Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decne.) F. Br.

Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decaisne) F.B.H. Brown

Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decaisne) F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:215. 1935.

Vaccinium adenandrum Decaisne, Voy. Venus Bot. Atlas, t.17. 1846; Voy. Venus Bot. (Text):23. 1864 [V. adinandrum Drake del Castillo, 1892:115, pro syn. (sphalm.)].

Vaccinium cereus Jardin, Ess. Marq. 24, 41. 1862 [sphalm.].

Vaccinium cereum f. eriostemon Skottsberg, pro parte, Acta horti Gothob. 8:92, fig. 33–37. 1933.

DESCRIPTION.—See F.B.H. Brown (1935) for a description and a discussion of the reasons for retaining this as a variety.

TYPE.—Collected by Du Petit-Thouars in 1836–1839.

RANGE.—Marquesas: “S.F.I.M. no. 168,” flower (P, fide Skottsberg). Nukuhiva: Du Petit-Thouars in 1836–1839 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Jardin 101 in 1853–1855 (P, fide Drake del Castillo).

F.B.H. Brown (1935:216) says, “collected from Nukuhiva, Uapou, Uahuka, Hivaoa, and Fatuhiva.” He correctly cites specimens, however, only from Nukuhiva, Uahuka, and Hivaoa. The specimen he cites as from Fatuhiva (Quayle 1153) was actually collected on Uapou, although there is a sterile specimen from Fatuhiva in the Bishop Museum (Brown 1082, alt. 800 m, January 1922). Another unrecorded sterile sheet is Mumford and Adamson 145, Hivaoa, alt. 1100 m, 23 March 1929 (BISH).

Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decaisne) F. Brown

Vaccinium cereum var. adenandrum (Decaisne) F. Brown, Flora, 215, 1935.—Fosberg and Sachet, Smithsonian Contr. Bot., 21:1, 1975.

Vaccinium adenandrum Decaisne, Bot. Voy. Venus t.17, 1846; 23, 1864.

Vaccinium cereus sensu Jardin, Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, 5:296, 313, 1857.

Vaccinium cereum sensu Drake, Ill., 223, 1886 [1892]; Flore, 115, 1892 [pro parte].

Vaccinium cereum var. cereum f. eriostemon Skottsberg, Acta Hort. Gothob., 8:92–93, 1933 [pro parte].

Stems usually glabrous; leaves usually obscurely serrulate, broadly elliptic to broadly oblong or obovate; flowers glabrous, filaments prominently pilose.

Type from the Marquesas.

SPECIMENS SEEN.—Without locality, probably from the Marquesas, s.coll. no. 42 bis (US), the label says “toatoa,” which is the Marquesan name cited by Decaisne, so this sheet may be part of the type of var. adenandrum.

Marquesas Islands: M. Henry no. 19 (P); Herbier S.F.I.M. 168 (P).

Nukuhiva I.: Le Batard in 1844 (P, US); “point culminant des montagnes,” Mercier s.n. (P); E. Jardin in 1855 No. 101 (P); 3500 ft [1100–1200 m], Scale s.n. (BISH); Tovii, Hallé 2079 (US, P, MPU); Tovii, 1000 m, F. Brown 496A (BISH), 800m, Quayle 1222 (BISH); To’ovi’i, Taupua’o’oa, 800 m, Decker 2013 (US, Fo, UC); Mt. Tapuaooa, 2 km from Tapuaooa shelter, 3 km W of Mt. Ooumu, Gillett 2158 (US, BISH); Tapuaooa, forest in cloud zone, 3100 ft [900–1000 m] PES (as A & M) 577 (NY sheet only).

Uahuka I.: 500 m? Quayle 1760 (BISH); 800 m? Quayle 1834 (BISH).

Uapou I.: Mt. Tekahoipu, 800 m, Quayle 1153 (BISH) (erroneously cited by F. Brown as from Fatuiva).

Hivaoa I.: Feani, 900 m, F. Brown 972 (BISH); 3700 ft, [1100–1200 m], Clarke HOS (US); Atuona-Feani Trail, just below crest of ridge, 1200 m, Sachet and Decker 1140 (US, Fo, P, BISH); NE slopes of Mt. Temetiu, 700 m, PES (M & A) 27 (BISH, UC, LeB); N side of Mt. Temetiu, 1100 m, PES (M & A) 145 (BISH, LeB), Atuona, mountain side, 700 m, PES Ex27 (BISH); Vaina, forest 700 m, PES (M & A) 429 (BISH, NY (as A & M), LeB).

Tahuata I.: Hallé 2177 (US, P, MPU).

Fatuiva I.: Omoa Valley, 800 m, F. Brown 1082 (BISH).

ETHNOBOTANY.—Jardin (101) gives the name “heua (Kanac)” from Nukuhiva, “Kanac” meaning here Marquesan (heua usually applies to Metrosideros sp. in Nukuhiva, and may have been recorded in error for Vaccinium). Decaisne gave the name toatoa, which is probably from the southern Marquesas. F. Brown (Flora) cited hueki from Nukuhiva, and puatoatoa from Fatuiva, and said the fruits are eaten in times of famine. LeBronnec (MS) tried to identify “toatoa” with the help of old Marquesans, whom he considered to be reliable informants. They could only report that they had heard it said that it was a plant of high regions, the seed of which was used in medicine.