Cinnamomum petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok, 2023

De Kok, Rogier P. J., 2023, The Lauraceae Juss. of Indo-China: fifteen new species, four new combinations and two neotypifications, Adansonia (3) 45 (1), pp. 1-25 : 8-11

6. Cinnamomum petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok , sp. nov.

( Figs 6 ; 7 )

Cinnamomum rigidissimum sensu Nguyén Kim Đào , Flora of Vietnam 20: 250 (Nguyén Kim Đào 2017).

Cinnamomum ovatum sensu P.H. Hô, Câyc ỏ Vi ệ tnam 1: 349 ( Hô 1999); Nguyén Kim Đào, Lauraceae in Checklist of Plant Species of Vietnam 2: 79 (Nguyén Kim Đào 2003).

DIAGNOSIS. — This species differs from its close relative Cinnamomum bokorense Tagane & Yahara by having leathery ovate leaves (vs thickly leathery elliptic to lanceolate leaves in C. bokorense ) and perianth lobes that are sparsely hairy outside (vs densely hairy outside in C. bokorense ).

TYPE SPECIMEN. — Vietnam, Hà Tây, Massif du Tam Dao , V.1931, 21°23’35.664”N, 105°36’51.876”E, alt. c. 1400 m, Pételot 5360 (holo-, P [ P01964546 ]; iso-, L [ L0035907 ], NY [ NY00354989 ], P [ P00790090 , P01964547 , P01964548 ]) .

VERNACULAR NAME. — Vietnamese: Re petelot (Nguyén Kim Đào 2017: 292).

DISTRIBUTION. — Vietnam (Hà Tây, Thai Nguyen, Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue) and Laos (Khamouan) ( Fig. 7 ).

ECOLOGY. — It grows in forests at about 575-1700 m altitude. Flowering in March to May; fruiting in July to August.

CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT. — Endangered (EN B2ab(ii,iii)). This species is only known from five collections representing five localities. An analysis of the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) gives and assessment of Not Threatened and the Area of Occupancy (AOO) gives an IUCN Conservation Assessment of Endangered. Given that it is known from so few populations and has small area of occupancy, as well as the intensive logging and landscape modification that has occurred in the region during the last 50 years, this species must be considered endangered.

This species is reported from the Vietnamese provinces of Thai Nguyen (Đ. C. Tu s.n.), Ha Tinh (Thai 13) and Thua Thien-Hue (Thai-Thuan 600) (see Nguyén Kim Đào (2017: 250) but these specimens have not been seen by the author.

ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS SEEN. — Laos. Khammouane: Nakay district, Nakay village, behind Nam Theun Protection Office, 9.III.2006, Svengsuksa et al. BT 222 (E).

Vietnam. Thai Nguyen, Tu s.n. (HNU not seen); Ha Tinh, Thai 13 (HN not seen); Thua Thien-Hue, Thai-Thuan 600 (HN not seen).

DESCRIPTION

Tree 7-20 m tall, dbh c. 25 cm. Twigs 2.4-3.4 mm thick, rounded in cross-section, sparsely hairy when young, glabrescent; hairs yellowish, appressed; terminal leaf bud ovoid, c. 2.8 mm long, apex acute, sparsely hairy. Leaves alternate to (sub)opposite, drying dark brown, smelling of etheric oils when crushed, domatia absent; leaf ovate to elliptic, 2.5-8 × 1.3-5.2 cm, apex acute, base slightly cordate to rounded, thickly leathery, trinerved, secondary nerves usually one pair, extending up to ¾ of the length of the blade, sometimes more prominent secondary side nerves present distally, tertiary nerves scalariform; upper surface glabrous, midrib and secondary nerves raised to flattened, tertiary nerves indistinct; lower surface glabrous, midrib and secondary nerves raised to flattened, tertiary nerves indistinct; petiole half-terete, 5-20 mm long, slender, glabrous.

Inflorescences 2-12 cm long, few-flowered panicles, terminal and axillary, sparsely hairy; bracts leaf-like or absent; bracteoles linear, c. 2.3 mm long, apex acute, sparsely hairy, caducous. Flowers with perianth tube shallow; perianth lobes elliptic, 2.6-3 × 2.2-2.6 mm, apex acute, sparsely hairy outside and inside; stamens 9, 1.8-2.3 mm long, hairy, anthers 4-celled; style and stigma unknown.

Fruits unknown. Cupule shallow, 5-6 mm in diameter (see Fig. 6 ).

NOTES

No evidence that this name was ever validly published could be found, and it is therefore validated here. Specimens have sometimes been placed in the southern Chinese species Cinnamomum rigidissimum H.T. Chang. It differs from this taxon in the placement of the inflorescences (can be terminal) and in the hairiness (pressed yellowish hairs) of the leaves and twigs (glabrous to sparsely grey-brown hairy in C. rigidissimum ).

Figures

FIG. 6. — Holotype of Cinnamomum petelotii Kosterm. ex de Kok, sp. nov., held at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris (P01964546).

FIG. 7. — Distribution of Cinnamomum petelotii Kosterm.ex de Kok,sp.nov.(), Cinnamomum scalarinervium Kosterm.ex de Kok,sp.nov.(), Litsea banaensis de Kok,sp. nov. (), Litsea honbaensis de Kok, sp. nov.() and Litsea nhatrangensis de Kok, sp. nov. ().