Table Of ContentBLUMEA 39 (1994) 341-350
Paramyristica, a new genus of Myristicaceae
W.J.J.O.de Wilde
Rijksherbarium/HortusBotanicus,P.O.Box9514, 2300RALeiden,TheNetherlands
Summary
ThenewgenusParamyristica from NewGuinea,based onMyristicasepicana Foreman,isdescribed
and discussed,and included in keys totheAsian genera ofMyristicaceae. Detailed drawingsofthe
androeciaofParamyristica sepicanaandofMyristicahooglandiiandM.hollrungiiarepresentedfor
comparison.
TheNewGuineanspecies Myristica sepicana Foreman is so distinct from all other
species ofMyristica thatitcannot bekeptwithinthatgenus.In theoriginal descrip-
tionofM. sepicana, Foreman(1974) noted"bracteolenot seen".On closeinspection
thestaminateflowersappeartolack abracteole, inthisapproaching thoseofGymna-
cranthera(see Schouten, 1986)andHorsfieldia (see DeWilde, 1984b, 1985, 1986).
Although thespecies sharesother importantfeatures withMyristica,and hasappar-
ently nosingle traitsthat are unique in the family, thecombinationof characters it
shows are unlikethoseofany ofthecurrently recognized generain Myristicaceae.
Therefore,M. sepicana is placed inanew genus,Paramyristica. Thiscan be keyed
out from theotherAsian generaofMyristicaceae as shownin thetwo keys below.
Asummaryofthepertinent generic-level charactersis given inTable 1.
KEY TO THE ASIAN GENERA OF MYRISTICACEAE
Based onstaminate flowering specimens
la. Inflorescenceasessile or to3(-5)mm peduncled, short, tubercle-likeorworm-
likeprotuberance, usually woody, withscars offallenpedicels andbracts. Brac-
teolepresent 2
b. Inflorescencebranched, panicle-like, short- or long-peduncled, thedistalparts
ofthebranches woody andwith scars,or not. Bracteolepresentorabsent .. 3
2a. Androcciumastalked disc, theantherssessile, contiguous or largely free,radi-
ating. Bracteolemostlysmall, apical tomedian Knema
b. Androccium astalked elongated column, to whichthe anthers are completely
fusedby theirbacks, theapexofthecolumnoftenasterileprotuberance, orflat-
tish, veryrarely shallowly excavated(M. markgraviana, M. hooglandii). Brac-
teoleembracing (the baseof) theperianth, apical or nearlyso Myristica
3a. Bracteolepresent, insertedator towards thetopofthe pedicel. [Inflorescences
withscar-covered perennial distalportions presentor not) Myristica
b. Bracteoleabsent 4
342 BLUMEA Vol. 39, No. 1/2, 1994
spsrperaedaidnign;g; wwiiddeenneedd,,
((sseessssiillee((wwooooddyy)) lloonngg--ssttaallkkeedd ppaarrttiiaallllyy eex-x- mmaannyy--lloobbuullaattee eennvveelolopp--
uunnddiivviiddeedd,,
nnoott
iinnssiiddee ffrreeee
KKnneemmaa ddiiooeecciioouuss ssccaarr--ccoovveerreedd ssuubbsseessssiillee))pprroottuubbeerraannccee pprreesseenntt ouot-ucootu-crvurervrded ggllaabbrroouuss oorr ccoonnoonnaattrree eennttiirreellyy sslliioogghhrrttllyyddiisscc--sshhaappeedd,,ccaavvaatteedd ttoo ((aallmmoosstt))ccoommpplleetteellyyttsshheeeeeedd vvaarriieeggaatteedd
sshhoorrtt--
oorr oorr nnoott ffeeww-- iinngg nnoott
ppaanniiccuu-- pprreesseenntt,,aabbsseenntt)) iinn-- ppaarrttiiaallllyy ddeeeeppllyy uunnddiivviiddeedd,,eennvveelloopp--
sshhoorrttllyy 22--lloobbeedd
excluded).
