Miliusa paithalmalayana Josekutty, 2016

Josekutty, Elayanithottathil Joseph, Biju, Punnakot, Sujanapal, Puthiyapurayil & Augustine, Jomy, 2016, A new species of Annonaceae from southern Western Ghats, India, Phytotaxa 255 (3), pp. 287-291 : 287-290

Miliusa paithalmalayana Josekutty , sp. nov. (Figs. 1,2)

Type: INDIA. Kerala: Kannur District, Paithalmala , 12°10 ʹ 39 ʺ N 075°32 ʹ 21 ʺ E, 830 m, 06 October 2015 (with flowers), Josekutty & Augustine 2756 (holotype: MH; isotypes: CALI, KFRI) .

Miliusa paithalmalayana resembles Miliusa wightiana in its elliptic lanceolate leaves, solitary axillary flowers and 10–15 carpels, but differ in having larger leaves, acuminate-obtuse or caudate acuminate-obtuse leaf apex, glabrous secondary veins, longer pedicels, large elliptic lanceolate deep purplish inner petals, stamens with included connectives, linear oblong hispid carpels, elliptic stigma and oblique monocarps.

Small trees to 7 m high, bark grayish, branches spreading, pubescent when young. Leaves simple, alternate, distichous, estipulate, 5.0–20.0 × 1.8–6.0 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, base round, petiole 3–4 mm, slightly oblique, apex caudate acuminate-obtuse or acuminate-obtuse, both sides glabrous, shining, lateral veins 8–10 pairs, obscure above, prominent below, intra marginal veins looping, sub marginal, margins entire, revolute. Flowers solitary, axillary or pseudo-terminal, deep purplish; pedicel 4–5 cm long, glabrous; bract 1, rudimentary; bracteoles 2, minute, subulate; sepals 3, ca. 1.3 × 1.1 mm, broadly ovate, acute at apex, hairy on margins; outer petals 3, broadly ovate, apex acute, hairy on margins, 1.5 × 1.1 mm; inner petals 3, elliptic-lanceolate, involute along margins, 20–30 × 6–7 mm, glabrous, base hooded, cohering when young along margins, deep purplish or brown; torus ovoid, hispid with white silky hairs; stamens many, up to 40, filaments short, 0.1 mm long, glabrous, anthers in pairs, 0.7 × 1.0 mm, glabrous, extrorse, connectives included; carpels 12–15, purplish, linear-oblong in outline, slightly curved, 2.0 × 0.5 mm, hispid with silky white hairs, style short, stigma ovoid, black, up to 0.6 mm long; ovules 1–2. Fruiting stalk terete, glabrous, 5–7 cm, crimson red; monocarps 3–7, each 8–10 mm across, glabrous, crimson red, oblong, apex and base oblique, mammose; stipe crimson red, ca 20 mm long; seeds 1–2 per monocarp.

Flowering and Fruiting: August–December.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the type locality, Paithalmala in Kannur District, Kerala, which is a popular hill station in the District, ± 1250 m.

Distribution and Habitat: Miliusa paithalmalayana is mostly distributed on the windward side of the Paithalmala Hills at ca. 700–1000 m. This species is an important understorey tree in the evergreen forests and often only reaches a height of less than seven meters. Abundant rainfall during the monsoons and prolonged summer with intermittent rains promote the luxuriant growth and occurrence of evergreen forest in the area. The common associated species in this locality include Meiogyne pannosa (Dalz.) Sinclair ( Annonaceae ), Orophaea sivarajanii Sasidh. ( Annonaceae ), Eugenia codyensis Munro ex Wight , ( Myrtaceae ), Euonymus indicus Heyne ex Roxb. ( Celastraceae ), Diospyros pruriens Dalz. ( Ebenaceae ), Meteoromyrtus wynaadensis (Bedd.) Gamble ( Myrtaceae ), Garcinia spicata (Wight &Arn.) Hook. f. ( Clusiaceae ), Myristica beddomei King ssp. sphaerocarpa de Wilde ( Myristicaceae ).

Notes:— Miliusa paithalmalayana has similarities to M. wightiana in its long pedicels, similar number of carpels and stamens and short petioles ( Table 1). Absence of hairs on the lateral veins, caudate acuminate-obtuse or acuminate-obtuse apex of leaves, pseudo-terminal position of flowers, longer pedicels, larger inner petals with deep purplish coloration, included connectives, linear oblong hispid carpels, ovoid stigma and oblique monocarps on fleshy crimson reddish stipes easily distinguish the new species from the latter. The new species is similar to the Miliusa horsfieldii group ( Chaowasku&Kessler 2013), which has pseudo-terminal inflorescences and completely opening inner petals during anthesis and among Indian species to the Miliusa nilagirica group ( Van Heusden 1992) in having recurved inner petals.

Additional specimens examined:— INDIA. Kerala: Kannur District, Manjappullu , 12º10 ʹ 41 ″ N 075º33 ′ 16 ″ E, 670 m, 22 October 2015 (with fruits), Josekutty & Augustine STCP 2790 KFRI ; Upper Cheekkad 12º09 ʹ 11 ″ N 075º33 ′ 04 ″ E, 810m, 30 October 2015 (with flowers), Josekutty & Augustine STCP 2800 KFRI .

Conservation status:— The new species has a restricted distribution in the Western Ghats and is slow growing with one or two flushes every year. Flowering is rare, and fruiting is poor. The plants are distributed in patches with a maximum of 5–10 plants per locality. The species is limited to 10 km 2 area that is not protected from anthropogenic disturbances. Moreover, the area is near to grasslands with seasonal summer fires. Tourism in the area deepens the problem. The distribution is discontinuous, and it has not yet been found in nearby forests.