Myristica cucullata
Content
Description
Tree 6-8(-30, see note 1) m.
Leaves chartaceous or subcoriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, 14—18(—23) by 4-6(-6.5) cm, base attenuate or narrowly rounded, apex acute-acuminate;
Inflorescences among the leaves and below, of the Knema-type:
Fruits (LAE 61173) (somewhat immature) solitary, sessile, coarsely wrinkled, ovoid-ellipsoid, 4 by 2.5 cm, apex narrowly rounded and with short pointed style-remnant, base narrowed into a short pseudostalk 3 mm, hairs rather pale grey-brown, scale-like, 0.1 mm or less;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical, East Sepik present, Gulf Prov present, Papua New Guinea present
Malesia: Papua New Guinea; known only from the type (male flowers), a sterile specimen from East Sepik, and a fruiting collection from Gulf Prov. (see note 1).
Taxonomy
1 Markgraf described Myristica cucullata in 1912 based on two collections from E Sepik Province, Ledermann 10131 (Lordberg, 1000 m, male fl., type) and Ledermann 9110 (Etappenberg, 850 m, sterile). The original specimens were lost in B, but there are duplicates in L. Only the type is fertile. Its somewhat immature male flowers have a very characteristic hooded bracteole, apparently caducous at anthesis. Both Sinclair (1968) and Foreman (1978) accepted the species, and included numerous later collections, but here the species is restricted to the original specimens, with only one additional collection, LAE 61173 (Croft et al), with somewhat immature fruit. This specimen agrees vegetatively in details with the isotype at L, and the fruits differ from those of all other Myristica species from New Guinea. The only suspicious fact may be that LAE 61173, a 30 m tall tree, was collected at a much lower altitude (240 m) in Gulf Province, above Purari R., far from the type locality, in rain forest, on steep terrain.
2 The male flowers of M. cucullata have a coriaceous perianth, a stout androecium acute at the apex, and a short androphore. This supports the view that M. cucullata is related to M. brassii, in the group of species with leaves that have dark brown dots below; the type of M. brassii differs in general aspect, and the male flower has a hairy androphore and fewer anthers.