Casearia membranacea f. nigrescens

Liao, Shuai, Ji, Xiangyu, Peng, Yansong, Liang, Tongjun & Zhang, Zhixiang, 2015, The identity of Casearia membranacea f. nigrescens (Salicaceae), Phytotaxa 218 (1), pp. 97-100 : 97-99

Identity of Casearia membranacea f. nigrescens

Material of Shao-Qing Chen 11697 ( IBK, IBSC, KUN, PE) and Shao-Qing Chen 13372 ( IBSC, KUN) was examined. All the duplicates of Shao-Qing Chen 11697 (excluding IBSC No. 284936) had only been annotated as Bridelia sp. ( Phyllanthaceae ). Accordingly, we checked the descriptions of Bridelia Willdenow (1806: 978) and Casearia in the Flora of Guangxi ( Liang 2005, Wei 1991), Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae ( Li 1994, Lai 1999), and Flora of China ( Li & Dressler 2008, Yang & Zmarzty 2007), as well as specimens of Bridelia spp. and Casearia spp. collected from China, Guangxi, Longzhou County. The protologues of Bridelia and Bridelia balansae Tutcher (1905: 66) , and type photos of B. balansae were also consulted.

After thorough inspection of the morphological structures of Shao-Qing Chen 11697, we determined the material to clearly represent B. balansae and not a Casearia ( Table 1, Fig. 1 ). Therefore, C. membranacea f. nigrescens ( Salicaceae ) must be reduced to a synonym of B. balansae ( Phyllanthaceae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Type of Casearia membranacea f. nigrescens (Shao-Qing Chen 11697, IBSC).A. Type specimen; B: a. branchlet, b. bract; C. Leaf margin; D. Pistillate flower: c. sepal, p. petal, d. disk, s. style; E. Dorsal surface of pistillate flower (Scale bar B–E: 1 mm).