Toxicopueraria peduncularis (Graham ex Bentham) Egan, Ashley N. & Pan, Bo, 2015

Egan, Ashley N. & Pan, Bo, 2015, Resolution of polyphyly in Pueraria (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae): The creation of two new genera, Haymondia and Toxicopueraria, the resurrection of Neustanthus, and a new combination in Teyleria, Phytotaxa 218 (3), pp. 201-226 : 215

Toxicopueraria peduncularis (Graham ex Bentham) A.N.Egan & B.Pan, comb. nov.

TYPE: — NEPAL. Graham, Wallich Cat.No. 5354 (holotype:K[barcode K001120656!]; isotypes: K[barcode K000264081!], BM[barcodes BM000958608!, BM000521674!, BM000958607!], CAL, G[barcodes G00370586!, G00370595!]) .

Basionym: — Neustanthus peduncularis Graham ex Bentham in Miquel, Pl. Jungh. 2: 235. 1852.

Selected Synonyms:— Pueraria peduncularis (Graham ex Bentham) Bentham, J. Linn. Soc. Bot. London 9: 124. 1867; Pueraria peduncularis (Graham ex Bentham) Bentham var. violacea Franchet, Pl. Delav. 182. 1890. (lectotype: P[barcode P00500995]; isolectotype: A[barcodes A00228287!, A00228289!], K[barcode K000264082!]).

Images: —Illustration ( T. peduncularis ): Figure 7 ; Photo Plate ( T. peduncularis & T. yunnanensis ): Figure 8 .

Description: —Woody climber to 10 m. Leaves and stems densely pubescent, becoming glabrate with age. Petioles 4–13 cm; stipules without small spur-like projections beneath; leaflets hirsute on both surfaces, rarely glabrous adaxially, apex acuminate, base acute. Pseudoracemes slightly nodose, 20–50 cm long. Flowers white, tinged with purple to pink or flowers purple, blue, or mauve; 4–7 flowers per node; pedicels slender, 6–9 mm long. Calyx papyraceous, adpressed pubescent; upper 2 lobes connate or nearly so. Vexillum obovate, 11–15 mm × 8–10 mm, auricles truncate, inflexed; wings oblong, 8–14(–15) mm × 3–5 mm, claw ca. 3 mm long, apex obtuse; keel petals obovate, 8–12(–14) mm × 3–5 mm, claw 3–4 mm long. Fruits linear, tan to black when mature, 3–8 cm × 6 mm. Seeds elliptic, 2–3 × 3–4 mm, compressed, dark mahogany to black, sometimes with a red streak.

Phenology: —Flowering June to October; fruiting August to December.

Distribution and Ecology: — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and S & SW China. Forests or forest margins or in thickets. Elevation 1000–4300 m.

Conservation: — Toxicopueraria peduncularis is assessed here as Least Concern (LC) according to the criteria of IUCN (2001) due to its fairly wide distribution, although a detailed study would be beneficial.

Vernacular:—ẫƀ ku ge (Chinese), ȓħƀŭ Yun nan ge teng (Chinese), ting khla (Khasi).

Discussion: — Toxicopueraria peduncularis has been documented for use by various indigenous peoples. The Nyishi (Daffla) tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India are said to eat the fruits, either fresh or boiled ( Srivastava et al. 2010), whereas the roots are crushed up and thrown into lakes and streams a fish poison in Yunnan, China ( Perry & Metzger, 1980).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Toxicopueraria peduncularis. A. Habit. B. Lower leaf surface (detail). C. Stipules. D. Stipels. E. Calyx, inner view. F. Flower, lateral view. G. Flower, face view. H. Vexillum. I. Wing petal. J. Keel. K. Androecium, lateral view. L. Fused stamens. M. Gynoecium. N. Fruits. O. Seed. Voucher used for illustrations:A–B, E–M:A.N. Egan & Bo Xu 12-233 (E); C: F. Kingdon-Ward 3711 (E); D: F. Kingdon- Ward 18838 (NY); N–O: Camillo Schneider 2587 (K). Illustrations by Alice R. Tangerini.

FIGURE 8. Toxicopueraria yunnanensis (A–C) & T. peduncularis (D–F). A. Flowers. B. Inflorescences.C. Young, axillary inflorescence, leaf, and appendages flanking the stipule. D. Flowers. E. Young fruits. F. Habit, inflorescence, and leaves. Photographs by Bo Pan.