Capparis trinervia var. chungiana Julius, 2022

Julius, Avelinah, 2022, Capparis (Capparaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia, including a new species and two new varieties, PhytoKeys 189, pp. 99-127 : 99

Capparis trinervia var. chungiana Julius var. nov.

Figures 6 , 7 , 8

Diagnosis.

Recognised in the genus Capparis by the combination of the following characters: the leaves broadly ovate-elliptic, relatively large (13-16 × 5.5-8.5 cm) and leaves drying reddish-brown, rarely pale green with pale yellow and rarely dark red venation, the tertiary venation obscure, the inflorescence strictly terminal with flowers arranged racemosely and becoming crowded at the distal part of the inflorescence, the stamens 30-40 and the fruit globose with ca. 11 cm in diameter.

Type.

Peninsular Malaysia. Selangor: Kuala Kubu Bharu to Fraser's Hill Road , along the road side, 17 Apr 1971 (fl.), Mahmud Sidek s.n. (holotype KLU!) .

Description.

Woody climber 9-12 m long. Twigs straight, covered with velvety, ferruginous hairs and glabrescent with age. Stipular thorns recurved downwards, tips 1.5-3 mm long. Leaves spirally arranged; petioles 15-20 × 2-3 mm, stout, incrassate or thickened, velvety hairy becoming glabrous; lamina broadly ovate sometimes ovate-elliptic, 13-16 × 5.5-8.5 cm, coriaceous to subcoriaceous, surface rugose and usually reddish-brown when dry, rarely pale green, base cuneate or occasionally rounded, margin flat and entire, apex acute or shortly cuspidate, with acumen ca. 4 mm long, glabrous on both surfaces; mid-rib flat above, raised beneath; lateral veins 5-7(-8) pairs, flat above, distinct beneath, pale yellow when dry, looping towards the margin; intercostal veins obscure. Inflorescences terminal, flowers arranged racemosely and becoming crowded at the distal part of the inflorescence rachis slender and straight; bracts caducous. Flowers [in bud] 4-7, buds globose, 1-1.8 × 1.3-1.8 cm; pedicels 3-3.5 cm long, swollen towards apex, velvety with ferruginous hairs; sepals 4, thick, whitish-green, orbicular, 1.2-1.5 × 1.2 cm, outer pair of sepals imbricate, covered with dense, velvety ferruginous hairs outside, glabrous inside, inner pair of sepals glabrous on both surfaces, except silky hairs at base outside; petals 4, cream or white with pink- or dark purple at base; stamens 30-40, unequal in length, anthers yellow; ovary green. Fruits young shiny and green, mature fruit n.v., globose to sub-globose on a stout gynophore, sometimes beaked when young, ca. 9 × 11 cm. Seeds (3-)12-15, sarcotesta whitish, testa thin and whitish-cream.

Vernacular names.

Kuku lang (Malay), mentimun (Temuan).

Distribution.

Endemic in Peninsular Malaysia, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Pahang (Fig. 6 ).

Ecology.

Lowland to lower montane forest, on forest edge or roadsides; 427-1067 m altitude.

Etymology.

The new variety is named after Dr Richard Chung Cheng Kong, Curator of the Kepong Herbarium (KEP) and Project Leader of Flora of Malaysia under 10thand 11th Malaysian Plans.

Conservation status.

Capparis trinervia var. chungiana inhabits forest margins, gaps or pathways near to roadsides, but is not a common species. This species has not been relocated in Selangor and Pahang even though the localities and adjacent areas have been revisited. This species, however, has been found and recorded from a new locality in Negeri Sembilan during a botanical survey in 2010, but it could not be relocated from two recent visits in 2014 and 2019. Recent field observations to Negeri Sembilan also show forest clearing pathways near the species habitat. Therefore, this species is assessed as Near Threatened following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2001, 2012).

Additional specimens examined.

