Syzygium leptophlebioides Merr. & L.M.Perry

Craven, L. A., Damas, K. Q. & Cowley, K. J., 2021, Studies in Papuasian Syzygium (Myrtaceae): 2. The furfuraceous species of subg. Syzygium, Blumea 66 (1), pp. 57-81 : 72-73

23. Syzygium leptophlebioides Merr. & L.M.Perry — Fig. 2 : 2.9; Map 7

Syzygium leptophlebioides Merr. & L.M.Perry (1942) 282. — Type: Brass 8979 (holo A n.v.; iso BRI!, L photo), Indonesia, Papua Province, Jayapura and vicinity, alt. c. 100 m, June‒July 1938.

Tree to 15 m tall, to 20 cm dbh; bark brown, flaky with hard thick flakes. Vegetative branchlet terete, rounded, 2‒3 mm diam; bark glossy, smooth, not glandular-verrucose, sometimes persistent. Leaf lamina elliptic, obovate or suboblong, 6‒15.5 by 3‒6 cm, 2.2‒4 times as long as wide; base cuneate or obtuse; apex acute to acuminate; acumen flat; margin flat; coriaceous; primary and secondary venation distinctly different with secondaries relatively little developed and not or rarely joining the intramarginal vein, or primary and secondary venation generally similar with all or nearly all secondaries joining the intramarginal vein; primary veins 20‒35 on each side of the midrib, in median part of lamina at a divergence angle of 70‒80° and 3‒5 mm apart; intramarginal vein present, weakly arched, 1‒2 mm from margin, secondary intramarginal vein present. Petiole 10‒20 mm long. Reproductive seasonal growth unit with a reproductive zone only. Inflorescence leafless, cauline, paniculate and often robust, up to 25 by 19 cm, major axis 3‒5 mm thick at the midpoint, bark furfuraceous (sometimes sparingly so); bracts caducous; bracteoles subtending each flower, persistent or caducous. Flower buds with the apex rounded to obtuse. Flowers pink, cream or red (described as wine-red, or with pink hypanthium and cream stamens). Hypanthium dull or dull-glossy, more or less smooth, visibly gland-dotted or not, ribbed; stipitate; stipitate-cup-shaped, broadly

Map 7 Distribution of Syzygium kutubuense Craven & Damas (●), S. leptophlebioides Merr. & L.M.Perry (■), S. maneauense Craven & Damas (▲), S. megistophyllum Merr. & L.M.Perry (★), S. millariae Craven & Damas (◆), S. montis­venetus Craven (✚), S. novotnyi Craven & Damas (Å), S. prolatum Craven & Damas (⨁).

clavate or stipitate-olliform, 4‒6 by 3.5‒5 mm, stipe 1‒2 mm long. Calyx lobes 4, transversely semi-elliptic or depressedly triangular to rounded depressedly triangular, 0.5‒1.5 mm long. Petals 4, calyptrate (coherent and falling as a cap). Staminal disc descending ( Fig. 2 : 2.9). Stamens c. 100, 4‒10 mm long. Style 3.5‒4 mm long. Placentation axile-median; placenta a rounded and slightly prominent or transversely elliptic and distinctly raised cushion. Ovules 14‒18 per locule, spreading, arranged irregularly. Mature fruit red or reddish purple, smooth, spheroid; 12‒14 by 12‒14 mm excluding the calyx, with the hypanthium rim not appreciably expanding in fruit and c. 4 mm diam; seed spheroid, c. 10 mm across, cotyledons collateral.

Distribution — Indonesia (Papua Province).

Habitat & Ecology — Partly felled primary forest on slope along river, rainforest, disturbed lowland rainforest.Altitude 10‒ 150 m.

Note — The inflorescence is often robust and then collected in part only, leading to its misinterpretation by collectors as being lateral and/or terminal.

Figures

Fig. 2 Staminal disc types in Syzygium species. Series 1: Flat; series 2: descending; series 3: ascending; series 4: raised.