characters HHoorrssffiieellddiiaa ddiiooeecciioouuss ccoommppoouunndd--((ccuuaallttaaaapptteehhyyllllbbaaaassccssatarteesrstbtbeerrmmuuiinnddaall aabbsseenntt eeggrrllaaeebbccrrttoo;;uussssiiddee ss-eeossossiillrreestsatlaklekded cooco-nonnanrrtaeteffrreeee aaww-iiddnneennddeeddeexxccaavvaatteedd mmiinnuutteellyy ((aallmmoosstt))ccoommpplleetteellyyitshitnsehneeeeegdgd vvaannrriieeooggaatttteedd
aatt
(vegetative ccoommppoouunndd--ppaanniiccuullaatteeaassccaattrrsstteerrmmii-- rreefflleexxeedd;;iinnssiiddee lloonngg--ssttaallkkeedd cocnonnantaete neenxoxo--tt 22--lloobbeedd aabboouutt ppooiinntteedd
aabbsseenntt)) oorr
pprreesseenntt,, ppaappiilllloossee--hhaaiirryy wwiiddeenneedd,, ttoo
EEnnddooccoommiaia mmoonnooeecciioouuss ((ccaattaapphhyyllll bbuudd aabbsseenntt oouutt--ccuurrvveedd sshhoooorrttrr-- ccoommpplleetteellyy cacvaavtaetded mmiinnuutteellyy llaacciinniiaatteehhaallffwwaayy vvaarriieeggaatteedd;;eenndd
genera bbaassee nnaall nnoott oonnee
Asian tteerrmmiinnaall iinn-- ppoorr-- 22--lloobbeedd tthhee
ccoommppoouunndd--ppaanniiccuu--
of GGyymmnnaaccrraanntthheerraa ccaattaapphhyyllllbbaassee aabbsseenntt ggllaabbrroouuss ((ssuubb)s)seesssilseile aappiiccaall wwiiddeenneedd ttoo vvaarriieeggaatteedd
characters ddiiooeecciioouuss llaattee;;aassccttaarrss pprreesseenntt,,bbuudd aabbsseenntt eerreecctt;;ssiiddee iiffrrnneeee titoionnss nnoott mmiinnuutteellyy llaacciinniiaatteebbaassee nnoott
aarrrraannggeeddppaanniiccllee,,aatt vveegg--
generic-level ppaarrttiiaall ssccaarrsstteerrmmiinnaall pprreesseenntt iinnssiiddee ccoonnnnataete aanndd bbaassee
wwiiddeenneeddexecxacvaavteadted tthhee
PPaarraammyyrriissttiiccaa inflionrfelosrceesncceenscesccoommppoouunnddccaattaapphhyyllll bbuudd ggllaabbrroouuss lloonngg--ssttaallkkeedd ttoo vvaarriieeggaatteedd
ppaanniiccllee--lliikkee aanndd ccoommpplleetteellyy
Pertinent ddiiooeecciioouuss iinnttoobbootthh bbaassee,,eettaattiivvee aabbsseenntt eerreecctt;; bbrrooaaddllyyddeeeepplyly uunnkknnoowwnn llaacciinniiaattee nnoott
T1abl.e MMyyrriissttiiccaa ddiiooeecciioouuss ppppaaeenniiccddlleeuu--lliinnkkee--,,ccwwaaiitttthhaaooppuuhhttyyllllbbaaaassssccaatteerrss((sswwccaarroo--ccoooovveeddrreeddyy))ppiirroottuunnbbaaeerraasnnscceessKKnneemmaa PPaaiirraammaannyryisrtisssictaic:a.hhcMcMooaaooggrrllrraa..iinniidd,,iiii pprreesseenntt mama±o±ouutt--ooccuurrssttvveettddllyyaaisisnnnnuuttrrhhnnffaaeeeeccssiieerrss;; ggllaabbrroouuss ssssuuhhbboossooooeessrrssttrrii-ll-rree lloonngg--ssttaallkkeedd ffccuuoossmmeeppllddeetteellyy ccccffrrooeeeellnnuuqqttmmrruuaanneellnntt--pirpnoissrnlootttlnoeeotgnorreg--dedblbliiaanonottuuppttolloeeeerrtttxxt(wsws(hiihddaaaaeeaappnnl-eeleet-ddtxxieMlxioeMcnlxaocnvawavtw.eadte.ldylycMhcMhooaaooggrrllrraa.iinn.iidd,,iiii)) m2m2--lliioonnbbuueettddeellyy bbltltaahhttaacciinnoossiieeaaeettee vavraierigeagtaetded
11))ccllee 22)) 33))MM.. ±± llyyiillee nnoott
fflloowweerrss))
fflloowweerrss ccoolluummnn ccooaat)t)
