Alangium brassii W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes, 2017

de Wilde, W. J. J. O. & Duyfjes, B. E. E., 2017, The species of Alangium section Rhytidandra (Alangiaceae), Blumea 62 (1), pp. 75-83 : 76

1. Alangium brassii W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes , sp. nov.

Resembling Alangium glabrum W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes but differing in its conspicuous golden or greyish brown indument and small fruit c. 15 mm long (whole plant glabrescent and fruit c. 30 mm long in A. glabrum ). ― Type: Brass 22578 (holo L L2498023 ), Papua New Guinea, Milne Bay Province, North slopes of Mt Dayman , Maneau Range , 2000 m alt., 27 May 1953, fl., fr .

Etymology. The species is named after its collector L.J. Brass.

Slender treelet 1‒5 m tall; twigs 1.5‒2.5(‒4) mm diam, dark brown, at apex and leaf bud(s) with (dense) golden or greyish brown hairs 0.1‒0.3 mm long. Leaves: petiole 0.4‒0.6 cm long, late glabrescent; lamina subcoriaceous, drying greenish, glabrescent (except midrib at base below), elliptic, 7‒12 by 2.5‒5 cm, base asymmetric, attenuate, apex acute-acuminate; veins 4 or 5 at each side, tertiary venation reticulate, ultimate areoles small, distinct. Inflorescences hairy as the twigs, glabrescent, simple, 2‒5-flowered, peduncle 5‒10 mm long. Flowers minutely (pale) greyish brown-hairy, hairs c. 0.1 mm long; pedicel 2‒3 mm long; corolla in bud 10‒12 mm long, c. 1.5 mm diam, base not swollen, apex obtuse; ovary and calyx c. 2.5 mm long, not ribbed, greyish or yellowish brown-hairy, limb c. 1 mm long, at margin c. 2 mm wide, unlobed (straight) or faintly lobed, not spreading; petals 4, inside glabrous, except minutely hairy at base, connate into a tube 0.5‒1 mm long; stamens 4, filament c. 5 mm long, minutely hairy, anther c. 5 mm long, the thecae slightly sagittate at base, connective glabrous; style glabrous. Fruit 1‒3 per infructescence, ripening colour unknown, glabrous, obovoid-ellipsoid, 13‒15 by 6‒7 mm, finely 8‒10-ribbed, base ± narrowed, apex nearly rounded; calyx remnant minute.

Distribution ― Papua New Guinea (Milne Bay Prov., North slopes of Mt Dayman).

Habitat & Ecology ― Abundant in undergrowth in dryish forest of slopes, occasional in mossy forest; 2000‒2230 m altitude; flowering and fruiting in May and June.

Field-note ― Flowers yellow.

Notes ― 1. Alangium brassii is known from two collections, both from about the same locality, viz. the type, Brass 22578 ‘abundant in undergrowth, dryish forest of slopes’ at 2000 m alt. and Brass 22698 ( L) ‘occasional in mossy forest undergrowth’ at 2230 m alt .

2. As common in species of sect. Rhytidandra domatia are present in the axils of the lateral veins. In A. brassii , however, there are no real domatia but rather distinct round glands at some distance from the vein axils.