con-Ficus schwarzii redefined and two new species of Ficus ( Moraceae ) from Sulawesi (Indonesia) described

Ficus sulawesiana and F. gorontaloensis are described as new species and the description of F. schwarzii is emended. A modiﬁed key is included.


INTRODUCTION
Attempts to identify collections of Ficus subg. Sycomorus made in Sulawesi in 2007, led to re-examination of Sulawesi material included in F. schwarzii Koord. (Corner 1960). The first result is the decision to exclude the collections made in the area ranging from Myanmar to Borneo and the re-establishment of a new species, F. rosulata (Berg 2010), which is a lowland species, occurring at altitudes up to 600 m. The remainder, material collected in Sulawesi at altitudes up to 2000 m (in montane forest), proved to be heterogeneous morphologically.
Notes on the sheets as "hairy styles!" (in contrast to the common state of material to be included in F. rosulata) and "close to F. menadana Miq.", a synonym of F. congesta Roxb., as well as the published note (Corner 1960), indicate that the situation with regard to the material and species in Sulawesi was not quite clear when Corner decided to apply the name F. schwarzii also to collections outside Sulawesi (and by then mostly identified as F. miquelii King).
Ficus schwarzii was deficiently treated in Flora Malesiana (Berg & Corner 2005) as Celebes was not included in the distribution and the species not in the regional key.
A closer study of already existing collections and those recently made revealed the existence of three closely related species: Ficus schwarzii and two to be described as new.

KEY TO CAULIFLOROUS AND STOLONIFLOROUS SPECIES OF SUBGENUS SYCOMORUS IN SULAWESI
The three species can be accommodated in the regional key for subg. Sycomorus in Celebes (Berg & Corner 2005: 328 - Emended description: Tree up to 15 m tall. Leafy twigs 1.5-3 mm thick, whitish to brownish strigillose (or also sparsely to rather densely (minutely) white puberulous, with or without nodal glands and mostly with con-Ficus schwarzii redefined and two new species of Ficus (Moraceae) from Sulawesi (Indonesia) described spicuous (warty) lenticels below the (scars of the) stipules, with small abortive axillary buds, the scars of the leaves prominent; internodes hollow or solid; periderm persistent or flaking off. Leaves laxly spirally arranged to subdistichous to partly subopposite; lamina oblong to elliptic or to (sub)obovate, 3 -15(-18) by (1-)2 -5(-7) cm, (almost) symmetric, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, apex acuminate to subcaudate (or to obtuse), base equilateral to slightly inequilateral, cuneate to rounded, margin (sub)entire; upper surface sparsely whitish to brownish strigillose, mainly on the midrib (or glabrous), smooth, lower surface sparsely brownish to whitish strigillose on the main veins, smooth, cystoliths only beneath; lateral veins (4 -)6 -10 pairs, none of them furcate away from the margin, tertiary venation reticulate or towards the margin (sub)scalariform; waxy glands in the axils of some of the lateral veins in the middle part of the lamina; petiole 0.3-1.5(-3.5) cm long, sparsely brownish to whitish strigillose, the epidermis flaking off; stipules 0.   Notes -A photograph of the figs shows that the apex of the receptacle is concave in fresh state and that apparently mature figs are black, an unusual colour in subg. Sycomorus. This species is more variable than the closely related F. sulawesiana.
In juvenile material, the stipules are subpersistent.  Tree with height unknown. Leafy twigs 1.5 -3 mm thick, brown to whitish strigillose to partly subhirtellous or also sparsely to rather densely (minutely white puberulous, with or without nodal glands and mostly with conspicuous (warty) lenticels below the (scars of the) stipules, with few abortive axillary buds, the scars of the leaves prominent; internodes hollow or solid; periderm persistent. Leaves laxly spirally arranged to subdistichous to partly subopposite; lamina oblong to (sub)obovate, 5-17 by 1.5-5 cm, (almost) symmetric, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, apex acuminate to subcaudate, base equilateral to slightly inequilateral, cuneate to obtuse, margin crenate-dentate (and with brown hairs), upper surface sparsely brown to whitish (sub)strigillose, the hairs scattered on the whole surface, smooth, lower surface sparsely brown to whitish strigillose to subhirtellous on most veins, smooth, cystoliths only beneath; lateral veins 6-10 pairs, none of them furcate away from the margin, tertiary venation reticulate or towards the margin (sub)scalariform; waxy glands in the axils of some of the lateral veins in the middle part of the lamina; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm long, sparsely brown to whitish strigillose, partly subhirtellous, the epidermis persistent; stipules 0.5-1.5 cm long, (sub)glabrous,  caducous or (sub)persistent. Figs on the trunk, in (clusters? of) up to 4 cm long, branched leafless branchlets with terminally c. 3 mm long scale-like persistent stipules; peduncle 0.5 -3.5 cm long, glabrous; basal bracts 3, verticillate, 2 -3 mm long; receptacle subglobose, 1-1.5 cm diam when dry, glabrous, 0.2-0.3 cm long stipitate or non-stipitate, faintly ribbed, without lateral bracts, with (warty) lenticels and the epidermis flaking off, colour at maturity unknown, apex flat to concave, ostiole 2-3 mm diam, with the upper ostiolar bracts horizontal, surrounded by 4 -5 short erect to inflexed apical bracts; internal hairs sparse and brown. Staminate flower not seen. Style of the long-styled flower with relatively long patent hairs. Distribution -Central and South-western Sulawesi.
Habitat -Humid (sub)montane forest, at altitudes between 1800 and 2000 m (cf. Culmsee et al. 2011). Notes -This species differs from F. schwarzii in the crenatedentate (and hairy) margin of the lamina, the partly ± patent indumentum on leafy twigs, petiole and surfaces of the lamina, the scattered hairs on the lamina above, the absence of subpersistent stipules, in the (sub)juvenile state, and the relatively long patent hairs of the style of the long-styled flower.
This species strongly resembles F. ternatana Miq., an endemic of the island of Ternate (Moluccas), which mainly differs in features of the fig receptacle: ribbed, brown strigillose to puberulous and with persistent epidermis.
In the crenate-dentate margin of the lamina, this species also resembles part of the material of F. benguetensis, namely the cauliflorous form (see Berg 2011).
Habitat -Forest at low altitudes.