Scaphochlamys endauensis Y. Y. Sam & H. Ibrahim, 2015

Sam, Yen Yen, Ibrahim, Halijah & Saw, Leng Guan, 2015, Four new species of Scaphochlamys (Zingiberaceae) from Peninsular Malaysia, Phytotaxa 221 (1), pp. 21-34 : 24-27

2. Scaphochlamys endauensis Y. Y. Sam & H. Ibrahim , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3–4 )

Scaphochlamys endauensis resembles S. breviscapa but it differs in having a channelled petiole compared to the terete petiole in S. breviscapa . It also has a shorter bladeless sheath than S. breviscapa (6.5–10.5 cm versus 11.5–18 cm long).

Type:— PENINSULAR MALAYSIA. Johor: Endau Rompin State Park, Kuala Jasin, trail to Gunung Janing Barat , 30–60 m, 9 August 2006, Y. Y . Sam , K . Apok & H. L . Kueh FRI 50204 (holotype: KEP!, isotypes: KLU!, SAN!, SING!) .

Rhizomatous herb, (20–)30–50(–70) cm tall. Rhizome 3–5 mm diameter when dried, creeping horizontally on or below ground surface. Successive shoots clustering together and forming loose clump of 1–3 leafy shoots. Bladeless sheathes 2–3, the largest 6.5–10.5 cm long, dark purple red or green, hairy, not persistent. Leaf 1 per shoot, base slightly swollen; sheath 1.5–1.8 cm long, edges thin, hairy or glabrous, not persistent; ligule small, densely hairy; petiole plus sheath 10–36 cm long, channelled, dark purple red or green, glabrous or hairy; lamina 15–26.5(–33) × 7.3–12 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, base cuneate to attenuate, apex broadly acute to obtuse, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely hairy, densely hairy along midrib, hairs fine, long and appressed, pale green with reddish tinge on apex. Inflorescence 4.5–16.5(–19) cm long, green or red; peduncle 1–10(–12.5) cm long, hairy; rachis 2–7.5 cm long, compact, axis not visible, consisted of (4)6–13 floral bracts, bracts overlapping and closely appressed to axis. Largest floral bract (23–26)30–35 × 11–13 mm, boat-shaped, dark purple red or green, sparsely hairy, more dense along the edges and apex, thick fleshy, margin incurved but not overlapped, apex acute, pointed upright. Cincinnus with (3)4–7 flowers in each bract. First bracteole 12–21 mm long, narrow, 8–10 mm width when flattened, 2-keeled, hairy or sparsely hairy on upper half, apex acute or blunt; subsequent bracteoles reducing in size. Flowers (40) 46–55 mm long, white, except labellum. Calyx 8–12 mm long, ca. 2 mm width, tubular, hairy, split 3–5 mm unilaterally from apex, apex truncate or acute. Floral tube 28–32 mm long; dorsal corolla lobe 11–15 mm long, near triangular, edges inflexed, apex hooded, tip pointed; lateral corolla lobes 10–14 mm, edges inflexed, apex acute. Staminodes 8–12 × 3–5 mm, oblanceolate, apex broadly acute or near rounded, abaxial surface covered by glandular hairs. Labellum 13–20 × 10–17 mm, obovate, apex bilobed, cleft 3–5 mm from apex, abaxial surface covered by glandular hairs, yellow median band with or without purple streaks at both sides. Stamen 6–9 mm long, covered by glandular hairs on abaxial surface; filament 2–4 mm long; pollen sacs 3–3.5 mm long, basal spurred, dehiscing longitudinally; anther-crest 1–3 × 2.5–4 mm, apex trilobed or entire, extended and recurved. Stigma ca. 1 × 1 mm, funnel-shaped, hairy. Ovary 1–2 × ca. 1 mm, hairy, unilocular, ca. 2 ovules. Epigynous glands 2, filiform, ca. 5 mm long. Fruit ellipsoid, ca. 11 × 7 mm, wall thin, fleshy, near transparent, enclosed 2–3 seeds. Seed kidney-shaped, ca. 7 × 3 mm, covered with aril.

Etymology:—The epithet ‘Endau’ refers to the Endau River and its tributaries that flow through the state park where the plants are most commonly found and abundant.

Distribution and habitat:—Endemic in Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. Lowland dipterocarp forest, 25–370 m elevation, forest floor, level and undulating terrain, in shaded areas.

