Finschia-" A Genus of "Nut" Trees of the Southwest Pacific c. T. WHITE1 INTRODUCTION A PLANT FAMILY with a most interesting and F. Muell., Carnarvonia F. Muell., D arlin"gia F; intriguing distribution is Proteaceae, which finds Muell., Hollandaea F. Muell. (two spp.) , Mus­ its greatest development in Australia (650 " gravea F. Muell., and Placospermum White & species) on the one hand and South Africa (300 Francis. A surprising feature is the absence, species) on the other, though the two countries with the exception of one species in New Zea­ have no genera in common. Practically all the land, of the family "from Polynesia. South African species and the vast majority of There is in the islands of the southwest Paci­ "Australian ones are markedly xerophytic. The fic-Caroline Islands, New Guinea, Solomon largest genus, Greoillea R. Br., consists mainly Islands, and the New Hebrides-a group of trees of xerophytic shrubs or small trees but a few with the floral characters of Greuillea R. Br. are large trees found in the rain forests of and the fruit of Helicia Lour. These, I consider, tropical and subtropical eastern Australia, New all belong 'to Finschia Warb. This genus was Guinea, and New Caledonia. In the southwest founded by Warburg (1891: 297 ) on"a tree Pacific area the family finds its greatest develop­ from northeastern New Guinea. His original ment in northeastern Australia, where trees be­ description would cover Grevillea R. Br. exactly longing to it provide the great bulk of cabinet though he does not mention this genus and on timbers known in the trade as "Silky Oaks." the following page the distinctions he gives for There is close affinity between the Proteaceae of separating his proposed new genus from H elicia eastern Australia and of western South America are exactly those which distinguish Greuillea as illustrated by the genera Embothrium Forst. from that genus. H. Sleumer (1939:127), in a which has four species in South America, two more recent contribution to our knowledge of in Australia, and one in New Guinea, and PapuanProteaceae, includes Finscbi« Warb. in Lomatia R. Br. which has four species in South Greoillea R. Br. and gives a key to the New America and eight in Australia. The endemic Guinean species. Lauterbach (1913: 329 ), in Australian genus Telopea R. Br. is separated a key to the Papuan genera of Proteaceae, dis­ from Embothrium Forst. on very slender tinguishes Finscbia Warb. from Grevillea R. Br. grounds, and Diels (1916: 200), with some by the fruit being scarcely dehiscent. Later doubt, records the genus Euplassa Salisb., other­ Diels (1916: 205), in an account of new wise consisting of eight South American species, Papuan Proteaceae, referred to this and stated as Papuan and Australian (one species each) . that Lauterbach's conclusions were unfounded as An outstanding feature of the flora of the fruits of neither F. mfa Warb. nor F. cbloro­ rain-forest belt of northeastern Australia is the xantha Diels, the only two species so far de­ number of rnonotypic or very small genera of Proteaceae developed in it, e. g., Austromaellera scribed, were known. An emended description C. T. White, Buckinghamia F. Muell., Cardwellia of the genus and a key to the species are offered here, a new species is described, and a" new 1 Government Botanist, Brisbane, Queens land, Aus­ tralia . Manuscript received July 9, 1948. combination proposed. [ 187 ] 188 PACIFIC SCiENCE , Vol. III, Jul y, 11949 Finschia Warburg and myself in 1945-1946 and the latter those (Emended description) made in New Guinea under the direction of Flowers hermaphroditic, Petals (perianth seg­ Major J. ' B. McAdam, C.R.E." New Guinea ments ) curved and united in the bud stage, Forests, by officers and men of his unit head­ soon free. Anthers sessile or nearly so within quarters and two associated forest survey com­ the concave laminae or tips of the petals, con­ panies. nective broad, not produced beyond the anther 1. Finschia rufa Warburg (1891: 298) cells, anther cells slightly divergent towards the Greoillea rufa (Warburg) Sleumer (1939: base. Torus oblique. Hypogynous gland fleshy, 128). entire, horseshoe-shaped or nearly annular; ovary Tree. Leaves large, coriaceous, shortly petio­ sripirare, style slender or narrowly clavate, late, apex obtuse or rorundate, base acuminate, usually long and protruding from the split on entire, adult leaves glabrous above, the midrib the lower side of the perianth tube in the later and main nerves rather prominent, rufous- or bud stage; Fruit an indehiscent drupe; exocarp ferruginous-tomentose beneath, the midrib, lat­ thin, fleshy; endocarp bony, rough ; cotyledons eral nerves, and the veins very prominent, lateral , 2, thick and fleshy and filling the seed. Trees, nerves about 20 on each side of the midrib, not trunk buttressed, often raised on stilt roots. markedly curved, joined below the margin and Leaves entire. Inflorescence racemose, racemes united with an intramarginal vein close