Eugenia venteri (sect. Jossinia, Myrtaceae): a new flagelliflorous tree from the rainforest of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea

Summary Flagelliflory, a rare form of cauliflory, refers to plants with long whip-like branches, or flagella, on the main trunk that bear inflorescences. In extreme cases, the flagella can either be slightly buried in soil or creep above it and extend up to metres away from the trunk. The new Eugenia species described here, from Manus Island, represents the only Eugenia taxon known thus far to exhibit flagelliflory and the first species from Papua New Guinea to do so. Morphological characteristics of the new species were observed from herbarium collections and supplemented with field notes provided by the collectors. A risk of extinction assessment of the new species is provided, alongside preliminary phylogenetic placement, a line drawing, field images and a distribution map.