Taxonomic novelties in Apocynaceae subfam. Asclepiadoideae from New Caledonia Author Meve, Ulrich Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth DE- 95448 Bayreuth (Germany) Author Gâteblé, Gildas Institut agronomique néo-calédonien, Station de Recherche agronomique de Saint-Louis, boîte postale 711, F- 98810 Mont-Dore (New Caledonia) Author Liede-Schumann, Sigrid Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth DE- 95448 Bayreuth (Germany) text Adansonia 2017 2017-06-30 39 1 55 70 journal article 10.5252/a2017n1a5 2ca41b6f-e201-4093-9c51-f79abb72b834 1639-4798 4599043 Marsdenia paulforsteri Meve, Gâteblé & Liede , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1D, E ; 6 ) Similar to Marsdenia tylophoroides , but latex white, corolla yellow and suburceolate with spreading to reflexed, ciliate, basally pilose to bearded lobes; style-head elongated conical, much exserted from the corolla tube, often bilobed. Outside New Caledonia most similar to the Australian M. rostrata , but with branching, bostrychoid inflorescences and a yellow suburceolate corolla with ovate lobes only basally pilose to bearded. TYPUS. — New Caledonia . Grande-Terre , South Prov., Montagne des Sources , c. 20 air-km NE of Nouméa, bushy slopes, 500 - 600 m , 19.II.1980 , G.McPherson 2451 ( holo- , P [ P00607338 ]! ; iso- , MO ) . ETYMOLOGY. — This new species is named after Paul I. Forster, Australian botanist, and a taxonomist/curator at the Queensland Herbarium (BRI). Forster revised the genus Marsdenia for Australia and Papuasia ( Forster 1995b ); he is author of many Marsdenia taxa. DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT. — New Caledonia . Grande-Terre, South Prov. ( Fig. 3 ). On ultramafic substrate, in rainforests and maquis of the southernmost part of Grande Terre; 50-800 m . CONSERVATION STATUS. — This new species is distributed in maquis and rainforests in the south part of the main island. There are about ten different localities sensu IUCN with at least three that are in protected areas. The species is not particularly threatened by nickel mining and the main threats could be bush fires especially for the low altitude populations growing in maquis. With an EOO of 1900 km 2 and an AAO of 52 km 2, we are assigning a preliminary IUCN conservation status of “Least Concern”. FIG. 6. ─ Marsdenia paulforsteri Meve,Gâteblé & Liede , sp. nov. : A , flowering stem; B , flower in top view; C , C ’, flower in lateral view with parts of corolla removed; D , gynostegium with corona in lateral view; E , pollinarium; F , F ’, isolated style-heads in lateral view; G , follicle. Drawings: A -E , G , U. Frensch from H.S. MacKee 16458 ; C’ , F’ , M. MacKee 2432 . Scale bars: A, G, 2 cm; B, C, C’, 1 mm; D, F, F’, 0.5 mm; E, 0.2 mm. PARATYPI. — New Caledonia . South Prov., la Couvélée , 1.V.1951 , M.G . Baumann-Bodenheim 13053 ( P04237188 , Z000052731 ) ; Thy , Upper Western Extension , 14.I.1981 , H . Brinon 1108 ( NOU057806 ) ; Montagne des Sources , 11.II.1983 , E . Cayrol 50 ( NOU057859 , P04593777) ; Monts Dzumac , 166°27’51.9’’E, 22°01’00.9’S, 800 m , 26.I.2010 , G . Gâteblé 337 ( NOU083601 ) ; To’Ndeu ( Thio ) ( Plante cultivée en pépiniére à SRA St. Louis , Mont Dore ), 15.I.2015 , G . Karnadi 231 ( NOU052046 , IACNC000975 ) ; near site of old sawmill on road to Montagne des Sources , 650 m , 13.II.1955 , M . MacKee 2089 (P04237186) ; route de la Montagne des Sources , 600 m , 28.I.1956 , M . MacKee 3856 (P04237187) ; sentier du Mt. Dzumac , environs du 1er col, c. 600 m , 23.XII.1962 , H.S . MacKee 9823 (P04237183; NOU057809 ) ; sentier du Mt. Dzumac , au dessus de la Couvélée , 500 m , 23.II.1967 , H.S . MacKee 16458 (P04237184) ; c. 12 air-km NE of Nouméa; Thy river valley, c. 300 m , 15.II.1980 , G . McPherson 2432 (MO, P04237185) ; Mt Dzumac , c. 600 m , 23.II.1967 , J.M . Veillon 1051 ( NOU0057811 , P04593763) ; Mt Dzumac , c. 800 m , 30.III.1978 , J.M . Veillon 3552 (P04593755) ; Montagne des Sources , c. 