Eugenia pubiflora N. Snow & Callm., 2022

Snow, Neil, Dawson, John W., Munzinger, Jérôme & Callmander, Martin W., 2022, Additional taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on New Caledonian Eugenia (Myrtaceae), Candollea 77 (1), pp. 71-79 : 77-78

Eugenia pubiflora N. Snow & Callm. , nom. nov. ( Fig. 3B ).

 Eugenia calycorectoides Guillaumin in Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 20: 364. 1948. [nom. illeg., non O. Berg 1858]

Holotypus: NEW CALEDONIA. Prov. Sud: Sébertville, zone maritime, XII.1904 [3?], fl., Cribs 1496 ( P [ P00637580 ]!; iso-: ( P [ P01155900 , P04021529 ]!).

Notes. – Although three duplicates of Cribs 1496 are deposited in P, only P00637580 has the species name and type annotation in Guillaumin’s hand. We consider this sheet as the holotype because the two other sheets at P have clearly not been studied by Guillaumin .

The locality on the label initially indicated the year 1904, but the number “4” was crossed out and replaced with a “3”. The word “Sébertville” on the label refers to the Sebert Camp of the 1870s, which later became Prony.

A new name is proposed for the later homonym Eugenia calycorectoides Guillaumin. The epithet pubiflora alludes to the dense pubescence on the inflorescence axis, hypanthium, and calyx lobes.

Eugenia pubiflora N. Snow & Callm. differs from its congeners by its densely, grayish pubescence on emerging leaf blades, young pedicels, and hypanthium ( Fig. 3B ).

Eugenia sarasinii Guillaumin in Sarasin & Roux in Nova Caled., Bot. 1: 189. 1921.

 Xanthomyrtus sarasinii (Guillaumin) Guillaumin in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, sér. 5, 85: 630. 1939.

Holotypus: NEW CALEDONIA. Prov. Nord: vallée de Negropo, 3.III.1912, fl., Sarasin 573 ( P [ P00835843 ]!) .

= Xanthomyrtus pergracilis Diels in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 57: 362. 1922. Lectotypus (designated here): NEW CALEDONIA. Prov. Nord: “auf den Bergen bei Ou-Hinna”, 900 m, 4.I.1903, fr., Schlechter 15629 ( P [ P00835846 ]!; isolecto-: K [ K000821575 ] image!, M [ M0137514 ] image!, P [ P00835847 , P00835848 ]!) . Holotypus: B †.

Notes. – The holotype material of Xanthomyrtus pergracilis Diels was destroyed in B ( HIEPKO, 1987). The best preserved duplicate at P [ P00835846 ] is designated here as the lectotype .

Xanthomyrtus pergracilis has been considered as a synonym of Eugenia sarasinii Guillaumin by GOVAERTS et al. (2008), which is followed here.

Eugenia stricta Pancher ex Brongn. & Gris in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, sér. 2, 12: 179. 1865.

 Austromyrtus stricta (Pancher ex Brongn. & Gris) Burret in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 15: 505. 1941.

Lectotypus (designated here): NEW CALEDONIA: “coteaux ferrugineux”, 1860–1862, fr., Pancher s.n. [748] ( P [ P00637587 ]!; isolecto-: G [ G00341390 ]!, P [ P00637586 , P05094557 ]!) .

Notes. – The protologue indicates “Habitat in Novae Caledoniae montibus ferrugineis” and “Pancher, [anni] 1860–62” as collector. Three sheets collected by Pancher at P bear on the label “coteaux ferrugineux”. The best-preserved specimen is designated here as the lectotype. Two additional specimens collected by Pancher [ K000821576 , P05094559 ] seem to represent a separate gathering and are not considered as original material .

Eugenia stricta Pancher ex Brongn. & Gris is one of the most widely distributed and abundant species of the genus in New Caledonia. Its (1–) 2–5 cm long, obovate leaves with a (usually) retuse apex, coupled typically with solitary terminal or axillary flowers, make it easily recognizable.

Figures

Fig. 3. – A. Eugenia poimbailensis Guillaumin (Tipindjé, 19.XI.2011); B. Eugenia pubiflora N. Snow & Callm. (Bois du Sud, 19.XII.2018). [Photo: H. Vandrot]