Aglaia venusta A.C.Sm.
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Authority
Smith, Albert C. 1952. Studies of Pacific Island plants, X. The Meliaceae of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 30: 469-522.
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Family
Meliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, No. 1676177, collected in dense forest on the southwestern slope of Mt. Mbatini, Province of Thakaundrove, Vanua Levu, Fiji, alt. 300-700 m., Nov. 28, 1933, by A. C. Smith (No. 616). Duplicates at Bish, GH, K, NY, etc.
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Frutex habitu gracili, foliis panes, foliolis lanceolato-oblongis apice rotundatis, inflorescentia compacta, petalis pilosis, antheris parvis marginalilms, fructu saepe solitario distinguitur; A. eleganti videtur aims, foliolis plerumque numerosioribus et minoribus (hand 2 cm. latis) differt.
Description - Slender shrub to 4 m. in height, the branchlets slender, terete, at length glabrate and cinereous; indument of young parts, petioles, leaf-rachises, and leaflets stellate, the hairs 0.1-0.2 mm. in diameter, composed of 8-17 several-celled rays free nearly to base; leaves 7- or 9-foliolate, 12-18 cm. long, the petiole 2-4 cm. long, slightly swollen at base, like the rachis very slender and subterete; leaflets opposite or subopposite, the petiolules very slender, 3-6 mm. long (of terminal leaflet to 8 mm. long), the blades papyraceous, dark green when dried, lanceolate-oblong, the terminal and upper lateral ones similar, 4-7 cm. long, 12-2 cm. broad (lowermost ones sometimes slightly smaller), inequilaterally obtuse or nearly rounded at base, rounded at apex, obscurely punctate on both surfaces with minute pits indicating hair-attachments, soon glabrate except for persistent indument on costa beneath, the costa plane or slightly impressed above, strongly elevated beneath, the secondary nerves 9-13 per side, spreading, inconspicuously anastomosing, nearly plane above, prominulous beneath, the veinlet-reticulation obscure or faintly prominulous; inflorescences axillary, compact, few-flowered, not more than 1.5 cm. long at anthesis, the indument (on rachis, pedicels, calyx, and petals) like that of vegetative parts; bracts and bracteoles oblong, 1 mm. or less long; pedicels up to 1 mm. long; calyx cupuliform, about 2.5 mm. in diameter, 5-lobed, the lobes carnose, oblong, 1-1.2 mm. long, rounded at apex ; petals 5, imbricate, carnose, suborbicular, 14.5 mm. long and broad (not quite mature), glabrous only toward margins; androecium about 1 mm. high and 1.5 min. in diameter, the filaments carnose, connate into a glabrous tube mm. long, the anthers erect from margin of tube, subglobose-deltoid, about 0.5 mm. long; ovary minute, pilose like calyx, the stigma subcapitate ; fruiting inflorescences small, the fruits often solitary on apparently simple peduncles, the calyx persistent, slightly accrescent fruit ellipsoid, at maturity about 2 cm. long and 1.3 cm. broad, rounded at both ends, the pericarp thin, brittle, closely velutinous-stellate-pilose, the seeds 1 or 2, ellipsoid, up to 13x9 mm., rounded at both ends, ventrally flattened.
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Discussion
The only known collection was from a slender shrub 4 m. high. the recorded local name being kula; the fruit is red, becoming brown at maturity. On the basis of its indument and other vegetative characters, this species can be related only to the preceding, A. elegans but since no flowers are yet known for that species a careful comparison cannot now be made. Assuming that A. elegans also belongs to § Hearnia perhaps only the very slender habit and reduced size of leaflets will serve to differentiate my new species; on the basis of available material I think that it should not be combined with the older entity.