Conservation status:—Near Threatened, NT. The species meets the area requirements under criterion B for Endangered (extent of occurence = 262 km 2 and area of occupancy = 16 km 2). However, the plants are commonly found and well protected in Endau Rompin State Park, a Totally Protected Area. Among all the known locations, only the populations in the Lenggor Forest Reserve are threatened by logging but this is unlikely to cause the species to extinct or becoming critically endangered in the future. Therefore, the listing is justified under the NT category ( IUCN, 2012).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):—PENINSULAR MALAYSIA. Johor: Mersing, Gunung Janing, 20 October 1892, H. W . Lake & H . Kelsall s. n. ( SING!); Gunung Janing Barat , base of sandstone rock face, 15 May 1985, R . Kiew RK 1727 ( SING!); 27 August 1985, R . Kiew RK 1909 ( KEP!); Island at Kuala Kemapan, downstream end, bank of Sungai Endau, downstream from Kuala Kemapan , 5 September 1985, K. M . Wong FRI 30894 ( KEP!); Endau Rompin State Park, Kuala Jasin , trail to Gunung Janing Barat, 103° 22.13’ E, 2° 31.83’ N, 370 m, 9 August 2006, Y. Y . Sam FRI 50205 ( KEP!); Endau Rompin State Park , NERC , trail to dam, 25 m, 10 August 2006, Y. Y . Sam FRI 50210 ( KEP!); Segamat, Endau Rompin State Park , Sungai Selai, across Sungai Selai, on the ridge, 200 m, 16 August 2002, Y. Y . Sam FRI 47096 ( KEP!); Sam Y. Y. FRI 47097 ( KEP!); 60 m, 3 April 2007, Y. Y . Sam FRI 50218 ( KEP!); Kluang, Lenggor Forest Reserve , 7 December 2006, Y. Y . Sam FRI 50243 ( KEP!) .

Discussion:— Scaphochlamys endauensis is common on the forest floor of Endau Rompin State Park. Previously, the plant was wrongly identified as S. oculata Holttum (1950: 92) . However, both are very different upon close examination, differing in the number of flowers in each cincinnus ( S. oculata has 1–3 flowers in each cincinnus compared to 4–7 flowers in S. endauensis ) and the distinctive coloured streaks beside the yellow median band on the labellum ( S. oculata has bright red streaks but they are purple in S. endauensis ).

Scaphochlamys endauensis Holttum (1950: 95) is actually more similar to S. breviscapa . However, these two species are different principally in the cross section of petiole (channelled in S. endauensis versus terete in S. breviscapa ) and the size of bladeless sheath (6.5–10.5 cm long in S. endauensis versus 11.5–18 cm long in S. breviscapa ). In addition, the leaf sheath of S. endauensis (1.5–1.8 cm) is consistently longer than S. breviscapa (0.7–1 cm). Its lamina is elliptic to oblanceolate with broadly acute to obtuse apex and cuneate to attenuate base whereas S. breviscapa has elliptic to broadly ovate lamina with acute apex and rounded or cuneate base. Furthermore, S. endauensis has larger floral bracts (30–35 × 11–13 mm) as compared to S. breviscapa (20–30 × 7–17 mm). The staminodes of S. endauensis is oblanceolate with broadly acute to near rounded apex which differ from the linear ones with truncate apex in S. breviscapa .

Both S. endauensis and S. breviscapa are found on the East Coast Range of Peninsular Malaysia. The mountainous range extends from northeast to south of the peninsula and at the central part, it is intercepted by large swamps ( Raj, 2009). Scaphochlamys breviscapa is distributed in the Terengganu Highlands in Terengganu and Pahang whilst S. endauensis is found at the south of Peninsular Malaysia.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Scaphochlamys endauensis. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Flower. Photo A by Y.Y. Sam, B & C by K. Imin.

FIGURE 4. Scaphochlamys endauensis. A. Habit. B. Hairs on under surface midrib. C. Floral bract. D. First bracteole. E. Ovary and calyx. F. Lateral corolla lobe.G. Dorsal corolla lobe.H. Staminode.I. Labellum.J. Stamen front view (J’), side view (J’’), back view (J’’’). K. Stigma front view. L. Fruit. M. Seed front view (M’), side view (M’’). A–M from Y.Y. Sam, K. Apok & H.L. Kueh FRI 50204 (KEP).