Morella esculenta (Chevalier, 1901)

Vashi, Chipem, Shankar, Uma & Misra, Arvind K., 2017, A reinstatement and a new combination in Morella subgenus Morella (Myricaceae), with typification of Myrica integrifolia, Phytotaxa 299 (2), pp. 211-222 : 216-220

Morella esculenta (Buch.-Ham) I.M. Turner (2001: 324) ( Fig. 1 , a–f & Fig. 2 , a–c)

Lectotype (designated here):— NEPAL, Narainhetty , 3 September 1802, Buchanan, s.n. ( BM [ BM000608074 ] image!) (Image of the lectotype at BM available at http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.bm000608074, Fig. 5).

Description: Trees, evergreen, dioecious, bark dark gray; branchlets and twigs tomentose with inconspicuous lenticels. At the apex of twigs are clustered many leaves, alternate polystichous, inclined to horizontal and plane, sometimes squarrose. Petioles are 0.2–1.2 cm long and tomentose. Leaves simple, leaf blades about 3.5–10 × 1.3–4.5 cm, abaxially punctated with minute yellow peltate trichomes, oblanceolate to obovate; base narrowly cuneate to cuneate; margin serrated when young and entire in matured leaves; midrib prominent, pubescent, pinnate, prominent lateral nerve on either side, semicraspedodromous; apex acuminate, narrowly acute to obtuse. Staminate inflorescences panicles, usually erect, 5–7 cm long; secondary axes 1.0– 1.5 cm long bearing 15–30 staminate flowers subtended by secondary bracts; primary and secondary bracts abaxially dotted with yellow peltate trichomes and secondary bracts at the base larger than those at the apex. Staminate flowers perianthless, axillary; stamens 3–6, usually 4, red or green, filaments fused only at base, dithecal anthers, sub-basifixed, dehiscence by longitudinal slits; pollen isopolar, triporate, apertures at three angles. Pistillate inflorescences simple spikes, elongated up to 5.0 cm, axillary, erect and bracteated; bracts reniform or cordate, abaxially dotted with yellow peltate trichome, persistent, one or two perianthless flowers intermixed with small scales, ovary gynobasic, style short, stigma red, hairy and bifid. Multiple fruits developed across infructescence, ripen fruits 1.0– 1.5 cm and deep red in colour. Flowering and fruiting from late August–June next year.

Distribution and habitat: M. esculanta is an Asian species and distributed in East Asia ( China), South Asia ( India, Nepal) and South-East Asia ( Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam). The distribution of M. esculanta overlaps with that of M. integrifolia in Meghalaya, India. This species is found in sub-tropical pine forests and temperate broadleaf forests in Meghalaya.

Nomenclatural notes: The description of Myrica esculanta Buch. -Ham. ex D. Don (1925: 56) was based on the manuscript of Francis Buchanan-Hamilton. In the protologue of M. esculanta , morphological description of both male and female plant was included. But, we are unable to find the female specimen collected by Buchanan-Hamilton for the description of this species. A herbarium specimen of male M. esculenta (Barcode BM000608074, digital image available from JSTOR Plant Science) collected by Buchanan-Hamilton in 1802 is available. Thus, the male specimen is selected here as lectotype to fix the nomenclature application of this name.

Figures

FIGURE 1. SEM micrographs of comparative morphology between Morella integrifolia (A–F) and Morella esculenta (a–h). A, a, C, c. indumenta on abaxial foliar epidermis; B, b, d. peltate trichomes; E, e. primary inflorescence branches; F, f. dehisced anther lobes. Scale bar: E, e = 500μm; A, C = 200 μm; a, c, F, f = 100 μm; B = 50 μm; b, d = 10 μm.

FIGURE 2. Comparative morphology between Morella integrifolia (A–F) and Morella esculenta (a–c). A, a. pistillate inflorescences; B, b, D. infructescences with fruits; C. young staminate inflorescences; c, E. matured male inflorescences with dehisced anthers; F. persistent staminate inflorescences. Scale bar = 1 cm.