IInnfflloorreesscceenncceess lloobbeess synan-dsyrniaundrmium((aannddrroopphhoorree)) -
CChhaarraacctteerrss SoSottaattuuffss BBrraacctteeoollee PPeerriiaanntthh ((ssttaammiinnaattee AAnnddrrooeecciiuumm anthe-rasnthers centcrenatrall SSttiiggmmaa AArriill ((SSsseeeeeeeedddd
W.J.J.O.de Wilde: Paramyristica, anew genus 343
4a. Synandrium various, withthecentralcolumnsolidorexcavated, usually consid-
erably broaderthantheandrophore. Perianthinsideglabrous, perianthlobesnot
reflexedatanthesis 5
b. Synandrium elongated or ± globose, thecentral columnatapexnotexcavated,
narrow, aboutas wideas or narrowerthantheandrophore. Perianthinsidehairy
orpapillate hairy, perianth lobeserectorreflexed.[lnflorescences panicle-like,
usually branched atornearthebase, somebasalcataphyll scarspresent] ... 6
sa. Perianthofstaminate flowersmall, less than4mmlong(6-7 mm inH. super-
ba); androphore muchshorterthansynandrium, glabrous. Inflorescencepedun-
culatewithscarsofcataphylls atbase, not branchedatthebase; vegetative bud
absent Horsfieldia
b. Perianth5-6mm long; androphore nearly as long as synandrium, withminute
hairsatbase.Inflorescence abrachyblast composed ofMyristica sect. Myristica-
typepartial inflorescences, ending ina vegetative bud Paramyristica
6a. Synandrium elongate, anthersfreeapically. Perianthlobeserect atanthesis
Gymnacranthera
b. Synandrium short, (depressed-)globose; anthers completely connate. Perianth
lobesspreading orreflexedin anthesis Endocomia
KEY TO THE ASIAN GENERA OFMYRISTTCACEAE
Based on fruiting specimens and on vegetativecharacters
1a. Arildividedintosegmentstooralmosttothebase 2
b. Arilentire, orlaciniateonly apically toupto halfway thetop 4
2a. Inflorescences or infructescences paniculate, withscars ofcataphylls atbase,
withoutvegetative terminalbud.Barkoftwigs smoothorbutlittlestriate. Fruit
1.5-3cm long. [Bracteole absent] Gymnacranthera
b. Inflorescenceseither short,(sub)sessile (as in Knema) or panicle-like, withpe-
duncle, lacking both scars ofbasalcataphylls andterminalbud; or compound,
consisting ofthoseofbothforegoing types distichously arranged inshort-shoots
ending in a vegetative bud.Bark oftwigs usually striate,longitudinally cracked,
or flaking. Fruit1.5-8 cm long 3
3a. Inflorescences compound, provided with a vegetative terminalbud. Bracteole
scar on fruiting pedicel absent(pistillate flowersnot seen). Fruitc. 5 cm long,
conspicuously pubescent. Crowdedline-shaped cataphyll scars usually present
atbaseofinnovations Paramyristica
b. Inflorescenceswithouta vegetativeterminalbud(except forM. carrii, M. hoog-
landiiandM. markgraviana whichresembleParamyristica). Bracteolescar on
fruitingpedicel present.Fruitsize variable,pubescent or glabrescent. Cataphyll
scars ontwigs usuallyabsent Myristica
4a. Arilatapex convolutedorshallowly laciniate.Seednot variegated, not pointed
atoneend 5
b. Arilcoarsely incised forabouttheupper 1/3,or±entirein thePhilippines. Seed
usually variegated, oftenbluntly pointed atoneend. [Leavesnot whitishbelow.