800 m , III.1981 , J.M . Veillon 4430 (P04593768, P04593773; NOU 057805 ) ; Piste du Dzumac , 600 m , 11.II.1988 , J.M . Veillon 6690 ( NOU 057808 , P04593782) ; “ Wagap ”, 1861- 1867, E . Vieillard 3003 (P04237181) ; environs de l’ancien campement Pages , vallée de la rivière du Humboldt , c. 130 m , 9.XII.1940 , R . Virot 357 (P04237182) ; Route de Yaté , vallée de la Numbée , c. 50 m , 25.XII.1945 , R . Virot 1556 (P04237179, P04237180) . DESCRIPTION Plants Ascending, twining, to 3 m high. Shoots Perennial, herbaceous, glabrous; internodes 10-13 cm long, 2-2.5 mm diam. Latex White ( fide Mackee 16458 [P04237184]). Leaves With petiole 15-40 mm long, leaf blades coriaceous, with 5-13 colleters at the base, 50-120 × 20-55 mm , elliptic to ovate, basally rounded to indistinctly cordate, apically acute to acuminate with acumen 5-10 mm long, glabrous on both sides. Inflorescences Always one per node, extra-axillary, 9-30-flowered (and more), long-lasting, 3-15 flowers open synchronously, basally dichasially branching, apically bostrychoid. Peduncles 10-40 mm long, glabrous; rachis 1-20 mm long, straight. Flowers With floral bracts 0.2 mm long, 0.3 mm wide at the base, deltoid, glabrous. Pedicels 5-10 mm long, glabrous. Flower buds 4-5 × 2-3 mm when mature, conical. Calyx Entirely free, ciliate; lobes 2-3 × 1.5-3 mm , ovate, apically obtuse. Corolla Suburceolate, 4-6 mm long, abaxially greenish yellow, adaxially yellow, adaxially pilose to bearded with 150-250 µm long trichomes, forming a ring on the throat; lobes fused for about half of total corolla length, 1.5-3 mm wide, patent to decurved, ovate, apically obtuse to acute, adaxially basally pilose to bearded, marginally ciliate. Gynostegial corona of free staminal lobes Glabrous, 0.5 mm high, shorter than the gynostegium; lobes laminar, broadly oblong. Gynostegium 2.5-3.2 mm long, 1.4-1.7 mm diam., elevated by a column of 200-800 µm length; anthers about as long as broad, rectangular, abaxially planar, forming a basal arch; anther wings 600-800 µm long, extending along the whole length of the anther, consisting of distal and proximal ridge; anther wings of adjacent anthers parallel to each other, in the same plane as the anther; connective appendages c. 800 × 500 µm , ovate, equalling the stamen in width, slightly inflexed. Pollinarium Corpusculum c. 200 µm long, between 1.5 times and twice as long as broad, ovoid, margins of the corpuscular cleft centrally widened; caudicles c. 150 µm long, (sub-)basally inserted at the corpusculum, cylindrical, concavely recurved to straight, horizontal; pollinia subapically attached to the caudicles, erect, 250-300 µm long, 130-140 µm wide, ovate in cross-section, ovoid to oblongoid. Style-head 1.8-2.5 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm diam., invertedly infundibuliform, exserted from the corolla tube for around 1.5 mm , rostrate, rostrum elongated conical, 1.5-2.2 mm long, usually bifurcate. Follicles Always one per flower, c. 80 × 10-15 mm diam., obclavate, round in cross-section, apically obtuse, not beaked, wingless, grey, longitudinally grooved (when dry), glabrous, with thick pericarp. REMARKS A vigorous and multi-flowered climber with large (up to 12 cm long) elliptic to ovate leaves and long-lasting inflorescence axes. Very characteristic are the yellow, spreading to reflexed corolla lobes exposing the unusually long, rostrate style-head much exserted from the corolla tube ( Fig. 1E ). With such a rostrum M. paulforsteri , sp. nov. shares an important character with the Australian Marsdenia rostrata R.Br. Other similarities concern the vegetative habit, size of flowers and apex of pollinia that points towards the corpusculum ( Fig. 6E ; cf. Forster 1995b : fig. 33). However, M. rostrata can be clearly distinguished from M. paulforsteri , sp. nov. by its sciadioidal inflorescences and campanulate flowers with mostly creamish corolla and lanceolate-ovate corolla lobes that are densely pilose all over.