Actephila trichogyna Airy Shaw

11. Actephila trichogyna Airy Shaw View in CoL — Map 6 View Map 6

Actephila trichogyna Airy Shaw (1971) View in CoL 499; (1980a) 23. — Type: Brass 8417 (holo L 2 sheets; iso A, BRI), Papua New Guinea, Western Division , Tarara, Wassi Kussa River .

Trees, 4–5 m high; flowering branches 1–1.75 mm diam, lenticels indistinct, apically puberulous. Indumentum : most parts subglabrous, simple hairs. Stipules triangular or ovate, 1.6–2 by 0.8–1 mm, glabrous. Leaves alternate to subopposite at branch ends; petioles 2–4 mm long, sericeous when young, completely pulvinate; blade elliptic, 5.4–9 by 2.9–4.1 cm, 1.9–2.2 times as long as wide, papyraceous, base acute or obtuse, margin flat, apex obtuse to somewhat acuminate, abaxially somewhat sericeous on midrib when young; nerves 10–13 per side. Flowers green, solitary or paired; sepals: margin membranous, apex obtuse; disc a wide, somewhat fleshy ring. Staminate flowers c. 3 mm diam; pedicel c. 5 mm long, not widening towards apex, glabrous; sepals elliptic, widest in the middle, 1.1–1.2 by c. 1 mm, outside slightly sericeous, inside glabrous; petals not seen; disc substantially covering base of sepals; stamens:filaments c. 2 mm long; pistillode not seen, covered by a bundle of hairs. Pistillate flowers not seen; observations from developing fruit: sepals elliptic to somewhat obovate, widest just above to in the middle, 3.5–4 by c. 2 mm, sericeous on both sides; petals 1–1.2 by c. 0.4 mm, apex rounded, erose; disc substantially covering base of sepals in fruit; ovary strongly sericeous. (Developing) fruits immature globose, mature probably subglobose and flattened; pedicels 13–20 by 0.5–1 mm, slightly widening towards apex, often slightly sericeous, sometimes glabrous, slightly striate when dry; sepals not elongating; wall strongly sericeous, thin; columella not seen. Seeds not seen.

Distribution — Papua New Guinea (Western Division).

Habitat & Ecology — Melaleuca leucadendron swampforest. Flowering (and starting to fruit): December.

Note — Typical for the species are the small leaf blades up to 9 by 4.1 cm, and the short delicate petioles (up to 4 mm long). The fruits are small, but this is probably due to immaturity. Developing fruits resemble A. ovalis in being heavily sericeous with a wide fleshy disc underneath, covering the base of the sepals. However, the sepals are not enlarged and the general leaf blade and stipule shape does not resemble A. ovalis . Staminate flowers have a bundle of hairs instead of a pistillode, it remains unclear whether a pistillode is present underneath.