TWO NEW SPECIES OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) FROM THE BIRD’S TAIL PENINSULA OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: CYRTANDRA MOROBENSIS AND C. RABARABANA

Sebastian Hatt; Penniel Lamei; Gemma Bramley

doi:10.24823/ejb.2026.3637

TWO NEW SPECIES OF CYRTANDRA (GESNERIACEAE) FROM THE BIRD’S TAIL PENINSULA OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA: CYRTANDRA MOROBENSIS AND C. RABARABANA

Authors

S. A. Hatt Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4887-3508
P. Lamei Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute, Lae https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6886-8314
G. L. C. Bramley Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0893-6789

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24823/ejb.2026.3637

Keywords:

Biodiversity, Conservation, Cyrtandra morobensis, Cyrtandra rabarabana, Taxonomy, Understory

Abstract

New Guinea is a major centre of species richness for Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae), a megadiverse genus of understorey herbs, yet much of this diversity remains undescribed. Here, two species are newly described from the Bird’s Tail Peninsula of Papua New Guinea: Cyrtandra morobensis S.Hatt & Bramley and C. rabarabana S.Hatt & Bramley. Both are similar to Cyrtandra menyamyana S.Hatt & Bramley and provisionally assessed as Threatened. Detailed descriptions and illustrations are provided, as is a table of key morphological characters that separate Cyrtandra morobensis, C. rabarabana and C. menyamyana.