Lasianthus chlorocarpus K.Schum.

21. Lasianthus chlorocarpus K.Schum. View in CoL

Lasianthus chlorocarpus K.Schum. (1905) 399; Valeton (1927) 109; Merr. & L.M. Perry (1946) 219. —

Type : Lauterbach 3151 ( B †), New Guinea; Wiakabu et al. LAE 50043 About LAE (neotype L, designated here), New Guinea, Vanimo sub Province, 140 m alt., in rainforest, 5 Sept. 1982 .

Lasianthus chlorocarpus K.Schum. var. curvinervis Valeton (1927) View in CoL 110, syn. nov.— Type: Ledermann 6630 (lecto SING,designated here), New Guinea.

Shrubs, c. 2 m high; branchlets terete, c. 2 mm diam, slightly compressed in the youngest part, sparsely spreading hirsute (strigillose), brown when dry. Leaves: blades oblong-lanceolate, 10–18 by 3 –5 cm, chartaceous, glabrous above, hirsute on venation beneath, apex acute to cuspidate, base acute or cuneate, slightly asymmetric, midrib and nerves flat above, prominent beneath, nerves 7 pairs, ascending at an angle of c. 50°, curved to the margin, nervules obscure above, distinct and slightly prominent beneath, subreticulate; petioles 5–10 mm long, spreading hirsute. Stipules subulate, 4–5 mm long, hirsute. Cymes sessile; bracts absent. Flowers sessile; calyx campanulate, spreading hirsute, tube c. 2 mm long, limb c. 1.5 mm long, with 4 minute teeth; corolla tube c. 5 mm long, glabrous in the lower half on both sides, hirsute in the upper half on both sides, corolla lobes 4, lanceolate, c. 3 mm long, hirsute outside, floccose inside. Drupes ellipsoid, c. 5 mm diam, sparsely hirsute, verrucose, with 4 obscure ridges; pyrenes 4.

Distribution — Philippines, Indonesia (Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Irian Jaya) Papua New Guinea, Solomon Isl., N Australia.

Notes — This species is very close to L. trichophlebus . Both species have strigillose hairs on young branches, leaves nerves beneath, stipules and calyx. Lasianthus chlorocarpus differs from L. trichophlebus by having subulate stipules and thinner chartaceous leaves with subreticulate nervules and relatively short strigose and minutely teethed calyx limb; while the latter has coriaceous to subcoriaceous leaves, lanceolate-triangular calyx lobes, lanceolate stipules that are more than 5 mm long, and much long and spreading strigose hairs.

This species is also close to L. verticillatus . It differs from the latter by having relatively long subulate stipules (up to 5 mm long); chartaceous leaves with subreticulate nervules; strigillose hairs on branches, nerves beneath, stipules and calyx; as well as usually slightly verrucose drupes with 4 pyrenes and without an enlarged cupular and truncate calyx limb. Lasianthus verticillatus usually has triangular stipules, subcoriaceous to coriaceous leaves, parallel nervules and glabrous or appressed-puberulous on branches, nerves beneath, stipules and calyx, and usually drupes with 5 pyrenes and crowned by an enlarged cupular calyx limb with truncate apex.

Valeton (1927) and Merrill & Perry (1946) mentioned that L. chlorocarpus could be L. strigosus Wight from Australia. We agree that L. chlorocarpus is conspecific to L. strigosus auct. plur. (non Wight) from Australia.

Schlechter 18625 (K), a syntype of L. chlorocarpus K.Schum. var. curvinervis Valeton , is closer to L. verticillatus than to L. chlorocarpus and therefore excluded from L. chlorocarpus .