Peninsular Malaysia. Selangor: Ulu Gombak FR, 259 m (850 ft) alt., 19 Aug 1964 (fr.), Mohd. Kasim & Mahmud Sidek 624 (KLU!); Gombak Forest , 16th mile, followed path to stream and beyond, 427 m (1400 ft) alt., 12 Jun 1963 (fl.), M.E.D. Poore 1189 (KLU!); Kepong Plantation Field 9J, hillslope, 10 Jan 1934 (fl.), Abdul Hamid 33570 (KEP!); Ulu Langat, 30 Mar 1960 (fl., fr.), Gadoh KL 2072 (KEP! 2 sheets); Genting Sempah, 11 Dec 1970 (fl., fr.), Kochummen FRI16263 (KEP!) . Pahang: Fraser’s Hill, near gate at gap, roadside, 1067 m (3500 ft) alt., 28 Feb 1979 (fl., fr.), Kochummen FRI18471 (KEP!); road to Fraser’s Hill, climber on Mahang tree beside the road, 914 m (3000 ft) alt., 26 Aug 1981 (fr.), K.M. Wong FRI32242 (KEP!) . Negeri Sembilan: Jelebu, Kenaboi FR, G. Besar Hantu, near Kg. London area , 3°11.00'N, 102°00.76'E, 500 m alt., 6 May 2010 (fr.), Julius et al. FRI64006 (KEP!) .

Notes.

The comparatively large flowers, with sepals up to 1.5 cm long, place Capparis trinervia var. chungiana (Figs 7 , 8 ) in the Trinervia-Group ( Jacobs 1965; Srisanga and Chayamarit 2004). Specimens of this new species were determined as C. erycibe , no doubt due to the comparatively large leaves, but it differs in having the flowers arranged racemosely and becoming crowded at the distal part of the inflorescence rather than the paniculate arrangement in C. erycibe . In addition, C. erycibe has smaller flowers with sepals only 4-6 mm long and was placed within the Subumbellates-group ( Jacobs 1965: 411).

The flower colour of this species has been described as ‘white’ or ‘cream’ with pink or dark purple at base in the label notes. Unfortunately, the open flowers are missing from the specimen sheets. Additionally, there are no new flowering specimens from the recent collections and full details of the flowers, such as measurement of the mature flowers and bracts, remain incomplete. Moreover, the dissected parts of the rehydrated flower buds are in poor condition and mostly do not contain either androecium or gynoecium, the cause of which is unknown.

However, this new variety still can be distinguished from other closely related members of the Trinervia-Group (see Table 2 for the comparison details) or species known from Peninsular Malaysia vegetatively. For example, the relatively large fruit (ca. 11 cm in diam.) of Capparis trinervia var. chungiana is similar to C. scortechinii (ca. 11 cm in diam.) and C. trisonthiae from Thailand (6-8 cm in diam.), but the latter two differ in their densely racemose and paniculate inflorescences, respectively; and the flowers arranged racemosely and becoming crowded at the distal part of the inflorescence, though has similarity to typical var. Capparis trisonthiae trinervia , but var. Capparis trisonthiae chungiana differs by its subcoriaceous to coriaceous leaves with broadly ovate to ovate-elliptic lamina (compared to chartaceous with oblong-elliptic or broadly lanceolate lamina in var. Capparis trisonthiae trinervia ), the drying leaves are reddish-brown, rarely pale green with venation pale yellow, rarely dark red on both surfaces (compared to dull green with brownish main nerves on both surfaces in var. Capparis trisonthiae trinervia ), the intercostal veins are obscure (compared to irregular reticulate and distinct in var. Capparis trisonthiae trinervia ) and the stamens are 30-40 (whereas in var. Capparis trisonthiae trinervia , (30-)60-70).

Figures

Figure 6. Distribution of Capparis trinervia var. chungiana.

Figure 7. Capparis trinervia var. chungiana Julius, var. nov. A the leafy branch B the flowering (bud) leafy twig C flower with sepals and petals removed exhibiting the filaments and ovary on gynophore D upper pedicel and base of calyx E the fruit in cross section F stipules close-up. (Drawn by Mohamad Aidil Noordin from FRI 64006 [A, E, F] and Mahmud Sidek s. n. [B-D]).

Figure 8. Capparis trinervia var. chungiana Julius, var. nov. A fruiting twig B stipular thorns C young fruit on stout gynophore D leaf E young fruit, cross section. (Photographs by K. Imin).