Gossia alaternoides N. Snow

Gossia alaternoides (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow (Figs 1-3)

Austrobaileya 8 (2): 180 (2010). — Myrtus alaternoides Brongn. & Gris, Bulletin de la Société botanique de France 12: 177 (1865). — Austromyrtus alaternoides (Brongn. & Gris) Burret, Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 15: 504 (1941).

— Typus: New Caledonia. Grande Terre, South Prov., Montagnes de Balade, 1855-1860, E. Vieillard 495 (holo-, P [P00602575]).

Gossia alaternoides (Brongn. & Gris) N. Snow var. pulchrifolius (Guillaumin) N. Snow, Austrobaileya 8: 180 (2010). — Myrtus pulchrifolius Guillaumin, Mémoires du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, sér. B., Botanique 8: 144 (1959); Mémoires du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, sér. B., Botanique 8: 289 (1962) (as M. pulchrefolius).

— Typus: New Caledonia. Grande Terre, South Prov., au-dessus du campement de Bernier, Montagne des Sources, 3.X.1951, Hürlimann 3021 (holo-, P[P00751827]; iso-, A[A00255461], NY, US, Z[Z-000050850]).

ETYMOLOGY. — Possibly from a superficial resemblance to the Mediterranean species Rhamnus alaternus L., but its exact application here uncertain.

DISTRIBUTION, HABITAT AND PHENOLOGY. — Across much of Grande Terre (Fig. 3) but most common in the South Province; in maquis including over ultramafics, 100-700 m. Flowering November through May; in fruit yearround but evidently peaking in April and May.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.— New Caledonia. Grande Terre, North Prov., au-dessus d’Ouroué à l’embouchure du Dotio, I.1872, Balansa 3398 (P[P00459516]); Goro-Nickel, relevé 37-38, 20. VI.2002, Dagostini 525 (NOU); Fetscherin s.n., 1910, entre Thio et Houaïlou (P[P00459523]); Route de Houaïlou à Kouaoua, vers 400 m, 7. V.1969, Jaffré 231, (BISH [fragment], NOU [NOU053232], P[P00462828]); Boulinda, 100 m, 9.XI.1971, Jaffré 480 (NOU [NOU028887], P[P00462829]); Massif du Boulinda, 530 m, 12.X.1972, Jaffré 973 (NOU [NOU028885], P[P00462831]); Au pied du Massif du Boulinda, 110 m, 10.X.1972, Jaffré 1030 (NOU [NOU028853]); Plaine des Gaiacs, 10.XII.1977, Jaffré 2018 (NOU [NOU028886]); Massif du Boulinda, col de Nékoro, 11.X.1972, Jaffré 2203 (NOU [NOU028884]); Massif du Boulinda, 23.II.1978, Jaffré 2367 (NOU [NOU028852], P[P00462833]); Koniambo, 534 m, 26.X.2000, Jaffré 3452 (NOU [NOU028919], P[P00316477]); Mt. Koniambo, vers 400 m, 5.I.1961, MacKee 7965 (CANB, P[P00462840], US); Boulinda, 10.XI.1977, Morat 5705 (NOU [NOU028876], P[P00462843]); Dothio: le fort américain, [21°35’30.00”S, 166°08’09.99E], 17.XII.1981, Veillon 4767 (NOU [NOU030916], P[P00462845], WELTU). — South Prov., Col de Vulcain, 900 m, 11.XI.1950, Baumann-Bodenheim 8120 (A, P[P00459518]); Sommet W du Mt. Humboldt, 21.IX.1951, Baumann-Bodenheim 15430 (A, BRI, P[P00459521], US, Z); Mine Pin-Pin, 21°22’57.00”S, 165°16’00.00”E, 677 m, 20.XI.2015, Callmander 1273 (G[images of living material seen], MO n.v., NOU n.v., P n.v.); Massif du Kouakoué sur la crête, VII.1955, Chevalier 6 (NOU [NOU028915, NOU028921]); Goro-Nickel relevé 37-38, 20. VI.2002, Dagostini 525 (NOU [NOU028874]); Prony, bords de la Yaté, Franc 1787 (P[P00459524], [P00459525]; ibid. loco, Franc 1787a (P[P00459526, P00462814, P00462815]); Prony, 20.XII.1914, Franc 1901a (A, BRI, P); Hürlimann 597 (P[P00462820]); Vallée de la Fausse Yaté, 12.I.1951, Hürlimann 669 (A, P[P00462821], RSA, US, Z); Pic 576 au-dessus de la vallée de Boulari, 30.I.1951, Hürlimann 799 (A, NY, P[P00462822], US, Z); Pic 576 au-dessus de la vallée de Boulari, 30.I.1951, Hürlimann 802 (P[P00462823]); Pente nord du Pic du Casse-Cou, 3.III.1951, Hürlimann 1016 (P[P00462825]); Route de Yaté, 10.I.1969, Jaffré 141 (NOU [NOU053233], P[P00462826, P00462827]); Kouaoua, 7. V.1969, Jaffré 231 (P[P00462828]); Route de Yaté, 20.I.1978, Jaffré 2254 (CANB n.v., L n.v., MO[MO-5813358], NOU [NOU028883], P[P00462832]); Vallée de la Riv. Ouha-Tontouta, 2.XI.1995, Jaffré 3275 (BISH [fragment], NOU [NOU053039]), P[P00462834]); N. Dumbéa valley between the 1 st and 4 th bunkers of abandoned mine, 13.XI.1955, MacKee 3337 (P[P00462837, P00462838]); Plaine des Lacs: NE Grand Lac, 30.XII.1978, Mac- Kee 36304 (NOU [NOU028854]); Yaté, 250 m, 18.XII.1985, MacKee 42946 (MO[MO-6751083], NOU [NOU028879], P[P02089890]); 5 km en aval de la Chute de la Rivière des Lacs, 200 m, 9.XI.1989, MacKee 43339 (BRI, NOU [NOU028875], P[P02089861] + spirits); Rivière des Lacs, 5 km en aval de la chute, 200 m, 5.IV.1987, MacKee 43489 (MO[MO-6751077], NOU [NOU028887], P[P02089889]); Yaté, Barrage, 150 m, 25. V.1987, MacKee 43555 (P[P02089859]); Rivière des Lacs, 220 m, 19.XI.1987, MacKee 43776 (P[P02089860]); Grand Lac, 250 m, 29.XII.1989, MacKee 44239 (BRI, NOU [NOU028878], P[02089887] + spirits); Grand Lac, 250 m, 29.XII.1988, Mac- Kee 44240 (BRI, MO[MO-6751071], NOU [NOU028855], P[P02089888] + spirits); Port Bouquet, Rivière Koum, au bout de la piste longeant la rivière, berge ouest, 105 m, 24.XI.2001, Munzinger 1019 (MO[MO-04771341], NOU [NOU028880]); Dothio: le fort Américain, 17.XII.1981, Veillon 4767 (NOU, P[P00462845]); Tontouta, rive gauche du creek Wanewano entre 20-30 m, 26.III.1993, Veillon 7917 (NOU [NOU028920]); Baie de Prony, Vieillard 2618 (P[P00462847]); Entre Goro et la Grand Lac, 29.III. 1942, 230 m, Virot 680 (P[P00462851]); Riv. des Lacs near beginning of Route de Carenage, 22.10°S, 166.50°E, 150 m, 11.XII.1973, Webster 19208 (DAV, P[P00462852]). — Ab. loco: Le Rat & Le Rat 768 (P[P00462835]).