Bracteole absent. Stigma narrowly 2-few-lobed. Inflorescence paniculate].
Monoecious Endocomia
344 BLUMEA Vol. 39, No. 1/2, 15H
5a. Bracteoleabsent.Inflorescencepaniculate, open.Stigma usuallyminutely 2-lobed
(orfew-lobedinH. iryaghedhi from Sri Lanka). Leaves usually not whitishbe-
low(papillose andwhitishbelowonly inH. iryaghedhi) Horsfieldia
b. Bracteolepresent. Inflorescencesshort, simpleor forked,scar-covered, (sub)ses-
sile. Stigma few- to many-lobed. Leaves[when drygenerally not easilybreak-
ing intopieces;] lowersurface usually ± whitish, not papillose; tertiary veining
onuppersurfacefinelyreticulateand mostly well-visible(at variancewith most
oftheothergenera) Knema
PARAMYRISTICA W.J. dc Wilde, gen. nov.
Genusnovumfam. Myristicacearum,agenereMyristicaGronov. floribus ebracteolatis atquesynan-
drioprofundeexcavato diversum. Ab HorsfieldiaWilld. inflorescentiis gemma vegelativatenni-
nali differt. —Typespecies:Paramyristicasepicana(Foreman)W.J.deWilde,basedonMyristica
sepicanaForeman.
Trees dioecious; twigs andleaves stout. Twigs early glabrescent, bark pale, when
olderflaking, crowdedcataphyll scars atbaseofinnovationsusually present.Leaves
distichous, lowersurfacepapillose. Inflorescences1-5 cm long, mostly axillary to
scars offoliage leaves, panicle-like, terminating in avegetative bud. Staminateflow-
ers insubumbels of5-10, fewerin pistillate specimens. Flowers densely woolly
pubescent, pedicellate, bracteoleabsent.Staminateflower:perianthbroadly ellipsoid,
insideglabrous except atbaseofandrophore, (5-)6-7 x 4-5 mm,lobes2.5-3mm
long, i.e. splitting theperianth for 1/3 to nearly halfway, not reflexed inanthesis;
androecium c. 4(—4.2) mm long, synandrium ± subglobose, 2-2.4 x 2mm, the
centralcolumndeeply andbroadly excavated nearlyto thebase,sterileapexabsent;
androphore slender, 1.5-2mm long, glabrous, except fora dense collaroffine
hairsatbase. Pistillateflowersnot seen.Infructescences onthe olderwood below
theleaves, 2-5 cm long, with2-6 fruits; fruiting pedicel withoutscar ofbracteole.
Fruitovoid-ellipsoid, (4-)5-5.5 cm long, densely woolly tomentose;seedellip-
soid-oblong, c. 3 cm long, not variegated, aril completely enveloping theseedbut
deeply laciniatedfromthebase.
Distribution- Papua NewGuinea(SepikProv.).
Explanatory notes - Paramyristica can besplitofffrom thegenusMyristica, to
which it is very close, especially in a puzzling similarity withM. hooglandii and
allies.
