Torenia travancorica Gamble (1923: 957)

Prasad, Mangavayal Govindan & Sunojkumar, Purayidathkandy, 2015, Taxonomic identity of Torenia leucosiphon (Linderniaceae) and its resurrection from the synonymy of Torenia travancorica, Phytotaxa 219 (2), pp. 144-154 : 148-151

Torenia travancorica Gamble (1923: 957) ( Figs. 3 & 4 )

Lectotype (designated here):— INDIA: Courtallum , August 1835, Robert Wight 598 (E!)

[ Torenia asiatica sensu Hooker (1884: 277) non Linnaeus (1753: 619) pro parte.]

Annual, profusely branched, slender, procumbent herb, erect when young, spreads up to 30 cm, rooting at the lower nodes, sometimes young branches having purplish tinge when in open areas. Stem distinctly 4-angled, angles ribbed, internodes 5–10 cm long. Leaves opposite, decussate, shortly petiolate; petiole 5–7 mm long, glabrous or sparsely minute hairy, having a purplish tinge when young; lamina 4–5 × 2–2.5 cm, pinnately veined, glabrous or sparsely minute hairy on veins beneath, lanceolate-narrowly lanceolate, base attenuate, sometimes sub-cordate when young, apex acuminate, acumens slightly bend; margins serrate. Flowers solitary or in clusters of 3–4 on leaf axils towards apex; pedicel 1–5 cm long, quadrangular, minutely hairy on angles, deflexed in fruit. Calyx 15–17 × 5–6 mm, oblong, bilipped, slightly curved, glabrous or sparsely hairy, pale green, sometimes with a purplish tinge, distinctly winged; wings up to 1.3 mm width, sometimes wavy; upper lip 6 mm long, 3-lobed at apex, lobes 2 mm long, linear, curled at apex; lower lip 6 mm long, 2-lobed at apex, lobes 1–2 mm long, curled. Corolla biliped; tube companulate, 23–25 × 8.0– 10 mm, deep purple, glabrous; upper lip 6–8 × 12–14 mm, pale blue, orbicular, rounded; lower lip distinctly 3-lobed, lobes 4–5 × 10–12 mm, pale blue with deep purple patch towards margins. Stamens 4, didynamous; posterior filaments shorter, 3 mm long, cylindrical, glabrous, deep bluish; anterior filaments 10–12 mm long, bend towards upper lip, distinctly appendaged just above the base, appendage 3.5 mm long, straight, apex blunt, deep blue with numerous sessile glands; anthers 3.5–4.0 × 0.8–1.0 mm, deep bluish, bi-thecus, lobes equal, ovate-oblong, longitudinally splits open. Ovary 4–5 × 1–1.5 mm, oblong, slightly bend at apex, slightly grooved, glabrous except slightly scabrous bend apex, placed on a hypogynous disc; disc forming a complete ring at base of ovary, 1 × 2 mm, creamy white, glabrous; style filiform, 3.5–3.8 cm long, glabrous, having slight violet tinge; stigma bilamellate. Fruit 8–10 × 1–2 mm, oblong, shortly hairy at apex, completely included in the fruiting calyx. Seeds many, globose, 0.5 × 0.5 mm, yellowish, foveolate, bothrospermous.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting observed during July to December.

Distribution and habitat:— Endemic to Southern Peninsular India. It is located in Travancore and Tirunelveli hills of Southern Western Ghats, where it is widespread ( Fig.5 ). It grows in moist soils in grasslands and sometimes in open areas of evergreen forests soon after monsoon.

Additional specimens examined:— INDIA. Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi hills, 8°76 ʹ 50.12 ʺ N 77°11 ʹ 48.09 ʺ E, 6 October 2014, Prasad 142328 (CALI) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Way to Bonaccord , 7 October 2014, Prasad 142329 (CALI) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Athirumalai , 7 October 2014, Prasad 142330 (CALI) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Garden site, 25 May 1984, Mukundakumar 009 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Athirumalai , 1000 m, 13 May 1988, Mohanan 9659 ( TBGT!) ; Ernakulam District, Iringole Kavu, 8 August 1993, Sarojini Menon 17639 ( TBGT!) Thiruvananthapuram District , Chemunji hills, 24 November 1998, Santhoshkumar & Suresh 39235 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Athirumala , 1000 m, 17 October 1998, Mohanan 4492 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Athirumala , 1000 m, 13 November 1991, Mohanan 10913 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Manthuruthu , 9 December 1998, Sarijini Menon 38151 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Mundakottackal , 1 July 1984, Samkutty Abraham 7757 ( TBGT!) ; Pathanamthitta District, Pathanamthitta , 500 ft, 11 August 1985, Anilkumar 30 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi , 13 November 1996, Ravi 31720 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Athirumala , 1000 m, 22 December 1987, Mohanan 9140 ( TBGT!) ; Palakkad District, Silent Valley, Syranthree , 18 November 1993, Nazarudeen 18715 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Chittar riverside, 18 August 1997, Maya 26089 ( TBGT!) ; Thrissur District, Athirappally , 27 June 1996, Pandurangan & Rajkumar 30626 ( TBGT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi, Near rest house, 975 m, 13 September 1977, Nair 50995 ( MH!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi, Lower sanitorium, 925 m, 16 November 1977, Mohanan 25523 ( MH!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi , 1000 m, 16 August 1980, Mohanan 69231 ( MH!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Kottur reserve forest, ± 175 m, 21 February 1979, Mohanan 59343 ( MH!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Pattom , June 1925, Ananthkrishnan 362 ( RHT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi , 19 September 1968, Matthew 9177 ( RHT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi , 20 September 1968, Matthew 9271 ( RHT!) ; Thiruvananthapuram District, Ponmudi , 12 November 1970, Matthew 12413 ( RHT!) ; Tamil Nadu: Tirunelveli District, Ambasamudram Taluk, Kannikketti-Kowthalaiar , Periya pillu mitai, 800 m, 2 January 1978, Matthew 15840 ( RHT!) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Torenia travancorica. A. Flowering twig; B. Leaf; C. Flower; D. Calyx; E. Corolla; F. Corolla split open; G. Gynoecium; H. Fruit; I. Seed. (All drawn from Prasad 142328 by M.G. Prasad).

FIGURE 4. Torenia travancorica. A. Habit; B. Flowering twig; C. Flower; D. Calyx; E. Corolla; F. corolla split open; G. Anterior stamens; H. Staminal appendage; I. Posterior stamens; J. Gynoecium; K. Ovary; L. Apical portion of ovary; M. Stigma; N. Fruit; O. Seed.

FIGURE 5. A. General map of India and Sri Lanka; B. Distribution of T. leucosiphon (▲) and T. travancorica (●).