Ficus gorontaloensis C.C.Berg & Culmsee, 2011

Berg, C. C. & Culmsee, H., 2011, Ficus schwarzii redefined and two new species of Ficus (Moraceae) from Sulawesi (Indonesia) described, Blumea 56 (3), pp. 265-269 : 268-269

Ficus gorontaloensis C.C.Berg & Culmsee , sp. nov. — Fig. 3

Ficus fistuloso similis, ramulis longis ficiferibus, receptaculo maiore nonstipitato epidermide exfolianti differt. — Typus: Mendum et al. 24 (holo BO; iso E), Sulawesi, Distr. Gorontalo, near Pinogu , 275 m, 6 Apr. 2002 .

Tree up to 25 m tall. Leafy twigs 3– 8 mm thick, (sub)glabrous or very sparsely whitish appressed-puberulous, with nodal waxy glands; internodes hollow or solid; periderm persistent. Leaves spirally arranged or (partly) subopposite; lamina oblong to elliptic, 20–24 by 9 –11, ± asymmetric, (sub)coriaceous, apex acuminate, base rounded to subcordate (or to subcuneate), margin entire or (in particular towards the apex) ± irregularly dentate, subcordate to subcuneate, flat; upper surface very sparsely whitish appressed-puberulous on the midrib to glabrous, smooth, lower surface sparsely whitish appressed-puberulous on the main veins to glabrous, smooth, cystoliths only beneath; lateral veins 8 –9 pairs, most of them branched or furcate away from the margin, the basal pair relatively weakly developed, tertiary venation largely scalariform; waxy glands in the axils of the lateral veins in the middle part of the lamina and in furcations of lateral veins; petiole 1.3 – 5.5 cm long, c. 2 mm thick, appressed-puberulous to glabrous, the epidermis persistent; stipules 1–1.5 cm long, very sparsely appressed-puberulous, caducous. Figs on up to 50 cm long leafless branchlets with prominent scars of (pairs) of figs, without persistent stipules on the older wood down to the trunk; peduncle 1.5– 3 cm long; basal bracts 3, verticillate, 2– 3 mm long; receptacle subglobose, 1.5 – 2 cm diam when dry, non-stipitate, (sub)glabrous, the epidermis flaking off, lateral bracts absent, sometimes obscurely ribbed, colour at maturity unknown, apex ± convex, ostiole 4 – 6 mm diam, prominent, with numerous bracts visible; internal hairs present, short and sparse. Style of long-styled flower sparsely hairy.

Distribution — Indonesia, Northern Sulawesi.

Habitat — Forest at low altitudes.

Additional collection. Milikken 879 (E), Sulawesi,Distr. Gorontalo,Dumoga

Bone National Park, Sungai Olama, 300 m, 10 Aug. 1991.

It is possible that collection Eyma 1710 ( L), Sulawesi,Res. Manado, S Koro, 1000 m, 10 Aug.1937,belongs to this species,in spite of the small size of the lamina (2.5–7.5 cm long) and the c. 1 cm long petiole.The dimensions can be related to the fact that they developed terminally on fig-bearing branchlets .

Notes — This species resembles somewhat Ficus fistulosa Reinw. ex Blume , until now represented by two collections from Sulawesi: Coode 6030 (K) from the Luwuk area, and Mendum 216 (E) from Gorontalo, being distinct in the much shorter fig-bearing branchlets, the stipitate fig receptacle, the exfoliating epidermis of the petiole, the smaller ostiole, and the persistent epidermis of the receptacle.

This species is related to F. schwarzii and F. sulawesiana , but is distinct in the larger leaves, the long fig-bearing branchlets, the wide ostiole, and the presence of nodal glands.

Figures

Fig. 3 Ficus gorontaloensis C.C.Berg & Culmsee. a. Leafy twig; b. unbranched fig-bearing branchlet; c. fig in longitudinal section; d. long-styled pistillate flowers (a, c, d: Milliken 879; b: Mendum 24).