ThegenusMyristica islarge, withmorethan 150species, andis especially rich in
species inNewGuinea(Sinclair, 1968;Foreman, 1978).Itcontainstwo sections dis-
tinguished bytheshape ofinflorescence:sect. Myristicaandsect.Fatua(for adiscus-
sion seeSinclair, 1968:41-44; DeWilde, 1991a). Myristica iswell-definedandde-
marcatedagainsttheothergeneraofMyristicaceae(see Sinclair, 1958,1968; DeWilde,
1984a, 1991a),butwithin thegenusthereis muchvariation,notably inthemorphol-
ogy ofthe inflorescences, and in thesize and shape ofthe flowers, especially the
androecium.Paramyristica is linkedwithsome species ofMyristica whichinturnare
exceptional withinthegenuson accountofthepositionoftheinflorescenceandtheir
floralmorphology. Thesespecies areM. hooglandii SinclairandM. carriiSinclair,
W.J.J.O.de Wilde: Paramyrislica, a new genus 345
and, toalesserextent,M. markgraviana A.C.SmithandM.philippensis Lam. Para-
myristica, however,also sharesimportant characterswithHorsfieldia, and someless
important oneswithothergeneraofthefamily.
Apartfromanatomicalcharacters(see Koster&Baas, 1981, 1982; Armstrong &
Wilson, 1980; but see also theparagraph on leafanatomy onp.347), themainchar-
acters definingMyristica are in theinflorescences, the (staminate) flowers, andthe
fruit.Paramyristica hasthefruitwith deeply laceratedaril aroundthe seedincommon
withMyristica, but showssignificant differencesinthefollowing features:
Inflorescences - TheinflorescencesinMyristica areofthesingle-type (forexpla-
nation, seeDeWilde, 1991a), axillary eitherto foliage leavesor to scars ofnormal
foliage leaves; insect. Fatuatheinflorescencesare short,(sub)sessile, oflongdura-
tioi likethose in thegenusKnema, insect.Myristica they are panicle-like witha
distinctpeduncle (hypopodium). In someexceptional species ofthislattersection,
M. hooglandii andM. carrii (both from New Guinea), the inflorescences arealso
panicle-like, butthey may consist ofseveral inflorescences ofthe type normally
foundinsect. Myristica, distichously arranged in short-shootsofafew centimetres
long, withcaducous cataphylls, and ending in a vegetative bud (see the figures in
Sinclair, 1968:157,fig. 7; 161,fig. 8).Ihave never seenmaterialinwhich thisbud
has proliferated. InM. markgraviana (NewGuinea) andin M.philippensis (Philip-
pines) theremay be shortened portions oftwigs withcrowded inflorescences, but
herethetwig normally proliferates. TheinflorescencesofParamyristica are similarto
thecompound onesasfoundinM. carriiandM.hooglandii(partly) (see Fig. 1).The
other generaofAsianMyristicaceae haveinflorescencesof theplural-type,i.e.com-
pound withcataphyll scars atbase (seeDe Wilde, 1991a), withoutaterminalbud.
Bracteoles- In Myristica there always is onebracteole onthepedicel. Usually it
is largeandconspicuous, sometimessmall, persistent or caducous, usually inserted
ator nearthetransitiontotheperianth, andit envelopes mostofthe perianth,especi-
ally inbud. InM. hooglandii thebracteoleis caducous,leaving aconspicuous collar-
like scar belowthe perianth. InParamyristica thebracteole is absent, as inHors-
fieldia, Gymnacranthera andEndocomia.Rowers inthegenusKnemaalways have a
bracteole(Sinclair, 1958, 1961;DeWilde, 1979).
