Geissois lanceolata (Fortune Hopkins, 2006)

Fortune Hopkins, Helen C., 2006, Nomenclature and typification in Geissois (Cunoniaceae) in the South-West Pacific, Adansonia (3) 28 (2), pp. 311-327 : 316-317

5. Geissois lanceolata

(Guillaumin) H.C.Hopkins, comb. et stat. nov.

BASIONYM. — Geissois pruinosa var. lanceolata Guillaumin , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 2, 14: 454 (dated 1942, published 1943). — Type (as given in protologue): “Paulotche [sic] (Vieillard 2649)”. — Lectotype (here designated): Montagnes de Pauloitche , 1861-1867, Vieillard 2649 ( P! [fl. and fr.]; isolecto-?, P! [y.fr. and fr.]).

Geissois lanceolata Vieill. ex Guillaumin , Bulletin du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, sér. 2, 14: 454 (dated 1942, published 1943), nom. inval., pro syn. sub Geissois pruinosa var. lanceolata .

Remarks

The lectotype consists of several fragments on one sheet, including a twig with leaves, a separate leaflet and three short sections of stem with either mature flowers, immature fruits or mature fruits. A second sheet at P with the same label data also has several fragments, including two twigs with leaves which may or may not belong to the same gathering as the lectotype. Both sheets have labels from the Institut botanique de Caen .

The type locality, given by Guillaumin as “Paulotche” but written on the label of the lectotype as “Pauloitche” and on the probable isolectotype apparently as “Panloitche”, does not appear on the contemporary map of New Caledonia by Bouquet de La Grye (1862). According to the index of localities in Tirel et al. (Tirel C., Lescot M., Morat P.& Veillon J.- M., web site: Index géoréférencé des localités de prospection botanique en Nouvelle- Calédonie. Carnets des récoltes de H. S. MacKee, http://phanero.novcal.free.fr, consulted on 7 April 2006), “Pauloitche” corresponds to “Pouanlotch”, also spelled “Poinlotch”, which is the name of a river to the south-east of the Ouanzangou-Taom massif. Several recent collections of this species have been made from Mt Taom and Mt Homédéboa in this area by MacKee .

A sheet at K has two labels, one with “ Geissois montana Vieill. ” handwritten on a printed label that states “ New Caledonia. From Mr. (sic) E. Caldwell. Received Dec. 1871 ” and the second with “ Geissois , arbre, Panloitche (sic), 1868” written on it. The material bears a strong resemblance to the lectotype of G. lanceolata and is probably part of the same gathering . A similar case occurs in Codia , where a sheet at K labelled “ Codia albicans Vieill. , New Caledonia. From Mr. E. Caldwell. Received Dec. 1871 ” and “ Codia albifrons (sic), arbre, mont. de Ouétendé (sic)” bears a strong resemblance to the type of Codia cinerascens (Pamp.) H.C.Hopkins (Vieillard 2660, montagnes de Ouatendé, Gatope, 1861-1867) and is probably part of Vieillard’s gathering .

According to McKee (1966), Caldwell (no initial given) arrived in New Caledonia in 1868 from Mauritius to obtain indigenous varieties of sugar cane and he sent collections of wild plants to Kew to be studied by Joseph Dalton Hooker. The library catalogue of the Natural History Museum in London gives the author of an illustrated report on sugar cane varieties from New Caledonia from about this date ( Moon & Caldwell 1870?) as “J. Caldwell”. According to Barnwell & Rae (1941 -1997), William James Caldwell (born 1820, died 1887) was a government official in Mauritius for some years, who returned there in 1870 with varieties of sugar cane after a short absence in the south-west Pacific; apparently he was married but his wife’s name is not given. Lanjouw & Stafleu (1954) state that the donor of 331 specimens to Kew in 1871 was “Mrs (sic) E. Caldwell”. Unfortunately no information relevant to the name Caldwell has been found in the archives at K (M. Losse pers. comm. 2005). It seems very likely that at least some of the plants received at Kew in 1871 were duplicates acquired from Vieillard, probably sent by the wife of W. J. Caldwell.