Amylotheca banksiana (Guill.) Barlow, comb. nov.

Distribution Map

Description

Amylotheca banksiana (Guill.) Barlow, comb. nov.

Elytranthe banksiana Guill. J. Ar Arb. 13: 88 (1932); Lysiana banksiana (Guill.) Dans. Rec. Tray. bot. Neerl. 31: 233, 227, illus. Fig. 1, a (1934); Bull. Jard. bot. Buitenz. 14: 86 (1936). Type-New Hebrides, Banks Group, Vanua Lava, 300 m alt., Kajewski 453, l0.vii.1928 (NY, holotype; BRI; K; S).

Petiole obscure, up to 08 cm long; lamina oblong to obovate, 5-7-(10) by 8-3-(5) cm, thin, often punctate, gradually attenuate at the base, undulate at the margin and minutely recurved, rounded at the apex; venation obscure except for the midrib prominent on both sides. Inflorescences few in the axils, each consisting of a 2- or 4-flowered apparently simple umbel but actually a subumbellate raceme; peduncle slender, c. 8-10 mm long; pedicels 3-6 mm long; bracts spreading, obtuse, 1 mm long. Calyx cylindrical, 2-3 mm long; limb entire, 0.5-1 mm long. Corolla in the mature bud not or only slightly inflated at the base, thin, 40-50 mm long; petals in the open flower united to about the middle. Anthers c. 6 mm long, about equal to the free parts of the filaments. Style articulate c. 1 . 5 mm above the base, persistent on the fruit. Fruit ellipsoidal, not seen mature. (Fig. 1, d.)

Occurrence. New Hebrides (Fig. 3), 300 to 600 in altitude.

Specimens Examined. NEW HEBRIDES: Navaka R. Valley, Espiritu Santo, c. 600 m alt., Chambers 2682, Aug. 1963 (AD).

Danser (1934, 1936) interpreted the inflorescence of this species as a simple umbel, and consequently placed the species in Lysiana, which is otherwise entirely Australian.

Amylotheca banksiana differs from the species of Lysiana in the more regular corolla tube, in the 4-flowered inflorescence, and in the long pyramidal persistent style base. The inflorescence is most probably an extreme reduction from the raceme of triads which is the primary inflorescence type of Amylotheca. Similarly reduced infiorescences are relatively frequent in A. dictyophleba and A. pyramidata.

Illustrations

Amylotheca banksiana. Inflorescence. From Barlow (1974).

Photographs

Specific Locality Information

Amylotheca banksiana