Cleistanthus travancorensis Jabl. var. jaleelianus E.Girish & Sunojk., 2020

E., Girishkumar & Sunojkumar, P., 2020, A new variety of Cleistanthus (Phyllanthaceae) from southern Western Ghats, India, Rheedea 30 (2), pp. 278-281 : 278-281

Cleistanthus travancorensis Jabl. var. jaleelianus E.Girish & Sunojk. , var. nov. Fig. 1

Cleistanthus travancorensis var. jaleelianus is similar to var.

travancorensis and var. sankunnianus (Sivar. & Balach.)

Udayan & Chakrab., but differs in the relatively longer acumen of the leaves, undulate leaf margins, longer petioles,

larger bracts and the inflorescences borne on special small leaved branches. It can be further distinguished from var.

travancorensis by its shorter stipules ( Table 1).

Type: INDIA, Kerala, Kannur district, Rayarome, Kuppam river riparian vegetation near Rayarome bridge, on the way to Taliparamba-Coorg road, N 12 ̊20'87'', E 75 ̊43'16'', 9 m, 10.06.2018, E . Girishkumar 449 (holo CALI; iso MH) .

Bushy shrubs, 2.5–4.5 m tall, profusely branched, forming a clustered canopy. Roots tucked with rocky soil of riparian zone. Stem cylindrical, predominantly smooth, peeling occasionally, bark greyish with white patches, blaze creamy-white; branches mainly horizontal and slightly drooping, terete, greyish to brownish-white with lenticels; branchlets terete, brownish or brownish-green or greenish with fusiform lenticels, slightly zigzag, with sparse appressed rufous hairs. Stipules linear, 1–1.25 mm long, pubescent. Leaves alternate; petiole 5–7 × 1.2–1.5 mm, with tawny pubescence; blade obovate or oblanceolate to elliptic, size varying, generally 7.5–15 × 2.5–7 cm, smaller towards branchlets (c. 5.5 × 1.5 cm), prominently chartaceous to slightly coriaceous, bifarious, slightly drooping, acute or cuneate at base, rarely rounded, sometimes oblique, margin slightly undulate with 4–6 undulations, acuminate or rarely acute at apex, acumen 1.5–2.75 cm long, adaxial surface glabrous, light green or yellowish green when young, dark green when mature, abaxial surface dull green, sparsely pubescent on midrib and lateral veins and rarely on lamina, venation pinnately reticulate, lateral veins usually 6–10 pairs, not prominent towards apex, veinlets prominent on abaxial surface. Cymes axillary, sessile, 2–3-flowered, either male or female on branchlets bearing smaller leaves, protandrous; bracts linear-triangular, 1–1.5 mm long, puberulous. Staminate flower c. 4 mm in diam. when open, sub-sessile; sepals 5, triangular to ovate, 1.8–2 mm long, yellowish-green, slightly spatulate, broadly acute, inner surface with longitudinal stripes, outer surface tawny pubescent; tube cupular; petals 5, broad, triangular to orbicular, c. 0.4 mm long, gelatinous white, apex slightly cuspidate; disc yellow, annular, flat with wavy margin; stamens 5, filaments c. 2 mm long, white; anthers c. 1 mm long, extrorse, longitudinally dehiscing; pistillode at the centre with a conical tip, sparsely hairy. Pistillate flowers axillary, c. 5 mm in diam., sessile, sepals, petals and disc same as in staminate flowers, ovary subglobose, covered with appressed hairs, 3(–4)-locular, locules biovulate; styles 3 (or 4), 1–1.5 mm long, bifid at apex for c. 0.5 mm. Capsules prominently 3- lobed, globose, slightly depressed, c. 6 × 8 mm, subtended by persistent sepals curling outwards, covered with sparse appressed rufous hairs, greenish purple when young, dark purple on maturity, black when dry; dehiscence loculicidal, partly septicidal, pericarp detaches to expose three cream coloured cocci, inner surface of pericarp with reticulate ornamentations, each coccus c. 5 × 4 mm with single seed in each; seed c. 4 × 3 mm, trigonous with a notch on one side.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering starts in March and fruits are set from July to August.

Etymology: The varietal epithet ‘ jaleelianus’ is in honour of Late Dr. V. Abdul Jaleel (Assistant Professor, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba, Kannur, Kerala), the research supervisor of the first author and a known field taxonomist who passed away at a younger age.

Habitat: Found growing amongst the rocky, flood plain region of the Kuppam River.

Distribution: Hitherto known only from Kannur district in Kerala.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Kerala, Kannur district, Taliparamba –Coorg Road, Manikkal bridge, N 12 ̊17'95'', E 75 ̊41'52'', 9 m, 14.05.2018, E. Girishkumar 499 ( CALI); Rayarome, 17.06.2018, E. Girishkumar 455, 458 (Herbarium, Sir Syed College, Kannur, Kerala) .

Conservation status: Two scattered populations of Cleistanthus travancorensis var. jaleelianus were observed in flood plain zones of the riparian system of Kuppam river and the recent flood that lambasted in these locations is an imminent threat to these populations. As per IUCN Criteria (2017), this variety can be included in the ‘ DD Category (Data Deficient)’ as further exploration is needed to assess its size and range of distribution.

Figures

Fig. 1. CleiStanthuS traVanCorenSiS Jabl. Var. jaleelianuS E.GiriSh & Sunojk.: a. Habit; b. Fruiting tWig;c. Stem blaZe; d. Leaf – abaXial SurfaCe; e. Male floWer – Side VieW; f. Young fruit; g. Mature fruitS; h. DehiSCing CapSule; i. T.S. of fruit; j & k. Inner SurfaCe of epiCarp; L. Dry perCiarp outer SurfaCe (from GiriShkumar 455; photoS by E. GiriShkumar; SCale bar: 2 mm).