REPRESENTATIVE HERBARIUM SPECIMEN. — P00751827.

DESCRIPTION

Shrubs

0.5- 3 m.

Branchlets

Terete, emerging densely lanate to glabrous; internodes at branch tips mostly> 5 mm.

Leaves

Stiffly coriaceous, 2-3(-4) per node; petioles 1.5-2.5 mm, slightly sulcate distally; blades 1.5-5.7 × (0.6-) 1.2- 2.5 cm, narrowly obovate (or rarely obovate [e.g., Vieillard 2618]) to narrowly elliptic or elliptic, base cuneate to attenuate, surface flat in center but margin typically recurved (often strongly) throughout, apex prominently retuse or less often obtuse, midnerve slightly sulcate proximally becoming more or less flush, secondary veins invisible above, oil glands below (when not obscured by indumentum on branchlets) common to dense but often indistinct.

Inflorescence

2-4 cm, of monads, triads or few-flowered cymes, terminal or (mostly) axillary, pedicels 0-6 mm; extrafloral bracts typically at base of inflorescence branches.

Bracteoles

0.6-1.2 mm (occasionally two pairs in decussate arrangement below solitary flowers), very narrowly obovate, glabrous to densely lanate.

Hypanthium

2.0-3.0 mm, cupulate, smooth to slightly ribbed, glabrous to densely lanate; ovary apex densely hairy.

Calyx

Lobes 5, (0.6-) 1-2 mm, narrowly obovate to narrowly oblong, glabrous to velutinous above and below.

Petals

(1.4-)2-4 × 2.5-3.5 mm, glabrous to densely hairy above and below, white to maroon.

Filaments 2-3 mm, white; anther sacs (0.1-) 0.3-0.7 mm, stramineous.

Style 4-5 mm, sometimes hairy proximally, whitish.

Fruits

c. 4.0-5.5 × 4 mm, globose to subcylindrical, yellow-green maturing dark bluish-black.

Seeds

Two.

REMARKS

The indumentum on the emerging branchlets, young leaves, and floral parts varies considerably; in many specimens most or all of it falls away with age. Three or sometimes four leaves per node often occur on this generally sparsely-branched shrub. The apex of the bracteoles in some specimens exceeds the base of the calyx lobes, but this character is inconsistent. The dried immature fruits can appear to be almost capsular and only slightly fleshy. Additional research is needed to test the distinctness of G. alaternoides, G. conspicua comb. nov., and G. virotii. One focal area in particular for additional collections should be near Tontouta, an area from which specimens can be challenging to attribute to these three species.

Previously (in ms.), I recognized up to four infraspecific taxa of this species, but further study only corroborated the distinctness of Gossia conspicua comb. nov., in contrast to tentatively having recognized G. a. subsp. pulchrefolius and earlier tentative names of Gossia alaternoides vars. “tomentosa” and “velutinosa”. Many specimens bear annotations of those tentative names between 2004 and 2017.

Sterile specimens of G. alaternoides can resemble Uromyrtus emarginata (Pancher ex Brongn. & Gris) Burret, but that species has pendulous solitary flowers. The leaves also can resemble Eugenia stricta Pancher ex Brongn. & Gris, but its vegetative and reproductive parts are glabrous and the embryos are globular and lack the hardened testa characteristic of Gossia.