Three species of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) recollected in the footsteps of Rudolf Schlechter in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Abstract: The German botanist, F. R. R. Schlechter, collected three species of Etlingera around 1907 in “Kaiser-Wilhelmsland”, now the northern part of Papua New Guinea. Based on these collections, Valeton described three new species in 1914 in Geanthus, but the types collected by Schlechter kept in the Berlin Herbarium were lost during the Second World War. Using a map published by Schlechter in 1911, it was possible to pin down where the types had been collected, and during fieldwork in November 2019 these species were recollected near their type localities. Two of the species had meanwhile been collected from several other places in Papua New Guinea. The current paper includes much improved descriptions and illustrations (ink drawings and a plate with colour photographs) of the three species. Lectotypes are designated for E. densiuscula and E. grandiflora and a neotype is designated for E. vestita. Citation: Poulsen A. D., Pomoso P. & Magun T. 2022: Three species of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) recollected in the footsteps of Rudolf Schlechter in Papua New Guinea. – Willdenowia 52: 153–165. Version of record first published online on 23 June 2022 ahead of inclusion in August 2022 issue.