Bopopia parviflora Munzinger & J.R.Morel, 2021

Morel, Jérémie, Duminil, Jérôme & Munzinger, Jérôme, 2021, Bopopia, a new monotypic genus of Gesneriaceae (Gesnerioideae, Coronanthereae) from New Caledonia, European Journal of Taxonomy 736, pp. 82-101 : 88-92

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2021.736.1253

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4578337

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F987DA-FFE3-FFEC-FE42-FB8E7A59FAFE

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Bopopia parviflora Munzinger & J.R.Morel
status

gen. et sp. nov.

Bopopia parviflora Munzinger & J.R.Morel View in CoL gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77215493-1

Figs 2–7 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig

Diagnosis

Bopopia parviflora gen. et sp. nov. is similar to Coronanthera clarkeana Schltr. , C. deltoidifolia Vieill. ex C.B.Clarke , C. pinguior C.B.Clarke and Depanthus glaber in its glabrous adaxial leaf surface but differs in its unique inflorescence structure within the tribe and also vegetatively in leaf measurements, blade, apex and base shape, margin (entire vs serrate), and abaxial indumentum, as well as petiole length and indumentum ( Table 2 View Table 2 ).

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the small flowers as compared to other Gesneriaceae known from New Caledonia.

Type NEW CALEDONIA • North Province, Bopope, southern slope of Mount “Kantalupaik” [Katalupaik]; 20°50′27″ S, 165°0′38″ E; alt. 500 m; 29 Oct. 2017; fl.; J. Munzinger, D. Bruy & M. Pignal 7980; holotype: P[ P01073391 ]; isotypes: G, MO, MPU[ MPU312888 About MPU ][ MPU312889 About MPU ], NOU[ NOU090953 About NOU ], P[ P00865080 ], W GoogleMaps .

Paratype NEW CALEDONIA • North Province, Bopope, southern slope of Mount “Kantalupaik” [Katalupaik]; 20°50′28″ S, 165°0′38″ E; alt. 500 m; 29 Oct. 2017; fl.; D. Bruy, J. Munzinger, & M. Pignal 1139; K, MO, MPU[ MPU311450 About MPU ][ MPU312887 About MPU ], NOU[ NOU090952 About NOU ], P[ P01073272 ] GoogleMaps .

Description

Shrub up to 5 m tall, rarely branched. Twigs all orthotropous ( Fig. 3A View Fig ) green to red ( Fig. 3B View Fig ), angular and tomentulose, simple pluricellular trichomes appressed toward the apex, terminal vegetative bud densely tomentulose. Leaves opposite and decussate; clustered at the top of branches ( Fig. 3A View Fig ); blade (9.1–)10–15.6(–19.8) × (4–)4.5–6.5(–8.2) cm, elliptic to obovate, dark green above ( Fig. 3C, E View Fig ), pale green below (in vivo; Fig. 3G View Fig ), glabrous adaxially, tomentulose abaxially, base cuneate, apex acute to obtuse, margin slightly serrate, lateral veins (3–)4(–5) per side. Petiole yellow (in vivo; Fig. 3B, G View Fig ), (25–)30–46(–62) mm long, (1–)1.6–2.2(–2.7) mm wide, tomentulose. Inflorescence axillary, indeterminate thyrse, with ultimate axes being pair-flowered cymes ( Fig. 4 View Fig ), and inferior axes being indeterminate thyrses; three to five levels of branching ( Figs 2 View Fig , 3B View Fig ), axes tomentulose, (12–)15–32(–38) flowers per inflorescence, with peduncle / first axis (17–)32–61(–72) mm long, (0.5–)0.8–1.2(–1.3) mm wide, tomentulose. Second axis 10–23(–32) mm long, 0.3–0.7(–1) mm wide, bracteoles linear, (2.5–)3–4.2(–4.5) mm long; third axis 3–11(–14) mm long, (0.2–)0.3–0.5(–0.6) mm wide, bracteoles linear, (1.5–)1.9–2.6(–2.8) mm long, pedicels 1.5–6.5 mm long. Calyx with 5 equal lobes, sepals broadly triangular, (1.2–)1.4–1.8(–2) mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm wide at base, slightly connate at the base and attenuate at apex ( Figs 3F View Fig , 5 View Fig B–C), tomentulose outside and glabrous inside ( Fig. 5C View Fig ), the lobes not exceeding 25% of the total length of the calyx ( Fig. 3F View Fig , 5 View Fig B–C). Corolla zygomorphic, uniformly white, shortly ventricose, tube curved, (2.2–)2.6–3.6(–4.1) mm long, limb of five inequal oval to orbicular lobes, rounded, strongly curled outwards, the median lobe ca 1.5 × 1.3 mm, the two lateral lobes ca 1.0 × 1.0 mm, the two dorsal lobes ca 0.5 × 0.6 mm; outer surface of corolla tomentulose, inner surface of corolla glabrous ( Fig. 5D View Fig ). Androecium, four stamens, inserted, alternating with corolla lobes, subequal ( Fig. 5D View Fig ); filaments broad, 0.1 mm in diameter, flattened near the base, glabrous, adnate to the base of the corolla tube for 1–2 mm ( Fig. 5D View Fig ); four anthers connate, flat, irregularly cordiform ( Fig. 5 View Fig D–E), pollen spheroidal, 11–14 µm. Nectary ring-shaped, ca 0.25 mm thick, continuous or with shallow lobes at the rim, pinkish (preserved in alcohol), adnate at the base of the ovary ( Fig. 5C View Fig ). Gynoecium ovoid, ca 1 × 1 mm, pubescent, bicarpellate, bilocular, style short, ca 0.15 mm long, ca 0.4 mm wide, stigma bilobed ( Fig. 5C View Fig ); ovules numerous (ca 50), ellipsoid, 100–130 µm long. Fruit unknown.

Distribution

The new species is presently only known from the North Province of New Caledonia’s main island Grande Terre, on the south flank of Mt Katalupaik, around 500 m a.s.l. ( Fig. 7 View Fig ), about 17 km as the crow flies south of Hienghène.

Habitat and ecology

The plants occur in dense humid forests from low to medium elevations on volcano-sedimentary substrates ( Jaffré et al. 2012). Collecting points projected on the geological map (Gouvernement de la Nouvelle- Calédonie 2019) fall in a wide area of black siltites surrounded by basalts, dolerites, undifferentiated gabbros or fine tuffs. They are quite far from serpentine veins (ultramafic) in that area; thus the species is considered to grow on non-ultramafic substrates. Individuals of B. parviflora gen. et sp. nov. were observed to be relatively abundant in the valley that was explored (~ 100 m wide). Additional surveys are needed in the surrounding valleys.

Phenology

Plants collected in flower in October 2017.The length of the flowering time and the period of fructification are currently unknown.

Conservation status

Bopopia parviflora gen. et sp. nov. is only known from one population corresponding to a single location sensu IUCN (2019), and was estimated to contain <250 individuals. This population is not in a protected area. The forest on the southern flank of Mt Katalupaik is highly fragmented by fire ( Fig. 7 View Fig ), and fire appears to be a recurrent threat. The conservation status of the species is therefore preliminarily assessed as Endangered [EN: D]. This assessment has been submitted to the New Caledonian Plant Red List Authority for review and validation.

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Lamiales

Family

Gesneriaceae

Genus

Bopopia

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