Virotia

Hopkins, Helen C. F. & Pillon, Yohan, 2020, Virotia azurea (Proteaceae: Macadamieae), a striking new species endemic to New Caledonia and notes on V. francii and V. leptophylla, Candollea 75 (1), pp. 89-98 : 90-92

Key to the species of Virotia

1. Leaves associated with flowers and fruits usually 3–5-lobed (NUM, central) ............................................. V. rousselii

1a. Leaves associated with flowers and fruits simple ......... 2

2. Higher order venation comprising well developed, regularly shaped areoles; leaf blades in adult plants elliptic or obovate ........................................................................ 3

2a. Higher order venation forming areoles less regular in shape and arrangement; leaf blades in adult plants oblanceolate, narrowly ovate-elliptic, or sometimes elliptic ................ 4

3. Leaf blades in adult plants obovate or elliptic, 5–11 × 2.2–5.5 cm, narrowly cuneate at the base, drying mid brown and noticeably paler than the petiole; secondary veins relatively few (7–15 on either side of midrib fide VIROT, 1968), at a narrow angle to the midrib (30–40°); inflorescence axis, pedicels and outer surface of tepals glabrous (UM, S) ........................................ V. neurophylla

3a. Leaf blades in adult plants elliptic, 12–20.5 × 4–5.5 cm, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, drying dark greenbrown and not noticeably paler than the petiole; secondary veins more numerous (18–35 on either side of midrib fide VIROT, 1968), at a wider angle to the midrib (c. 60°); inflorescence axis, pedicels and outer surface of tepals with small, adpressed, reddish hairs (NUM, NE) .......... V. vieillardii

4. Secondary veins anastomosing close to the leaf margins, forming an intramarginal vein along the entire length of the leaf (UM, S) .............................................. V. francii

4a. Secondary veins not anastomosing close to the leaf margins in distal part of leaf, intramarginal vein either absent or present towards the base of the blade only .... 5

5. Leaves long-attenuate at the base and sessile or almost so; inflorescence usually short (6–17.5 cm long); tepals bright pink (UM, NW only, Tiébaghi and environs) ................ ................................................................ V. angustifolia

5a. Leaves cuneate or narrowly cuneate at the base and petiolate, though sometimes shortly so (petiole> 1 cm); inflorescences often longer (9–33 cm); tepals white, pale yellow, blue, pale pink or purplish white (mostly NUM, not NW) ..................................................................... 6

6. Leaf blades 30– 56 cm long, the margins often bluntly toothed distally, and the apex usually pointed or sometimes obtuse; fruits crescent-shaped to ± elliptic in outline with a marked, sometimes sharply pointed beak (NUM or rarely UM, central) ..................................... V. azurea

6a. Leaf blades 7.5– 22.5 cm long, the margins entire or sometimes minutely irregular, and the apex obtuse; fruits almost circular in outline, apex unbeaked or umbonate at most (NUM, central or UM, S) ................ V. leptophylla