A new Vitex from Malaysia

In 1919 Dr C. A. BACKER collected a plant in the Kangean Archipelago which had the appearance of a Cymaria so that the collector provisionally called it ”Cymaria triphylla BACKER“ (MS.). The same species was also collected by KARTA on the Island of Bawean in 1928. Some other sheets already extant in the Herbarium at Buitenzorg for a long time among the indeterminate specimens were recognized as identical with this ”Cymaria“ (TEYSMANN nr. 1750, Madoera and nr. 1768, Bawean). In 1937 Dr BACKER, when working up Javanese plants, had a closer examination of this plant and concluded that it could not be inserted in Cymaria, and even not in the Labiatae, but that it had rather to be put into the Verbenaceae. However, he found himself unable to identify the species with the monograph of the Malaysian Verbenaceae (H. J. LAM, The Verbenaceae of the Malayan Archipelago, etc., Groningen 1919), nor in the revision of that family (H. J. LAM & R. C. BAKHUIZEN VAN DEN BRINK, Bull. du Jard. bot. de Buitenz., III, 3, 1921). He therefore kindly put the specimens into our hands for closer examination. Moreover, a part of the alcohol material preserved at Buitenzorg was kindly put at our disposal. The material appeared to represent a hitherto undescribed species of Vitex. We are indebted to Dr BACKER and to Dr D. F. VAN SLOOTEN, Keeper of the Buitenzorg Herbarium, for their kind assistance and their allowance to publish our results in this Journal. Vitex cymarioides H. J. LAM et A. D. J. MEEUSE, nov. spec., Fig. 1 — Cymaria triphylla BACKER. MS. — Frutex vel suffrutex; rami subtus lignosi, subteretes, adscendentes, supra quadrangulares, erecti, pulverulenti. Folia opposita phyllotaxi decussatae, inferiora semper trifoliolata, ramorum apices versus sensim bifoliolata, interdum bifida, ultimatim unifoliolata; foliola ovata vel lanceolato-ovata, membranacea, basi rotundata vel late acuta, interdum plus minusve inaequalia, saepe breviter attenuata, apice acuta vel (obtuse vel subacute) acuminata, marginibus integra vel repande crenato-serrata, supra nervis excepti fere glabra, glandulosa, subtus pilis et glandulis sessilibus sparsis suffulta; costa et nervi secundarii utrinque subprominentes, nervi secundarii (3—) 5—7 (—8), angulo 30°—40° de costa adscendentes, tertiarii reticulati, inconspicui; petioli et petioluli gracillimi, teretes vel supra paulo canaliculati, pulverulenti. Inflorescentiae in foliorum axillis solitariae vel interdum binae (TEYSMANN 1768), ramorum apices versus cum earum foliis sensim minores et magis confertae, cymosae, dichasiales, bifurcatae, axibus pulverulentis et glandulosis, ramificationibus monochasialibus pseudoracemosis, saepe curvati (10—) 15—25-floris; bracteae minutae, subulatae, persistentes, pedicellis suboppositae, cum pedicellis pulverulentae. Calyx campanulatus, 5-costatus, margine minute 5-denticulatus, intus glaber, extus praecipue basi pubescens et glandulosus, in fructu persistens. Corolla subbilabiata, extus praecipue lobis pubescens et glandulosa, intus fauce sub labio superiore pilosa excepta glabra, labium superius bifidum, inferius trifidum lobo medio longiore. Stamina 4 subaequalia, fauce vel tubi parti superiore inserta; filamenta basi pilosa et glandulosa, apice glabra; antherae ovoideae, maturae divaricatae. Ovarium subglobosum, dense glandulosum, 2-loculatum, loculi 2-ovulati, ovula apotropa, loculi apice affixa. Fructus drupaceus depresso-globosus, 4-pyrenus.