Ficus simplicissima Lour. var. roxburghii (Miquel) Hong-Qing Li et Jing Lu, 2016

Lu, Jing, Gui, Ping, Lu, Zhong-Ling, Zhang, Li-Fang, Tian, Huai-Zhen, Gilbert, Michael G. & Li, Hong-Qing, 2016, Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomic Delimitation of the “ Hairy-Fig ” Complex of Ficus sect. Eriosycea (Moraceae) in China, Phytotaxa 261 (2), pp. 121-136 : 131-133

Ficus simplicissima Lour. var. roxburghii (Miquel) Hong-Qing Li et Jing Lu , comb. nov. (Plate I: j–l)

Ficus roxburghii Miquel (1848: 456) . F. hirta Vahl var. roxburghii (Miquel) King (1888: 150 , t. 189). F. hirta Vahl subsp. roxburghii (Miq.) C.C. Berg (2003b: 537) .—Type: INDIA. Sillet: 1831, Wallich 4491 (holotype K-000880197!).

Ficus hirsuta Roxburgh (1832: 528) , non Schott, 1827.— Type: Icones Roxburghiana 2367 (K!).

Ficus hirta Roxburgh (1832: 531) , non Vahl, 1806.— Type: Icones Roxburghiana 672 (K!).

Ficus triloba Buchanan-Hamilton ex Voigt (1845: 284) . F. hirta var. triloba (Buchanan-Hamilton ex Voigt) Kuntze (1891: 627) .—Type: Icones Roxburghiana 2367 (lectotype designated here: K!).

Ficus esquiroliana H. Léveillé (1914: 252) .—Type: CHINA. Guizhou: 900m, 10 November 1912, Esquirol 3636 (holotype E-00275237, photo!, isotypes A-00034563, photo!, P-00710564, photo!).

Ficus hirta Vahl var. malayana Corner (1960: 430) .— Type: MALAYSIA. Pahang, Corner s.n. (SING).

Ficus hirta Vahl var. squamosa Corner (1960: 431) .— Type: INDONESIA. Sidikalang , inter Lae Pondor et Silalahi, Alston 15134 (BM). PLATE II. F. simplicissima Lour. var. simplicissima 1a–c. leafy twigs; 2a–c. leaves: a–b. upper surface of leaves, c. lower surface of leaves; 3a–b. figs; 4. basal bracts; 5. transverse section of lamina; 6a–c. male flowers; 7a–e. gall flowers: a–b. female phase, c–e. male phase (see Galil, 1968); 8a–c. female flowers: a–b. female phase, c. post-floral phase; 9. neuter flowers; 10. seeds.

Tree. Leafy twigs stout, 10–15 mm thick. Lamina broad ovate, sometimes subpalmately 3–7-lobed, (11–)17–40 × (8–) 12–33 cm, lateral lobes with obtuse apices, abaxial surface with white appressed-puberulous to sericeous, longer brown stiff hairs on and along the keel, hairs 3–5mm long. Figs larger, up to 33 mm diam, 40 mm long.

The epithet “roxburghii ”, though younger than “triloba ” at species rank, has priority at varietal rank. Typification of this taxon is not straightforward. The oldest names, Ficus hirsuta and F. hirta of Roxburgh are based on material from Silhet and with paintings in the Icones Roxburghiana as types. Both are later homonyms and thus not available. F. triloba and F. roxburghii are identical in delimitation as each explicitly included both of Roxburgh’s species. The protolog of F. roxburghii also listed the collection Wallich 4491 without further detail. There are a total of six sheets bearing this number in the Kew herbarium, four in the Wallich Herbarium plus two in the main herbarium. One of the latter (K000880197), at one time in the Hooker herbarium, has been labelled as “ Ficus roxburghii ” in what is possibly Miquel’s handwriting and it is thought that this is a possible holotype.

Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. Fujian: Li et al. 2009190 ( HSNU), Ye 1680 ( IBSC); Guangdong: Li et al. 2012079 ( HSNU), Li et al. 2012094 ( HSNU), Li 90066 ( IBSC), Shi & Lin 223 ( IBSC); Guangxi: Li et al. 2010186 ( HSNU), Li 2012113 ( HSNU), Wang et al. 2011024 ( HSNU), Wang et al. 2011027 ( HSNU), Tsang 23845 ( IBSC); Hainan: Dong 00144 ( IBSC), Lei 118 ( PE); Taiwan: Wang 04428 ( IBSC); Xizang: Li et al. 2014533 ( HSNU); Yunan: He 85555 ( IBSC), Li 8594 ( IBSC), Mao 3845 ( IBSC), Mao 6506 ( IBSC). INDIA. Assam: Watt 11694 ( P). INDONESIA. Sun 7824 ( IBSC). THAILAND. Chiang Mai: Maxwell 88-296 ( IBSC). VIETNAM. Annam: Poilane 4027 ( P), Poilane 6423 ( P); Col. n. 375 ( IBSC), Ruan 134 ( IBSC).

Distribution: — China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang), Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia (Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, NE India, Thailand and Vietnam.

Notes: — Ficus triloba Buch. -Ham. ex Voigt subsp. quangtriensis (Gagnep.) C.C. Berg bears no white and yellow soft felted hairs on the lower surface of leaf blade, and should not be included in this variety.