Tuesday, November 28, 2017

[Botany • 2017] Syzygium jiewhoei • A New Endemic Tree (Myrtaceae) from Western New Guinea, Indonesia


Syzygium jiewhoei
  Hambali, Sunarti & Y.W.Low 

 Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. 69(2)

Abstract
Syzygium jiewhoei Hambali, Sunarti & Y.W.Low, a new species from Western New Guinea, Indonesia, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to Syzygium recurvovenosum (Lauterb.) Diels but differs in a range of vegetative and reproductive morphological characteristics.

Keywords. East Malesia, Papua Province, Sahul shelf, Syzygium recurvovenosum 




Fig. 1. Syzygium jiewhoei Hambali, Sunarti & Y.W.Low. 
A. Young leaves. B. Cauliflorous habit with many inflorescences at various stages. C. Close-up of inflorescences showing flowers at anthesis. D. Close-up of infructescence.
 All from type Hambali, G.G. s.n. (Photos: G.G. Hambali)

Syzygium jiewhoei Hambali, Sunarti & Y.W.Low, sp. nov. 

Similar to Syzygium recurvovenosum (Lauterb.) Diels but differs in having 90‒100 pairs of secondary veins (vs up to 55 pairs of secondary veins in S. recurvovenosum), 14‒16 cm long inflorescences with 13‒15 mm wide peduncles (vs up to 9 cm long and c. 3.5 mm wide in S. recurvovenosum), and 8‒18 mm long styles (vs 4 mm long in S. recurvovenosum).

 – TYPE: Native to Indonesia, Western New Guinea, Papua, Timika, Kuala Kencana, ..., vouchered on 3 July 2016 as Hambali, G.G. s.n. (holotype BO; isotype SING). 


Etymology. We are pleased to name this handsome tree, with foliage very much resembling that of Anthurium veitchii Mast. (Araceae), after Mr Tan Jiew Hoe, a benefactor of science who has a great interest in natural history, particularly in the fields of botany and horticulture (see Kurzweil & Lwin, 2014; Kiew et al., 2015; Leong-Škorničková & Newman, 2015; Lamb & Rodda, 2016). 

Distribution and habitat. Syzygium jiewhoei is so far known only from the lowland forests around the vicinity of Timika, Papua Province, Indonesian New Guinea. However, the species has now been introduced for cultivation as an ornamental tree in Bogor (Java, Indonesia) and Singapore (Fig. 3).


G.G. Hambali, S. Sunarti and Y.W. Low. 2017.  Syzygium jiewhoei (Myrtaceae), A New Endemic Tree from Western New Guinea, Indonesia. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. 69(2);  201 - 210.