New species of Planchonella (Sapotaceae): one from Borneo and three from New Guinea.

Swenson, Ulf; Kearey, Jennifer; Do, Kent; Utteridge, Timothy M. A.

New species of Planchonella (Sapotaceae): one from Borneo and three from New Guinea.

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Swenson, Ulf

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Kearey, Jennifer

Do, Kent

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Utteridge, Timothy M. A.

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Date published

February 6, 2026

Abstract

Planchonella is the largest genus in subfamily Chrysophylloideae (Sapotaceae) and includes 97 described species distributed from the Seychelles to Hawaii with the greatest species diversity in Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea. There are approximately an additional ten taxa that do not easily conform with known species limits, and/or have been identified by molecular methods as new to science. We describe here four new species, P. cerebrifructa Swenson from Borneo and P. hispida Swenson, P. surculiflora Swenson and P. takeuchii Swenson from New Guinea, all with distinctive autapomorphic characters. Planchonella cerebrifructa is readily distinguished by its velvety, wrinkled young fruit, very similar to the complex, folded appearance of a brain’s surface. Planchonella hispida has hispid indumentum of long, Y-shaped trichomes, in decreasing density along the midrib and on the secondary, tertiary and quaternary venation. Planchonella surculiflora sets inflorescences on lateral shoots, often with one or two leaves borne between the villose flowers. Finally, Planchonella takeuchii, although the flowers are unknown, can be recognised by its characteristic glabrous foliage of broadly elliptic leaves with a tapering apex, short petioles (± 5 mm long) and tertiary leaf venation perpendicular to the primary and secondary veins. Now, with the description of these four species, the genus Planchonella includes 101 described species.