Syzygium millariae Craven & Damas, 2021

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 : 74

26. Syzygium millariae Craven & Damas , sp. nov. — Fig. 2 : 3.1; Map 7

From Syzygium furfuraceum Merr. & L.M.Perry it differs in having the leaf lamina 2.5‒5.5 by 1.3‒3.2 cm, elliptic to obovate, cuneate at the base and with 10‒17 primary veins on each side of the midrib (8.5‒19.5 by 3‒10.3 cm, broadly oblong or sometimes obovate, obtuse at the base and with 30‒37 veins in S. furfuraceum ); axile-median placentation and mature fruit c. 7.5 mm long (axile-basal and c. 15 mm long in S. furfuraceum ). — Type: UPNG (Millar) 1231 (holo L!), Papua New Guinea,Central Province,Woitape Subprovince, in rainforest near Avios, alt. c. 2930 m, 28 Aug. 1971.

Etymology. The specific epithet honours Andrée Norma Millar (1916‒ 1995), who went to New Guinea in 1947 and there developed a lay interest in ferns and orchids. This led to her working professionally in botany and horticulture in Papua New Guinea for three decades, initially with the Lae herbarium and later with the national orchid collection in Port Moresby.

Tree to 32 m tall, to 65 cm dbh; bark brown, flaky. Vegetative branchlet terete, rounded, 3‒4 mm diam, dull, smooth or sometimes cracked,not glandular-verrucose, bark persistent or sometimes flaking or peeling. Leaf lamina elliptic to obovate, 2.5‒5.5 by 1.3‒3.2 cm, 1.3‒1.9 times as long as wide; base cuneate; apex acute to short 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; primary veins 10‒17 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 absent. Petiole 4‒10 mm long. Reproductive seasonal growth unit with distinct vegetative and reproductive zones. Inflorescence leafless, on branchlets below the leaves, paniculate, up to 24 by 22 cm, major axis c. 3 mm thick at the midpoint, bark furfuraceous; bracts caducous; bracteoles apparently subtending each flower, caducous. Flower buds with the apex rounded to obtuse. Flowers white, cream or sometimes greenish pink. Hypanthium dull-glossy, generally smooth, sparsely wrinkled and with a few ribs; sometimes very shortly stipitate; stipitate-cup-shaped or stipitate obconic, 4‒6.5 by 3‒3.5 mm, stipe 0.25‒2 mm long. Calyx lobes 4, very depressedly triangular, 0.2‒0.3 mm long. Petals 5, calyptrate (coherent and falling as a cap). Staminal disc ascending ( Fig. 2 : 3.1). Stamens c. 40, c. 5 mm long. Style 4.5‒7.5 mm long. Placentation axile-median; placenta a flattened, semicircular cushion. Ovules 12‒15 per locule, spreading-ascending, arranged irregularly. Mature fruit red, smooth to wrinkled, stipitately solid cup-shaped to stipitately subspheroid, c. 7.5 by 6 mm wide excluding the calyx, with the hypanthium rim not appreciably expanding in fruit and c. 4.5 mm diam.

Distribution — Papua New Guinea.

Habitat & Ecology — Upper montane forest on gentle slope, rainforest. Altitude 2500‒2930 m.

Notes — 1. The only material available for study is in late bud or late flower and fruit, hence some floral features may not have their mature sizes recorded. The available fruits are galled and consequently no information on the seed is available.

2. The species is known from two collections only.

Figures

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