Androecium- Thetypical androeciumofMyristica hasoftenbeen describedand
depicted for many species (e.g. Warburg, 1897;Sinclair 1958, 1968; De Wilde
1990).Theanthersare fusedby theirbacks intoanelongated synandrium; thecentral
column(around which theanthersare attached) isaboutaswideas theshortor long
butalways distinctandrophore, the apical portion ofthe centralcolumnis usually
elongated into a sterileapex,more rarely thelatteris truncatedorabsent.In afew
exceptional cases,again species M.hooglandii, M. carriiandM.markgraviana, the
central columnis widerthantheandrophore, andis flatfish or shallowlyexacavated
attheapex, withthetips oftheanthersbentback intotheapical depression. Thean-
droeciumofHorsfieldia (almost) always has a central columnthat is much wider
thanthe androphore, and itis frequently hollowedout atthe top to various depths
depending on thespecies (see De Wilde, 1984b:fig IA-D, 1985, 1986, 1987). That
theandroecialmorphology ofM.hooglandii somewhatresembles thatofHorsfieldia
was already notedby Sinclair (1968: 158). InParamyristica, however,theandroe-
ciumis very muchlikethatofHorsfieldia, with abroad, almostglobose synandrium
346 BLUMEA Vol. 39, No. 1/2, 1994
W.J.J.O. de Wilde: Paramyristica, a new genus 347
inwhichthe widecentralcolumnis deeplyexcavated; thereis aremarkably long,slen-
der, glabrous androphore, witha collarofshorthairs atthe bottomoftheperianth
(see Fig. 1).
Furthernoteworthy featuresofParamyristica, found frequently orirregularlyin other
generaofAsianMyristicaceae are:
— The lowerleafsurface is distinctlypapillose. Thisphenomenon occurs quitefre-
quently inMyristica, whereit is usefulin distinguishing species.
The colourofthebarkofthe twigsis markedly pale, contrasting withtheblackish-
—
drying colourof the petioles. Thisfeature is not sowell developed elsewherein
Myristica, butitisstriking insomespecies ofHorsfieldia, whereitis usedforthe
distinctionofcertain(groups of)species inthekeys.
— The terminalvegetative budis madeup ofanumberofcataphylls (orscales), of-
ten withtheapicalportion broken off;thesecataphylls leavedistinctivecrowded
semi-circularscars atthebases oftheinnovations.Thisfeatureisabsent orindis-
tinctinMyristica, butoccurs inGymnacranthera ocellata (Borneo). Thesterile
terminalbud inmost Myristicaceae usually consistsofonly asingle conduplicate
leafbeginning. Whengrowthis renewednoneor only oneortwo scalesare shed.
Leafanatomy- TheleafanatomyofParamyristica is very similartothatofmany
Myristica species (cf. Koster &Baas, 1981). Hairbases are foundon both adaxial
and abaxialsurface.Thelowerleafsurface is strongly papillate andthepapillae are
coveredwithalveolarmaterial.Theparacytic stomatal complex is sunkenand over-
archedby aring ofpapillate cells (as uniquely presentin Myristica among theSE
Asian Myristicaceae). Mesophyll structure, andmidriband petiole anatomy agree
completely withMyristica.
AcloseaffinitywithMyristica hooglandiiandM. carrii(Hoogland 4534andLAE
74880,respectively) as deducedfromsuperficial (macromorphological) resemblance
is contradictedby leafanatomicalevidence. Theepidermisofboth specimens is not
papillate, andthestomalalcomplex isoverarched by aring ofcellswith horizontal,
nipple-shaped protrusions, collectively leaving astar-shaped opening abovetheguard
cell pairs. Thus far such astructure is only known from andconstant forKnema.
Thespecimens mentionedaboveareofconsiderableinterestbecause they combine
this featurewith two-armedhaircells - aconstant featureofMyristicaand Gymna-
crantheraaccording toKoster& Baas(1981). Apapillateepidermis as reported here
forParamyristica (Fig. 2)alsooccurs inMyristica maingayi andM.gigantea (in the
limitedsample of 13 species seenby Koster& Baas).
Fig. 1.Paramyristica sepicana(Foreman)W.J. deWilde, a.Habit ofleafy twig apex;notesterile
terminal bud with scale andscalescars, and congestedscars ofscales lower down attransitionwith
previous innovation;x0.5; b. staminatesynflorescence;noteterminal bud; x0.5; c& c’. staminate
flower,perianth opened, and schematic longitudinalsectionofandroecium showing hollowed-out
central column;x5; d. infructescenceon older wood oftwig,fruit somewhat immature;x0.5. —
Myristica hooglandiiSinclair, e& e’. Openedmale flower (notescarofbracteole) and schematic
longitudinalsection ofandroecium;x 5.—Myristica hollrungiiWarb.f&f.Openedmaleflower
and schematic longitudinalsection ofandroecium;x5 (a:LAE 52983(andNGF 48265);b,c, c’:
NGF19516 (type); d:LAE73769;e, e’:Brass25471; f,f’:Demoulin5958).
