Austrobaileya 9(3): 457-460 (2015) 
457 
SHORT COMMUNICATION 
Triunia kittredgei Olde (Proteaceae): a name to be rejected 
G.P. Guymer & Paul I. Forster 
Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, Brisbane 
Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Queensland 4066, Australia. Email: Gordon. 
Guy mer @dsit i. qld. gov. au 
Triunia Lour, is a genus of four species 
endemic to eastern Australia (Foreman 1995). 
Two species (Triunia erythrocarpa Foreman, 
T. montana (C.T.White) Foreman) occur in 
the Wet Tropics of northeastern Queensland 
and two species (T. robusta (C.T.White) 
Foreman, T. youngiana (C.Moore & F.Muell. 
ex F.Muell.) L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs) 
occur in southeastern Queensland (SE Qld), 
with the latter also found in adjacent parts of 
New South Wales. In this note we examine 
the typification and application of several of 
these names; in particular we address what is 
the correct name to be applied to the iconic 
threatened species in SE Qld (Forster et al. 
1990; Shapcott 2002; Powell et al. 2005) that 
is known as T. robusta (cf. Olde 2015). 
Chronology of Events 
White (1933) described Helicia youngiana 
var. robusta C.T.White (= Triunia robusta 
(C.T.White) Foreman) without nominating a 
type. He provided a detailed description of 
the taxon: ‘2. var. robusta, n. var. Leaves 
mostly entire but sometimes toothed and 
deeply so towards the top, up to 20 cm. long 
and 5.5 cm. wide, smooth and very shining 
above. Racemes up to 10 cm. long; pedicels 
up to 7 mm. long, hairy but much less so than 
in the type [var. typica], buds cylindrical 1.5 
cm. long, individual bracts up to 1 cm. long 
and 4 mm. wide. Fruits (in the dried state) 
subglobose, 2.5 cm. long, 2 cm. diam.’ 
White cited eight specimen collections 
from his examination of material at BRI, MEL 
and NSW but did not indicate the herbaria 
where the specimens were held. Seven of 
Accepted for publication 27 August 2015 
these specimen collections are from SE Qld 
and one collection from northeastern Qld, viz. 
SE Queensland collections : 
Maroochy [Maroochie], [July 71888] F.M. 
Bailey s.n. (BRI [AQ317456], MEL 2277223A 
n.v.y. flowering specimen 
Maroochy [Maroochie], s.dat., J. Low s.n. 
(BRI [AQ317464], MEL 2277222A n.v.y. 
flowering specimen 
Eumundi, [Nov 1894], J.F. Bailey & J.H. 
Simmonds s.n. (BRI [AQ317466], MEL 
2277221A n.v.y. flowering specimen 
Eumundi, [Nov 1892], J.H. Simmonds s.n. 
(BRI [AQ317462], MEL n.v., NSW n.v)\ 
flowering specimen 
Eumundi, [Nov 1900], J.F. Bailey s.n. (BRI 
[AQ317470], MEL 2277219A n.v., MEL 
2277220A n.v., NSW 169006 n.v.y. flowering 
specimen 
Eumundi, [May 1892], J. F. Bailey & J.H. 
Simmonds s.n. (BRI [AQ104858]): fruiting 
specimen 
Eumundi, Oct 1911, J.B. Staer s.n. (NSW 
169005 n.v.) 
NE Queensland collection : 
East Malanda, Atherton Tableland, Sep 1929, 
S.F. Kajewski 1219 (BRI, A n.v., K, NY, S): 
specimen in bud 
Discussion 
The SE Qld specimens have been classified 
as Triunia robusta and the NE Qld specimen 
as T. erythrocarpa following Foreman (1986, 
1987, 1995) until the recent account of Olde 
(2015). 
