (VU B1ab[iii]+ B2ab[iii]) based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

DESCRIPTION

Treelet to 3-4 m tall, stem 10-12 cm in diam., with few to several prop-roots to 20 cm high. Leaves linear-attenuate, 100-150 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, apex acute; thin coriaceous, green, shiny abaxially, pale green adaxially; longitudinal veins visible on both surfaces; marginal prickles borne (8-) 10-14cm above base to the apex, antrorse, 0.3-0.7 mm long in the proximal third, 1.5-4.0 mm apart, 0.2-0.5 mm long in the mid-third, similarly spaced, to 0.1-0.4mm long in the distal third, 0.5-2.0 mm apart, subappressed; midrib unarmed in the lower (1/3-)1/2, prickles> 0.3 mm long towards the apex, irregularly spaced but mostly 1-3 mm apart; apical ventral pleats usually with a few antrorse prickles, 0.3-0.6 mm long, mostly 2-5 mm apart, sometimes lacking; sheath 8-10 cm long, c. 3.5-5 cm wide at apex, 6-7 cm at base. Infructescence terminal, the solitary syncarp, subglobose, 12-15 cm long, 11-13 cm in diam., pale green; peduncle 18-22 cm long, 1.6 cm thick at apex, trigonous, with several foliaceous bracts, the lower ones about 75 cm long and decreasing in size towards the apex. Drupes c. 50-110, connate in the mature syncarp, c. (36-) 40-60 mm long, (18-) 30-40 mm wide, 15-22 mm thick, mostly (6-)7-15-locular, 4-7-angled, obovoid-truncate, slightly compressed, with deep and close ridges longitudinally; pileus apex flat to concave. Stigmas 6-15, c. 1.5-2.5 mm wide, generally deltoid but sometimes deeply bifid, topped by a 1-3 mm long appressed style, proximal or sometimes facing each other, often overlapping. Endocarp median, 10-12 mm long, distally subtruncate margins slightly ascending; walls 2-3 mm thick but with slight conic projections over the seeds, the shoulders small but ascending, acute, lateral walls 2-3 mm thick; proximal mesocarp fibrous fleshy, equally long or longer, distal mesocarp c. 15 mm long, dense, fibrous and medullate; seed locule ellipsoid, 6-7 mm long. Staminate inflorescence a raceme of spikes c. 36 cm long; peduncle soft, fleshy; lowest floral bract 34 cm long, 5 cm wide, lanceolate, cuneate, navicular, foliaceous, the margins and midrib finely serrulate, the uppermost bract 7.5 cm long, 2.8 cm wide, lanceolate, foliaceous like the others; spikes c. 7-8, 5-9(- 15 cm) long, 2-3 cm wide, composed of crowded ‘stemanophore’; ‘stemanophore’ with column 6-8 mm long, c. 2-3 mm wide, apically distended, umbrella like,peltate, to c. 6 mm wide, blackish when dry; stamens c. 80, subsessile, borne along upper part of ‘stemanophores’ and (mostly) under the apical discoid surface, spreading from its rim; filament c. 0.2 mm long; anthers 1.5-1.6 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, oblong, apiculate, apiculus 0.2 mm long.

REMARKS

With its deflected stigmas and staminate flower characterized by a ‘stemanophore’, a fascicle of stamens, expanded into a peltate, umbrella like surface ( Fig. 2I ), Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm. , sp. nov. can be without any doubt placed in Pandanus subg. Lophostigma (Brongn.) H.St.John to whom all New Caledonian species belong except the widespread Pandanus tectorius (type of Pandanus subg. Pandanus ). A recent molecular phylogenetic analysis including the new species described here confirms the monophyly of all New Caledonian species except the widespread P. tectorius ( Buerki et al. 2012). Nevertheless, the new species has a unique combination of morphological characters and cannot be confused to any other known Pandanus species and therefore is placed on its own monospecific section following Stone’s infrageneric classification (1974). The new species can be recognized by its unlobed obovoid drupes, with numerous and parallel longitudinal deep ridges that runs from the base to the apex of each drupe ( Fig. 2 B-E). The drupe apex is truncate and holds a concavity, where all the stigmas are gathered. The stigmas are generally deltoid but sometimes deeply bifid, topped by a 1-3 mm long appressed style, proximal or sometimes facing each other and somewhat overlapping ( Fig. 2B ).

Figures

FIG. 2. — Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm., sp. nov.: A-H, Bernardi 9431bis (holotype G, isotype BISH [adapted from St. John 1982]); I, Veillon 2082A (BISH [adapted from St. John 1982]; drawing Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa); A, leaf apex; B, drupe apex with stigmas; C, D, lateral view of drupe; E, section of a drupe; F, syncarp; G, basal part of leaf; H, medium part of leaf; I, staminate flower showing a ‘stemanophore’. Scale bars: A, C-E, G, H, 1 cm; B, 5 mm; F, 2 cm; I, 2 mm.

FIG. 1. — Distribution of Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm., sp. nov. in New Caledonia (solid dots) with ultramafic soils (grey) and serpentine (black).