348 BLUMEA Vol. 39, No. 1/2, 1994
Fig. 2. Lower leaf surface inParamyristica. — a. Papillae, hair bases and rings ofpapillaeabove
stomatal complexes(LAE 73587),scale bar =50µm. — b. Papillaecovered with alveolar material
andhair base(LAE73769),scale bar=10µm.
Paramyristica sepicana (Foreman) W.J. de Wilde, comb. nov. —Fig. 1a-d
Myristica sepicana Foreman,Contr.Herb. Austral. No. 9(1974)40, f. 2; Handb. Fl. PapuaNew
Guinea 1(1978)209. —Type:Sayers NGF 19516 (LAE,n.v.;iso K,L).
Tree5-25 m. Twigs(sub)terete, towardstheapex 3—6(—7) mm indiameter, atfirst
withminutetomentum consisting of + appressed pale brownor bright rusty hairs
0.2-0.5 mm long, glabrescent; bark ofoldertwigs ashy, dark grey, orblackish,
conspicuously cracked andflaky, with± concolorouslenticels. Leaveschartaceous;
bladeselliptic-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, broadestgenerally abovethe middle,
21-45x(5—)8—17 cm, baserathergradually cuneate, top broadly acute withacute
orbluntish tip,sometimesacute-acuminate; uppersurfacedrying(greenish) olivace-
ous, lowersurface glabrous, pale, brownish grey,withthenerves yellowish brown,
contrasting, lowerleafsurfacestrongly papillose, non-traumaticdotsabsent; midrib
slenderor medium, inlarge leavesto 5 mmwide, flator slightly raisedabove; lateral
nerves 15-22perside, atan angle of45-60(-70)° with themidrib, slender,flator
slightly sunken above, distinct and muchraisedbelow, linesofinterarching indis-
tinct; tertiary veiningfaintor invisibleon bothsurfaces; petiole stoutish, (6-)10-20
x 4-6mm, glabrous, brown or blackish, contrasting withlightbrownmidriband
greyish (to whitish) twigs; sterileterminalleafbudratherbroad, (sub)acute, 10-15x
4-6 mm, appressed-pubescent withdullbrownhairs c.0.5 mm,bud atbasewith
few or several scale-like cataphylls, sometimeswiththe apical portion broken off,
whenshed leavingline-shaped crowdedscars. Inflorescence compound, consisting
ofpartialinflorescenceseachwithashortflattenedpeduncle, ofwhichthereare 3-5
W.J.J.O.de Wilde: Paramyristica, anew genus 349
distichouslyarranged intheaxilsoffallencataphylls along ashortshoot(brachyblast)
(l-)2-4cm long, forming apanicle-like synflorescence; mainaxisalways ending in
asterilevegetative bud 0.5(-l) cm long, scars offallencataphylls atbase ofmain
peduncle present; wholesynflorescence shaggy brightrusty pubescent, hairs0.5(-l)
mm; flowersshaggy-pubescent, hairsyellow-brown, 0.5(-l)mmlong; bracts irreg-
ularly broadly rounded, ± convex, 5-10 mm in diameter, pubescent, early shed,
leaving distinct scars. Synflorescences ofstaminateflowers 3-6 cm long; partial
inflorescences withpeduncle (1—)2—2.5(—3) cmlong, simple or withcentralaxis up
to 15mm elongated, with 1 or2 (or 3) clusters of5-10 flowers of almostequal
stage ofdevelopment. Infructescences on theolder wood, 1-4cm long, withpartial
inflorescencesshorterthanin staminate, c. 1cm long,each few-flowered; pistillate
flow s not seen. Staminateflower: pedicel slender, (5—)8—10 x 0.8(-l) mm,brac-
teoleabsent;mature perianthin bud(broadly) ovoid-ellipsoid, (5—)6—7 x(4-)5 mm,
