Syzygium seemannii (A.Gray) Biffin & Craven

Tuiwawa, S. H., Craven, L. A., Sam, C. & Crisp, M. D., 2013, The genus Syzygium (Myrtaceae) in Vanuatu, Blumea 58 (1), pp. 53-67 : 64

17. Syzygium seemannii (A.Gray) Biffin & Craven

Syzygium seemannii (A.Gray) Biffin & Craven (in Biffin et al.2005) 386.— Acicalyptus seemannii A. Gray (1862) 35.— Calyptranthes seemanni (A.Gray) Seem. (1866) 81. — Cleistocalyx seemanni (A.Gray) Merr. & L.M.Perry (1937) 330. — Typus (fide Smith 1985, as holotype): Seemann 168 (lecto GH; iso BM n.v., K), Fiji,Vanua Levu,the coast of Macuata Province, 1860.

Tree up to 6 m tall. Vegetative branchlets terete, c. 6 mm diam; bark dull, cracked to slightly ribbed, not glandular or verrucose, persistent. Leaf lamina up to 7 by 3.5 cm, elliptic; base symmetric, attenuate or cuneate; apex long acuminate, acumen flat; margin slightly undulate; coriaceous; drying reddish brown above; primary vein (midrib) c. 1 mm from the lamina midpoint; secondary veins closed, 11 each side of primary vein, c. 5 mm apart; intramarginal vein strongly arched, c. 1 mm from 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, moderately dense to dense. Petiole slightly decurrent, c. 10 mm long, adaxially strongly grooved. Inflorescence terminal to axillary, paniculate cyme, 2.5–6 by 2–4.5 cm, 1–3 flowers per anthopodium; hypopodium c. 2 mm long; main inflorescence axis less than 1 mm wide, terete, dull, smooth to longitudinal slits; bracts caducous, not seen. Hypanthium stipitate, stipe c. 2 mm long; subspheroidal or conical to narrowly oblong, c. 12 by 5 mm, dull, not visibly gland dotted, smooth. Sepals fused into a calyptra, falling at anthesis. Petals not seen. Stamens many, more than 50, outermost stamen c. 3 mm long; filament free, white; anther sacs yellow, circular. Style c. 3 mm long. Fruit purple to black, smooth, plane, depressed spheroidal, up to 2 by 1.5 cm.

Distribution & Ecology — Vanuatu (Tafea province: Aneityum). Syzygium seemanni occurs in Fiji and Vanuatu; in Vanuatu it is a rainforest species that occurs up to 700 m asl on the southern-most islands, Aneityum.

Vernacular names — Inmejai (Aneityum).

Uses — Unknown.

Notes — 1. Flower and fruit have been recorded in June.

2. Syzygium seemannii is a very distinct species in Vanuatu due to the calyptrate calyx and the narrowly oblong hypanthium. In vegetative features, this species is similar to S. aneityense , except that the leaf lamina of the latter species is not decurrent.

3. Smith (1985) cited the GH specimen of the collection U.S. Expl. Exped. s.n. ( Fiji, 1860) as holotype of A. seemannii . However, Gray (1862) did not designate a type specimen and the GH material is more appropriately regarded as the lectotype .