Benstonea odoardii (Martelli) 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

28. Benstonea odoardii (Martelli) Callm. & Buerki , comb. nova.

≡ Pandanus odoardii Martelli in Boll. Soc. Bot. Ital. 1904: 304. 1904.

Typus: PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Western Prov.: Fly river , 1877, D’Albertiss.n. (holo-: FI-B [ FI003939 : Erbario Beccari 1526, 1526A, 1526B] images seen ; iso-: FI [ FI00 3940 ] image seen).

= Pandanus ihuanus Martelli in J. Arnold Arbor. 10: 141. 1929. Typus: PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Central Prov.: Vailala River , 14.II.1926, Brass 978 (holo-: A [ A0002 0041 ] image seen) , syn. nov.

= Pandanus rostellatus Merr. & L. M. Perry in J. Arnold Arbor. 20: 182. 1939. Typus: PAPUA NEW GUINEA. CentralProv.: Kubuna, 15.XII.1933, Brass 5675 (holo-: NY [ NY00311360 ] image seen ; iso-: A [ A0002 0069 ] image seen) , syn. nov.

= Pandanus humicola Kaneh. in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 55: 305. 1940.

Typus: PAPUA NEW GUINEA: rd. side to the Lake Angi , 5.IV.1940, Kanehira & Hatusima 13500 (holo-: FU ; iso-: A [ A00020040 ] image seen) ,

syn.nov.

= Pandanus eumekes B. C. Stone in Fed. Mus. J. 23: 43. 1978.

Typus: INDONESIA. West Papua (New Guinea): Sorong Dist., Sof Radio Sorong , 7.IV.1954, P. Royen (holo-: L [ L0050509 ] image seen) ,

syn. nov.

Distribution and ecology. – Benstonea odoardii, as currently circumscribed, is widely distributed in lowland and montane rainforests of New Guinea (from 100 to 2000 m) (JEBB, 1982).

Observations. – The type collection of B. odoardii ( D’Albertiss. n.), deposited in the Beccari herbarium (ErbarioBeccari della Malesia) in FI, includes the holotype mounted on three sheets, two with leaves and one with the infructescence. Another possible fragment of the infructescence, considered here as an isotype, is also kept in Martelli’s herbarium. This species is a stemless shrub with long slender leaves (up to 250 cm) and a solitary sub-globose syncarp (c. 6-12 cm in diam.) borne on an erect peduncle (up to 60 cm) ( JEBB, 1992). The range of variation of B.odoardii accepted here follows JEBB (1982), who gathered several specimens that cannot be distinguished from other material of this species, even though the styles have a rather variable morphology: either short and acute or more slender to recurved. All this material seem to fall within the currently accepted range of variability of the species (JEBB, 1982). Further collections and fieldwork are required to determine whether this circumscription is appropriate or whether it may include more than a single variable species (JEBB, 1982).