Syzygium takeuchii Craven & Damas, 2021

38. Syzygium takeuchii Craven & Damas View in CoL , sp. nov. — Fig. 2 View Fig : 2.2; Map 9

From Syzygium hartleyi Craven & Damas it differs in the inflorescence usually bearing leaves (usually leafless in S. hartleyi but occasionally with a leaf within the inflorescence); ovules 2‒5 per locule (c. 10 in S. hartleyi ); and mature fruit pink or red,25‒30 by 25‒30 mm excluding the calyx (purple and c. 8 by 10 mm in S.hartleyi ). — Type: Takeuchi & Kulang 11563 (holo CANB!; iso LAE !, NY!, A, K, L, UPNG, all n.v.), Papua New Guinea, Gulf Province, Lakekamu area,E branch of the Avi Avi River,in natural growth foot-hill forest on ridgeline near the proposed research station, alt. c. 335 m, 5 Nov. 1996.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Wayne N. Takeuchi (1952‒), a botanist who collected many interesting species in both Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua during his long residency in Papua New Guinea, and who was active in floristic survey work in New Guinea.

Tree to 20 m tall; outer bark orange-brown, inner reddish brown, flaky. Vegetative branchlet terete, rounded, 3‒5 mm diam; bark dull, smooth, not glandular-verrucose, persistent. Leaf lamina elliptic, narrowly elliptic or sometimes narrowly obovate, 7.5‒20.8 by 2.3‒6.5 cm, 2.9‒4.2 times as long as wide; base cuneate; apex long-acuminate; acumen flat; margin flat; coriaceous; primary and secondary venation distinctly different with secondaries relatively little developed and not or rarely joining the intramarginal vein; primary veins 30‒50 on each side of the midrib, in median part of lamina at a divergence angle of 60‒70° and 2‒4 mm apart; intramarginal vein present, weakly arched, c. 1 mm from margin, secondary intramarginal vein present. Petiole 3‒6 mm long. Reproductive seasonal growth unit with distinct vegetative and reproductive zones. Inflorescence usually leafy or sometimes leafless, cauline, paniculate, up to 9‒15(‒35) by 5‒10 cm, major axis 2‒3 mm thick at the midpoint, bark furfuraceous; bracts persistent or occasionally some tenuously present; bracteoles subtending each flower, caducous. Flower buds with the apex rounded to obtuse. Flowers white or cream. Hypanthium dull, smooth, visibly but often obscurely gland-dotted; stipitate; elongated goblet-shaped, goblet-shaped or stipitate-cup-shaped; 4.5‒6.5 by 3‒3.5 mm, stipe 1.5‒2.5 mm long. Calyx lobes 4, transversely semi-elliptic, 1‒1.5 mm long. Petals 4, calyptrate (coherent and falling as a cap). Staminal disc descending ( Fig. 2 View Fig : 2.2). Stamens 70‒80, 5‒6 mm long. Style c. 3.3 mm long. Placentation axile-median; placenta cushion-shaped, peltate. Ovules c. 10 per locule, spreading, arranged irregularly. Mature fruit pink or red, smooth, subspheroid, 25‒30 by 25‒30 mm excluding the calyx, with the hypanthium rim not appreciably expanding in fruit and 7‒8 mm diam; seed spheroid, 18‒20 mm across, cotyledons collateral.

Distribution — Indonesia (Papua Province), Papua New Guinea.

Habitat & Ecology — Stunted lowland forest on exposed ridge on ultrabasics, primary forest, natural growth foothill forest, primary forest in ravine, rather disturbed rainforest. Altitude 10‒1220 m.

Note — The inflorescence is a cauline structure, sometimes ramifying but often only 1-branched and usually with 1 or 2 pairs of reduced leaves subtending the constituent inflorescences. Leaves are rarely absent. The flowers are in cymes that are often irregular and may represent condensed branchlets.