Kjellbergiodendron and Whiteodendron, Malaysian Myrtaceae — Leptospermoideae Metrosiderinae

During the past decades it has become clear that the Myrtaceae of Malaysia are taxonomically of a far more varied character than they appeared to phytographers of the 19th century. The genus Eugenia s.l. (the Syzygium-complex and its segregates) now rivals, in number of species, the genus Eucalyptus in Australia. Many of the Australian- New Caledonian genera have been shown to possess representatives in Malaysia (Myrtella, Mearnsia, Syncarpia, Agonis, Fenzlia, Myrtus, Mooria) and others are far richer in species than anticipated ( Metrosideros, Decaspermum, Tristania, Melaleuca (7), Xanthostemon) according to Merrill & Perry (5). However, there is also a manifestly endemic element, specially in the East Malaysian province. Xantkomyrtus Diels (2) is now a fairly large genus occurring from Mt Kinabalu eastward, culminating in a large number of species in the New Guinean highlands. Octamyrtus Diels now contains six species (9). The late Mr C. T. White has recently described two other endemic genera, viz. Eucalyptopsis from Bum & New Guinea (9, p. 139) and Basisperma from New Guinea (8). In 1936 Dr Burret, of Berlin, described the singular genus Kjellbergiodendron from Celebes (1).