Benstonea ornata (Solms) Callm. & Buerki

Callmander, Martin W., Lowry Ii, Porter P., Forest, Félix, Devey, Dion S., Beentje, Henk & Buerki, Sven, 2012, Benstonea Callm. & Buerki (Pandanaceae): characterization, circumscription, and distribution of a new genus of screw-pines, with a synopsis of accepted species, Candollea 67 (2), pp. 323-345 : 336-337

29. Benstonea ornata (Solms) Callm. & Buerki , comb. nova.

≡ Pandanus ornatus Solms in Linnaea 42: 11. 1878.

Lectotypus (designated here): MALAYSIA. Malacca: 1837, Gaudichaud 108 ( G [ G00164258 ]! ; isolecto-: B [ B1002 79958 ] image seen, P [ P01751483 , P01751484 , P0175 1486 , P01751487 ]!).

= Pandanus monotheca Martelli in Boll. Soc. Bot. Ital. 1904: 303. 1904. Lectotypus (designated here): MALAYSIA. Malacca: Gunong Tundok, 1891, Ridley 10821 ( FI [ FI00 3937 ] image seen ; isolecto-: G [ G00353796 ]!; SING [ SING0059013 ]!) , syn. nov.

Distribution and ecology. – Benstonea ornata is distributed from Peninsular Malaysia to Borneo (through Sumatra and Singapore) and Thailand. It grows in forest understory on hilltops, often on poor soils, at an altitude of 300 to 1350 m ( STONE, 1978).

Observations. – Pandanus ornatus was first illustrated by GAUDICHAUD (1841) in the invalidely published genus Fisquetia Gaudich. This name was then invalidly transferred by KURZ (1869) to Pandanus , without a description. SOLMS- LAUBACH (1878), while attempting to transfer it to Pandanus , in fact described it as new, designating two syntypes: Gaudichaud’s drawing and a Gaudichaud collection in the Delessert herbarium in G (Gaudichaud 108). His description thus validates the name as P.ornatus , even though he believed he was simply making a new combination. Gaudichaud 108 has both an infructescence and leaves, and is here designated as the lectotype. Benstonea ornata is characterized by a sub-cylindric cephalia (varying in length from 5 to 23 cm), pendent on a long peduncle (up to 50 cm) with sharp, proximally arcuate styles up to 5 mm in length ( Fig. 4C ). This species is wonderfully illustrated in GAUDICHAUD (1841: Tab. 5, Figs. 1, 8-9).

MARTELLI (1904) described Pandanus monotheca based on Ridley 10821. The holotype deposited at CAL was not found by Stone, neither in 1968 nor in 1974 ( STONE, 1978), and this entity was therefore regarded by him as a poorly known species. Drupes of this collection (with neither leaves nor syncarps) were, however, subsequently found in both FI and G. The FI collection, here designated as lectotype, clearly belongs to Benstonea ornata , and Pandanus monotheca is therefore treated as a synonym.

Figures

Fig. 4. – Infructescences and details of stigmas of species of Benstonea Callm. & Buerki. A. Benstonea affinis (Kurz) Callm. & Buerki; B. Benstonea gibbsiana (Martelli) Callm. & Buerki; C. Benstonea ornata (Solms) Callm. & Buerki; D. Benstonea pachyphylla (Merr.) Callm. & Buerki. [Photos: M. W. Callmander]