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Telopea 8(4): 2000 
It is considered appropriate that variety jerseyana should be given specific rank. This 
follows the evolutionary species concept as outlined by Wiley (1978, 1981), in which 
morphologically different allopatric lineages should be given specific rank. A third 
taxon occurring in New South Wales and southern Queensland is very distinct from 
the above two taxa in several characters and is here described as a new species. 
Three collections of Davidsonia (at NSW) made in 1926, 1939 and 1944 from north¬ 
eastern New South Wales were segregated by L.A.S. Johnson in June 1949 and labelled 
'clearly a new species'. We concur with this view and the species is here described as 
Davidsonia johnsonii J.B. Williams & G. Harden. D. jolmsonii is largely sympatric with 
D. jerseyana (Fig. 4) but no intermediates are known. It differs from the specimens of 
D. pruriens var. jerseyana in several characters including growth habit, leaf size, form 
and pubescence, and fruit shape and size, and also differs in its reproductive method 
in that no seeds are known to be formed. This species was not apparently collected 
between 1944 and 1977 when it was rediscovered by Graham Watson growing on his 
property at Huonbrook near Mullumbimby, and drawn to the attention of the authors 
in 1978. However, a specimen had been collected by A.G. Floyd and FI.C. Hayes in 
1958 at The Pocket and deposited at the Coffs Harbour Forestry Herbarium (CFSHB) 
and Floyd and Hayes (1961) stated that 'a possible new species at Mooball near 
Murwillumbah is quite glabrous'. Since that time collections have been made from 
18 localities in north-eastern New South Wales and three in south-eastern Queensland. 
The taxon was informally described or listed as a new species in the following 
publications (Williams 1979, Williams & Harden 1979, Williams et al. 1984, Floyd 
1981,1989 and Harden 1990), with the descriptions of the flowers and fruit in 
Floyd (op. cit.) based on information provided by one of the authors (J.B.W.). 
In recent years some specific studies at the University of New England have involved 
examination of the Davidsonia taxa in New South Wales. They have concentrated on 
their conservation and development (Watson 1987) and the pollination of Davidsonia 
pruriens var. jerseyana (Elliott 1991). Also, various surveys have been undertaken of 
both these taxa in New South Wales to establish the distribution and size of the 
populations as part of the ongoing documentation and management of species that are 
considered to be rare or threatened (Briggs and Leigh 1988, 1996) or listed in the 
schedules of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995. These 
studies and surveys have either been prepared as thesis requirements for post¬ 
graduate courses and have not been published, or have been prepared as internal 
reports for the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales (Quinn et al. 
1996). One of the authors (J.B.W.) has been involved in each of these studies 
and surveys. 
Fresh material from plants growing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney was used for 
the illustrations. These were supplemented with preserved mature fruits of 
D. jerseyana from Mooball. 
Davidsonia F. Muell. 
Mueller (1867: 4); Bailey (1900: 537); Bange (1952: 294); Harden (1990: 523). 
Type species: Davidsonia pruriens F. Muell. 
Small trees to 20 m high, usually in rainforest, either with one or a few sparingly 
branched stems or a dense-foliaged much-branched canopy; leaves often tufted 
towards the end of stems. Indumentum either prominent and persistent on all or most 
parts, or inconspicuous or absent on mature parts. Seedling leaves simple, serrate; first 
pair of seedling leaves opposite, narrow-elliptic; following seedling leaves alternate. 
