Syzygium gracilipes (A.Gray) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Tuiwawa, S. H., Craven, L. A., Sam, C. & Crisp, M. D., 2013, The genus Syzygium (Myrtaceae) in Vanuatu, Blumea 58 (1), pp. 53-67 : 59-60

6. Syzygium gracilipes (A.Gray) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Syzygium gracilipes (A.Gray) Merr. & L.M.Perry (1942b) 78. — Eugenia gracilipes A.Gray (in Gray & Wilkes 1854: 513). — Jambosa gracilipes (A.Gray) Müll.Berol. (1858) 849. — Typus (fide Smith (1985) 349, as holotype): U.S. Expl. Exped. s.n. (lecto US n.v.), Fiji.

Tree up to 7 m tall. Vegetative branchlets terete, c. 3 mm diam; bark dull, smooth to slightly cracked, persistent. Leaf lamina c. 18 by 6 cm, lanceolate or elliptic; base symmetric, cordate; apex acute, acumen flat; margin flat; chartaceous; drying reddish brown above; primary veins (midrib) less than 1 mm wide; secondary veins open, c. 13 each of the primary vein, c. 18 mm apart; intramarginal vein strongly arched, c. 5 mm from the margin at the lamina midpoint; secondary intramarginal vein weakly arched; tertiary intramarginal vein absent; oil dots present, not visible to the unaided eye in transmitted light, small, dense. Petiole c. 10 mm long; adaxially slightly grooved. Inflorescence terminal or axillary sometime below the leaves, cyme, up to 7 by 6.5 cm, 3 flowers per anthopodium; hypopodium c. 9 cm long; main inflorescence axis lax and pendulous, c. 1 mm wide, terete, dull, smooth; bracts deciduous, up to 1.5 mm long. Hypanthium stipitate, stipe c. 15 mm long; obconic, c. 20 by 8 mm, dull, not visibly gland dotted, minutely wrinkled. Sepals 4, c. 4 by 6 mm, semicircular, persistent, free. Petals not seen. Stamens not seen. Style up to 9 cm long. Fruit dark purple, smooth, plane, ellipsoid, c. 5 by 1.5 cm.

Distribution & Ecology — Vanuatu (Sanma province: Espiritu Santo). Syzygium gracilipes occurs in Fiji and Vanuatu. In Vanuatu the species is known only from Espiritu Santo where it has been collected from cloud montane forest on Mt Tabewemasama between c. 900 and 1800 m asl.

Vernacular names — Putu-havia (Espiritu Santo).

Uses — Unknown.

Notes — 1. Early development of inflorescences occurs in March but the time of flowering is unknown. Insufficient data is available, but one collection in early fruit was made between the months of September to November.

2. The vegetative features of S. gracilipes are very similar to those of S. samarangense . However, an inflorescence character clearly distinguishes these two species. Syzygium gracilipes has a distinctively long hypopodium of c. 9 cm whereas S. samarangense , it is up to 1 cm long.

3. Smith (1985) cited the US specimen of the collection U.S. Expl. Exped. s.n. ( Fiji) as holotype of S. gracilipes . However, Gray ( Gray & Wilkes 1854) did not designate a holotype specimen and the US material is more appropriately regarded as the lectotype of the name.