top rounded, base broadly rounded,theapical portion not angular intransversesec-
tion,insideglabrous,smooth,perianth lobes3(or4?),c.2.5(-3) mmlong, splitting
thebudforc. 1/3to nearly halfway, atsutures 0.2-0.3mmin diameter;androecium
4-4.2 mmlong, androphore slender, slightly shorterthan the synandrium, 1.5(-2)
x(0.3-)0.4 mm long, finely striate, glabrous, but at base witha 'collar' ofdensely
setcurly brownhairs 0.3-0.4 mm long, synandrium subglobose or broadly ellip-
soid,subcircularintransverse section, ± truncate or depressed atbothends, c.2-2.4
x2 mm,insidedeeply hollowedout nearly tothebase; anthersprobably c. 20(i.e.,
c. 40thecae), narrow, contiguous, partially curvedtowithintheapical hollowofthe
synandrium (similar as in many Horsfieldia species). Infructescences (synfructes-
cences) on the olderwoodbelow theleaves, 2-4(-5) cm long, branched,bark fis-
suredand± flaking. Fruit2-6 perinfructescence; fruiting pedicel 3-6x3-5 mm,
pubescent; fruitovoid-ellipsoid, (4-)5-5.5 x 2.5(-3)cm,baseroundedor truncate,
topnarrowed,subacute,sometimessomewhatuncinate,(dry) pericarp ratherwoody,
5-7 mmthick, withwoolly rusty tomentum,hairs 1-1.5 mmlong; mature seedel-
lipsoid-oblong, withimpressions ofthearillobes,brown, c. 3 x 1.5cm.
Distribution- Papua New Guinea (a restricted area in West and East Sepik
Province).
Habitat& Ecology - Lowland forest on ridges, forestof flats nearcreeks, and
swamp forest dominatedby Calamus species; 30-300m altitude. Fl. March, fr.
throughout theyear.
Notes- 1.Fieldnotes. Straight-boled tree, brancheshorizontalor slightly pendu-
lous. Bole 1-8 m. Bark finely longitudinally fissured, or smooth, oncereported as
peeling in large sheets; barkcolourbrown orblack, inner bark lightbrown orlight
reddish brown, with red sap. Wood soft, straw, or pale reddish brown. Leaves
shiny above, light green,whitish, oralmost glaucous below. Flowers cream; inflo-
rescence covered with brownindumentum;inflorescencesand infructescences re-
ported as cauliflorous, on branches only; fruitwithdark brownor reddish brown
indumentum,arilred.
2.Paramyristica sepicana muchresemblessomespecies ofMyristica. Becauseof
its papillate leafundersurface itkeys outbesideM. ornata in akey to thespecies of
Myristica forNewGuinea.However,itdoes not atallresemblethelatterin habitor
350 BLUMEA Vol. 39, No. 1/2, 1994
infruit.Paramyristica sepicana is moreprobably relatedtoMyristica markgraviana,
M. carrii, andM. hooglandii, and,indeed, in habitsuperficially approaches these
lattertwo species (seeaboveforfurtherdiscussion).
Specimensseen:
PAPUA NEWGUINEA. Sepik Prov.:NGF(Sayers) 19516 (type), NGF (Katik) 46690,NGF
(Foreman& Kumul) 48161, 48265,48345;LAE(Streimann& Martin)52884,LAE (Streimann)
52983,LAE(Wiakabu etal.) 73587,73769.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I gratefullyacknowledgethe information about the (leaf)anatomygivenby Prof.P.Baas. Tothe
late Dr.H.O.Sleumer (Oegstgeest)Iamindebted forthe translation intoLatin ofthediagnosisof
thenewgenus, and toMr. J.H.vanOs(L),whomade thedrawing.
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