Rhododendron benomense Rafidah & A.C.Elliott, 2022

Rafidah, A. R. & Elliott, A., 2022, Rhododendron benomense Rafidah & A. C. Elliott (Ericaceae), a new name for Rhododendron obscurum Sleumer, a species endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, Edinburgh Journal of Botany 79 (413), pp. 1-4 : 2-3

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.24823/EJB.2022.413

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7373129

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BB87DC-FF86-FFFD-FFB4-2161BDADFA63

treatment provided by

Jonas

scientific name

Rhododendron benomense Rafidah & A.C.Elliott
status

nom. nov.

Rhododendron benomense Rafidah & A.C.Elliott View in CoL , nom. nov.

Rhododendron obscurum Sleumer View in CoL , Reinwardtia 5: 104 (1960), nom. illeg., non Rhododendron obscurum Franch. ex Balf.f. View in CoL , Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 13: 278 (1922).

Type: Peninsular Malaysia, Pahang, on top of Gunung Benom , 23 v 1930, Strugnell F.M.S. 22344 [protologue erroneously records it as 223U] (holotype KEP [ KEP62885 ] , isotype L, fragment plus photograph [ L0007648 ]) View Materials . Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 .

Proposed IUCN conservation category. Vulnerable (VU D2) ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, 2019). Several scattered populations were found during a survey of Gunung Benom in 2009 ( Ummul-Nazrah et al., 2011), but no estimate of numbers was made. Although trekking is popular at this location, it has limited impact on the habitat. Gunung Benom, the only known locality of Rhododendron benomense , is part of Krau Wildlife Reserve, which offers some protection. The pressures and threats reported for Krau Wildlife Reserve are focused primarily on the lowland forest area of the reserve ( Birdlife International, 2021), not the summit of Gunung Benom where this species occurs. The restricted distribution (area of occupancy c.8 km 2, based on summit area above the minimum recorded altitude) and the presumably small size of the population (fewer than 250 mature individuals) leave Rhododendron benomense extremely vulnerable to stochastic events that could critically endanger it or cause its extinction.

Additional specimens examined. MALAYSIA. Peninsular Malaysia: Gunung Benom , Pahang, Summit, Open Leptospermum woodland, 6740 ft, common bush, Flowers orange-red, 19 iii 1967, Whitmore FRI 3284 ( KEP, L [ L0614189 ]) ; Gunung Benom , Pahang, Summit, (3°49.83′N, 102°06.41′E), 2065 m, Flowers orange, 13 xi 2009, Mohd. Hairul M.A. et al. FRI 69875 ( KEP [ KEP187085 ], SAN) .

It is our recommendation that additional survey work be carried out to ascertain the population size of Rhododendron benomense , to collect germplasm for storage, and to establish a genetically diverse ex situ conservation collection of this species in Peninsular Malaysia.

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Ericales

Family

Ericaceae

Genus

Rhododendron

Loc

Rhododendron benomense Rafidah & A.C.Elliott

Rafidah, A. R. & Elliott, A. 2022
2022
Loc

Rhododendron obscurum

Sleumer 1960: 104
Balf. f. 1922: 278
1960
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