Wangia florulenta (C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li) B.Xue, 2016

Xue, Bine, Tan, Yun-Hong & Ye, Xing-Er, 2016, The identity of Polyalthia florulenta (Annonaceae): a second species of Wangia in China, Phytotaxa 283 (2), pp. 163-171 : 167-169

Wangia florulenta (C.Y.Wu ex P.T.Li) B.Xue , comb. nov. ( Figs. 2–4 )

Chinese name: — xiao hua wen cai mu (ṬĒṘẌ†)

Basionym: Polyalthia florulenta C.Y.Wu ex P.T. Li (1976: 107) . Type: — CHINA. Yunnan: Gengma , Fuken , elven. 1100 m, 4 December 1958, fl. & fr., T. P.Zhu 0465 (holotype, KUN!; isotype, HITBC [photo!])

Shrubs, 1–2 m tall. Twigs yellowish to brownish pubescent when young, glabrescent later. Petioles 2.5–6 mm long, 1–2 mm in diameter, pubescent, soon glabrate; leaf laminas oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5–24 × 2.3–8 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate, membranous, abaxially puberulent, adaxially glabrous except for hairy midvein; secondary veins 10–13 on each side, parallel, diverging at 45–60° from midrib, anastomosing near margin, impressed above, prominent below, tertiary veins percurrent ( Figs. 2B , 3A ). Inflorescences leaf-opposed, solitary, rarely two ( Figs. 2A–C , 3A ). Peduncles 3–5 mm long, hispid. Flowering pedicels 0.5–1 cm long, 1–1.5 mm in diameter, hispid; with 2 bracts at the base, lanceolate, 1–1.5 × 0.4–1 mm, hispid ( Fig. 2C ). Sepals ovate-triangular, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, glabrous adaxially, ferruginous pubescent abaxially ( Fig. 3C ). Petals 6, valvate, free, in 2 whorls; outer petals triangular, 5–6.5 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, adaxially puberulent, abaxially pubescent ( Fig. 3D ); inner petals lanceolate, greenish-yellow, turning white, 18–21 × 6–8 mm, adaxially puberulous, glandular and at the base, abaxially densely pubescent ( Figs. 2D , 3E ). Stamens with truncate connective, 26–35 per flower, ca. 0.8–1 mm long ( Fig. 3G ). Carpels 10–15 per flower, ca. 1.5 mm long, strigose; stigma sessile, globose, puberulent ( Fig. 3F ); ovule 1 per carpel, basal. Torus flattened. Monocarp stipes 0.3–0.7 cm long; monocarps subglobose, verrucous, 0.6–1 × 0.5–0.7 cm, glabrous, orange when ripe ( Figs. 2E , 3H ). Seeds 1 per monocarp, subglobose ( Fig. 2F, G ), endosperm rumination spiniform ( Fig. 2H ).

Distribution and habitat:— Known from several localities in two counties in Yunnan province ( Fig. 4): Fuken in Gengma County, Hongbenghe, Husa and Tongbiguan in Yingjiang County, growing in rain forest or forest edge, at medium elevations (1100–1450 m).

Phenology:— Mature flowers collected in April and May, flower buds collected in May, October and December; fruits collected from October to February. Possibly flowering all year round.

Additional specimens examined:— CHINA. Yunnan: Yingjiang , 9 November 1974, G. D. Tao 13313 ( HITBC, KUN) ; 26 October 1983, Q. Lin 770768 ( KUN) ; 13 February 2012, S. S. Zhou 11352 & 11353 ; 5 January 2005, S. S. Zhou 3576 ; 20 May 2008, S. S. Zhou 4738 ; 21 May 2008, S. S. Zhou 4819 ( HITBC) ; 5 May 2016, B. Xue 282 ( IBSC) ; 8 June 2016, Y. H. Tan & D. P. Ye 9352 ( HITBC) .

IUCN conservation status:— En B1ab(i,iii,iv,v) ( IUCN 2012). Wangia florulenta is only represented in herbaria by ten collections from only four localities in which forests are severely fragmented. In our preliminary field survey in Yingjiang County, we found only two individuals from Sanhecun to Daonong in Tongbiguan, and around ten individuals in a plot of around 0.3 hectare in Hongbenghe. It is endangered due to the increasing deforestation in those regions.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Leaf, flower, fruit and seed morphology of Polyalthia florulenta (= Wangia florulenta). A, A branch, showing leaf-opposed inflorescence with only one flower; also showing the shorter outer petals (indicated by arrow) and the longer inner petals.B, A branch with a mature flower turning white, showing the shorter outer petals (reflexed; indicated by arrow) and the longer inner petals; also showing the eucamptodromous leaf venation with percurrent tertiary veins, the acuminate apex, and adaxially impressed secondary veins. C, Flower bud, showing two bracts at the base of the pedicel. D, Dissected flower bud, showing glandular tissue (indicated by arrow) at the inner petal base. E, Fruit with subglobose monocarps. F, Single monocarp, showing the verrucous surface (S. S. Zhou 11352, HITBC). G, Subglobose seed, showing longitudinal groove around circumference (S. S. Zhou 11352, HITBC). H, Transverse-section of a seed, showing the spiniform endosperm ruminations (S. S. Zhou 11352, HITBC).—Scale bars: D = 1 mm; E, F, G, H = 5 mm.—Photos: A, B, De-ping Ye; C, D, F, G, Bine Xue; E, Zheng-yu Zuo.

FIGURE 3. Wangia florulenta. A, Flowering branch. B, Flower. C, Sepal. D, Outer petal. E, Inner petal. F, Carpel. G, Stamen. H, Fruit with subglobose monocarps. Drawn by Zheng-meng Yang. (A–G from Y.H.Tan & D.P. Ye 9352, HITBC; H from T. P. Zhu 0465, KUN)