to the axillary or on the older wood below the leaves. edge; blade 25-35 cm. long, 11-13 ( to 17) em. Type species.F, rufaWarb. (18910: 297) . wide; petiole 2 em. long. Racemes 17-40 em. Fourspecies in the rain forests of Micronesia long; rachis, pedicels, and flowers densely clothed (Caroline Islands ) , New Guinea, Solomon with red-brown hairs (rufous-villous). Flowers Islands, and the New Hebrides. solitary or in pairs, pedicels 1 mm . long;' petals Key to the Species (perianth segments) about 1 em. long, glabrous Leaves densely rufous- or ferruginous-pubes­ on 'the inner face; ovary stipitate, seated ob­ cent beneath. liquely.on a 3-mm. long sripes.sryle 7 mm .long; Leaves 28-35 em. long, 11-13 ( to 17) torus oblique, hypogynous gland annular or cm. wide; inflorescence to 40 cm. nearly so. Fruit unknown. long ' 1. F. rufa Northeast New Guinea: Only known from Leaves 18-25 (to 28 ) em. long, 6-9 em. broad; inflorescence, 24-26 cm. long the neighbourhood of Sattelberg where, accord­ · . ... '.. ... .. 2. F. Carrii ing to Sleumer, loco cit., it has been collected Leaves glabrous. several times. (Wa1'burg 20496, type: H ellwig Flowers very densely ferruginous-pubes­ 531, Clemens 2234 and 8094 A .) cent; fruit globose, not laterally com- Unforrunately I have not seen specimens and pressed, over 4 em. diam. the above description is drawn from that of · . .. .. 3. F. ferruginiflo1'a Flowers thinly ferruginous-pubescent in the author's original and from the few notes in the bud stage, almost glabrous when Sleumer's key, According to Warburg, the fully developed; fruit laterally com­ pedicels are only 1 mm . long, which would pressed, not above 4 cm.diam. ... give the inflorescence almost a spicate appear­ ·. .. .. 4. F., chloroxantha ance which, apart from the larger leaves, should In the following account of the species the distinguish it from the next species. letters B.S.I.P. and N .G.F., preceding the col­ lectors' numbers, stand for British Solomon 2. Finschia Carrii (Sleumer ) C. T. White Islands Protectorate and New Guinea Forests, com b. nov. respectively. The first precedes all specimens Greoille« Carrii Sleumer (1939: 128 ) . collected in the Solomon Islands by F. S. Walker Tree, about 12 m. high, branchlers densely Genus FinJchia-WHITE 189 FIG. 1. Finschia ferruginijlora c. T. White. New Guinea: L. S. Smith 1093 (flowers) and 1060 (fruits). A, flower (slightly enlarged); B, gynaeceum (slightly enlarged ) ; C. fruit. 190 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. III, July, 1949 rufous- or ferruginous-pubescent. Leaves nar­ bruneo lenticellarum rimis notato, ramulis vali­ rowly obovate, apex rounded, base cuneate, char- dis, partibus novellis ferrugineis mox glabris. taceous, glabrous above except for the midrib; Folia utrinque glabra, anguste obovata, apice lateral nerves from 14 in the smaller leaves to rorundata, basi cuneata in petiolum validum 24 in the larger ones on each side of the midrib, angusrata, chartacea, nervis lateralibus primariis united to form a strong intramarginal vein 4- 5 utrinsecus 18-20, utrinque prominenribus, in mm. from the edge with a finer less distinct one venam intramarginalem 4- 5 mm. a margine very close to the margin, slightly raised, connect­ arcuatirn confluentibus, venulis in sicco laxe ing veins and veinlets clearly discernible in the reticularis supra parum subtus distinctius ele­ dried specimens, densely rufous- or ferruginous­ vatis; lamina 14-22 cm. longa, 3.5- 5 cm. lata; pubescent beneath, lateral nerves and connecting petiolus 1-1.5 cm. longus. Racemi densiflori, and reticulate veinlets raised and prominent; axillares, saepe ex axillis foliorum delapsorum blade 13-28 cm. long, 6-9 em. wide, petiole orti, breviter pedunculati, cum pedunculo 13-18 densely tomentose, 1.5-3 ern. long. Racemes ern. longi, cumfloribus pilis ferrugineis den­ mostly on the older wood below the leaves, very sissime obsiti; pedicelli graciles, ca. 1 cm. longi; densely flowered, 24-30 cm. long including the torus obliquus, glandula hypogyna integra hip­ short peduncle; rachis, pedicels, and flowers pocrepiforrni; perala (perianthii segmenta) 7- 8 densely rufous- or ferrugin ous-tomenrose; pedi­ mm. longa; pistillum 1.2 cm. longum, ovario eels in pairs, slender, 4-5 mm.long. Petals (peri­ unilaterali fusco-piloso stipitato, stipite cum anth segments) 7-8 mm. long, glabrous on the stylo glabrescenti. Fructus indehiscens, globosus, inner face, ovary densely 'clothed with rather ca. 5 cm. diam., fere vel omnino sessilis, peri­ long reddish hairs, stipitate; sripes glabrous, carpio renui, endocarpio osseo 7-8 mm. crasso, style glabrous, grooved, gradually thickened to­ sutura visibili sed indistincta. wards the top; stigma pyramidal; hypogynous Northeast New G uinea: Kuminkira, Aiyura, gland very prominent, entire, horseshoe-shaped alt. about 5,000 ft., 1. S. Smith N. G.F. 1093 or almost annular. (Type: flowers) October, 1944 (tree 100 ft., Southeast N ew Guinea: Koitaki, alt. ca.