Dipcadi ursulae Blatt. var. alba H.Rodrigues, S.R.Dutta & Chakral

Rodrigues, Hensal Salvador, Dutta, Suchandra Ranjit & Chakral, Kiran Gangadhar, 2024, Systematic study in Dipcadi ursulae (Asaparagaceae, Scillioideae) from Maharashtra, India, Phytotaxa 653 (3), pp. 241-260 : 251-252

2. Dipcadi ursulae Blatt. var. alba H.Rodrigues, S.R.Dutta & Chakral , var. nov. ( Fig. 1 , 3 )

Type:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Thane, Mama-Bhanja Hill , 09 August 2021, H. Rodrigues & Chakral 212401 (Holotype CAL!; Isotypes RDNCP!, VCH!, BLAT!) .

Diagnosis:—Leaves canaliculate-linear, with central white band, persistent in infructescence; flowers campanulate-urceolate, pure white in dense raceme, floral tube with or without constriction, sweet odour; outer tepal lobes spreading; bracts acuminate; pistil stipitate; fruits as long as broad; seeds shiny black.

Bulbs tunicate, ovoid-ellipsoid, neck absent, 1.0–1.8 × 1.0– 1.9 cm. propagating vegetatively by bulblets and splitting of the mother bulb. Roots fibrous, fleshy, arise from the basal disc. Leaves 2 to 7, 10–55 × 0.4–1.2 cm, linear, channelled or not, glabrous, green with central white band, basal underground portion white, apex involute, leaves shorter than inflorescence, 2 to 7 persistent in infructescence, 6 veined. Scape 1 (or 2), 10–45 × c. 0.3 cm long, glabrous, terete and green; raceme, 3–17 cm long, dense. Pedicel 8–11 × c. 1 mm long. Bract 12–25 × 7–8 mm long, green coriaceous with scarious margins that clasp the pedicel, base ± triangular, apex 7–10 mm, acuminate, completely scarious in infructescence, 5–7 nerved. Flowers 2 to 18 per scape, 19–21 mm long, tubular-urceolate, pure white, fragrant daynight; perianth arranged in two rows of 3 each, outer perianth c. 3 mm longer than inner perianth; perianth tube c. 5.0 × c. 4.0 mm, white; outer perianth lobes 10–12 × 4–5 mm, oblong, recurved c. 10 mm, white, tip hooded and papillose, 7 to 8 nerved; inner perianth lobes 9.0–10 × 3.5–4.0 mm, recurved c. 6 mm, deltoid with rounded apex, white, tip papillose, 7 to 8 nerved, perianth tube half smaller than the perianth lobes. Stamens 6, c. 6.5 mm long; filaments c. 4.5 × c. 1.0 mm, narrowing towards the apex, white, adnate to perianth; anthers c. 3 × c. 0.6 mm, sagittate, apiculate, dorsifixed, yellow, projecting out of tube 0.1–0.2 mm at anthesis, dehiscing longitudinally, filament twice as long as anther. Pistil c. 12 mm long; ovary tricarpellary, 4–5 × c. 2 mm, trigonous near cylindrical, green, stipitate, stipe c. 1 mm long, conspicuous septal nectary present in the ovary; style 6–7 × c. 1 mm, glistening white, cylindrical with longitudinal striations, style as long as the ovary; stigma 0.1–0.2 mm, thicker than the style, 1–1.2 mm in diameter, white, papillose, vaguely trigonous, each lobe is bilobed, the trilobed condition observed when the pistil is young, with 3 nectar droplets at the angle of the stigma lobes that project out of tube at anthesis. Fruit loculicidal capsule,, 7–9 × 9–10 mm, longer than or equal to the length, dehiscing longitudinally, pericarp thick, green when young and thin, light yellowish-green-brown at maturity, bracts persistent. Seeds, c. 4.5 × 4.5 mm, superposed, orbicular-ellipsoid, compressed with slightly raised margin; shiny black, 9 to 12 per locule.

Distribution:— INDIA, Maharashtra: Thane district, Mama-Bhanja Hill.

Habitat:—Growing on open rocky slopes of the plateau.

Phenology:—July–August.

Etymology:—This varietal epithet is named ‘alba’ after the unique pure white flower colour which is different from the Dipcadi ursulae .

Associates:— Senecio bombayensis Balakrishnan (1970: 61) , Ceropegia attenuata Hooker (1851: 867) , Smithia sensitiva Aiton (1789: 496) , Neanotis lancifolia ( Hooker 1880: 73) Lewis (1966: 39) , Cyperus nemoralis Chermezon (1921: 553) , Celosia argentea Linnaeus (1753: 205) , and species of Ischaemum Linnaeus (1753: 1049) , Vigna Savi (1824: 113) , Justicia Linnaeus (1753: 15) , Cyanotis Don (1825: 45) .

Key to the Dipcadi ursulae group

1. Leaves canaliculate to flat with central white band, leaf width up to 1.2 cm, ovary stipitate............................................ D. ursulae

1. Leaves strap shape without a central white band, leaf width 3.5–3.7 cm, ovary sessile................... D. longiracemosum (stat. nov.)

Key to varieties of D. ursulae

1. Flowers in a lax raceme, tubular without constriction, white with green or brick red band on perianth lobes, tepals recurved; 0–3 leaves persistent in infructescence.................................................................................................................. D. ursulae var. ursulae

1. Flowers in a dense raceme, campanulate-urceolate with or without constriction, pure white, tepals spreading; all leaves persistent in infructescence................................................................................................................................. D. ursulae var. alba (var. nov.)

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dipcadi ursulae. var.alba. (a) Habit, (b) inflorescence, (c) flower front view, (d) flower side view, (e) lateral section of flower, (f) flower buds, (g) bract, (h) perianth with stamen, (i) perianth lobe, (j) stamen, (k) pollen, (l) gynoecium, (m) transverse section of ovary, (n) fruit, (o) lateral section of fruit, (p) seeds. © Photo by H.Rodrigues.

FIGURE 3. Comparison between selected character of Dipcadi ursulae var. ursulae, Dipcadi longiracemosum and Dipcadi ursulae var. alba. Habitat of D. ursulae (a), D. longiracemosum (b) and D. ursulae var. alba (c). Inflorescence of D. ursulae (d), D. longiracemosum (e) and D. ursulae var. alba (f). Flower side view of D. ursulae (g), D. longiracemosum (h) and D. ursulae var. alba (i). Gynoecium of D. ursulae (j), D. longiracemosum (k) and D. ursulae var. alba (l). Lateral section of fruit D. ursulae (m), D. longiracemosum (n) and D. ursulae var. alba (o). Fruit of D. ursulae (p), D. longiracemosum (q) and D. ursulae var. alba (r). Habitat of D. ursulae (s), D. longiracemosum (t) and D. ursulae var. alba (u). © Photo by H.Rodrigues. Note. Lateral section of fruit displays seeds at different stages.