Phoebe nicobarica Rasingam, L.J. Singh & Karthig., 2021

Phoebe nicobarica Rasingam, L.J. Singh & Karthig. View in CoL , sp. nov. FigS. 1 View Fig & 2 View Fig

Phoebe nicobarica is similar to P. macrophylla but differs by its white glaucous, pubescent abaxial leaf surface, sub-glabrous inflorescence and globose to sub-globose fruits, whereas in P. macrophylla the leaves and inflorescences are ferruginous tomentose throughout and the fruits are ellipsoid.

Type: INDIA, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Great Nicobar Island, Laful North, 13.06.1981, D. K. Hore 8798 (holo PBL [ PBL0005000002 About PBL !]; iso PBL [ PBL0005000003 About PBL !, PBL0000027258 About PBL !]) .

Medium sized evergreen trees, to 12 m high; branchlets 5–7 mm in diam., reddish-brown, terete to sub-terete, pubescent when young, glabrescent on maturity. Leaves simple, alternate or crowded at the tip, obovate, rarely elliptic, 13–29 × 5.5–12 cm, acuminate at apex, acumen 0.5–1 cm long, cuneate to acute at base, glabrous above, white glaucous and pubescent beneath; hairs white; midrib prominent beneath, sunken above, lateral nerves 9–13 pairs, prominent beneath, sunken above, arcuate, forming loops near margin; tertiary nerves scalariform, prominent beneath, faint above; petioles 1.5– 2.2 cm long, canaliculate, reddish-brown, swollen at base, glabrous. Infructescences axillary panicles, reddish-brown, up to 28 cm long, branched in the distal third, glabrous to sub-glabrous; peduncles up to 22 cm long, terete. Tepals persistent in fruit, appressed to the berry, outer tepals c. 5 mm long, oblong-elliptic, obtusely acute at apex, overlapping and forming a cup, faintly 3-nerved, puberulous, ciliate along margin; inner ones slightly bigger than the outer, broadly ovate, obtusely acute at apex; fruiting pedicels up to 1 cm long, wrinkled, thickened. Fruit a berry, green when young, globose to sub-globose, 0.5–1.2 × c. 1 cm, flat at the top, glabrous.

Flowering & Fruiting: Flowering unknown and fruiting from July.

Distribution: India: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Great Nicobar Island.

Etymology: The species is named after the type locality Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost and largest Island of the Nicobar group of Islands, India.

Notes: Phoebe nicobarica is also similar to another Malaysian species P. kunstleri by its leaf shape and size but differs mainly by indumentum types, glaucous nature of the abaxial leaf surface and fruit shape.