Bredia micrantha (C. Chen) J. H. Dai & Ying Liu, 2025

Dai, Jin-Hong, Zhong, Zhe, Zhou, Ren-Chao & Liu, Ying, 2025, New taxa and nomenclatural changes in Bredia (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae), PhytoKeys 266, pp. 1-31 : 1-31

Bredia micrantha (C. Chen) J. H. Dai & Ying Liu , comb. et stat. nov.

Figs 12 , 15 C

≡ Phyllagathis fordii var. micrantha C. Chen , Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 4 (3): 50. 1984 (Basionym), p. p., quoad typum. Type: China. Guizhou: Dushan , in convallibus montanis, 600 m, 22 Aug 1930, Y. Tsiang 6563 [ holotype: IBSC! ( IBSC 0003995 ); isotypes: NAS! ( NAS 00052126 ), PE! ( PE 00782806 , PE 00782810 )] . ≡ Bredia fordii var. micrantha (C. Chen) R. Zhou & Ying Liu , PhytoKeys 127: 144. 2019 .

Diagnosis.

Similar to B. fordii and B. esquirolii in posture and leaf shape, but differs in the stems sparsely pubescent with 1.5–2 mm long, spreading, multiseriate hairs (vs. the former with dense, 2–4 mm long hairs, and the latter with 0.3–1 mm long hairs), young inflorescence bending downwards (vs. erect), slightly curved anthers (vs. geniculate), and cream connectives (vs. yellow at least in the inner stamens). Resembles B. jiuwanshanensis in the stems with dense, spreading, 0.3 mm long uniseriate hairs, bending young inflorescence, and isomorphic stamens, but differs markedly in posture (few branched vs. multi-branched), larger (3.5–13 × 1.7–6.3 cm vs. 1.5–7 × 0.7–3.8 cm), submembranous to thin papery (vs. thick papery), more or less ovate leaf blade (vs. elliptic to narrowly elliptic) with cordate base (vs. obtuse or rounded), and acuminate apex (vs. acute), and anthers and connectives of cream color (vs. purple anthers and yellow connectives at anther base).

Description.

Shrubs, to 60 cm tall. Stems erect or ascending, few-branched, terete; branchlets densely pubescent with 0.3 mm long uniseriate hairs and sparsely pubescent with 1.5–2 mm long, spreading, multiseriate hairs. Leaves opposite, equal or unequal; petiole 1.8–6 cm long, densely pubescent with spreading, multiseriate and uniseriate hairs; leaf blade ovate-cordate to ovate-lanceolate, rarely obovate, 3.5–13 × 1.7–6.3 cm, submembranous to thin papery, secondary veins 3 on each side of midvein, adaxial surface green, pubescent with bent uniseriate hairs, denser along the veins, abaxial surface pale green or ± purplish, pubescent with spreading, uniseriate and multiseriate hairs, base shallowly cordate, margin ciliate and inconspicuously serrulate with each tooth having a terminal seta, apex acuminate, rarely acute. Inflorescence bending downwards when young, 2–10 - flowered; peduncle 1.3–3.3 cm long, densely pubescent. Flowers bisexual, radial but androecium slightly bilateral, 4 - merous, pedicles, hypanthium and calyx lobes densely pubescent with 0.5–1 mm long hairs; pedicel 0.8–1.5 cm long; hypanthium yellowish-green, funnel-shaped, 5 × 3–4 mm; calyx lobes 4, linear, 4–5 × 0.5 mm; petals 4, purplish-red, ovate, ca. 8 × 7 mm, puberulent on the abaxial surface with uniseriate hairs, apex oblique; stamens 8 in two whorls, isomorphic, subequal in length with the outer whorl slightly longer than the inner one, filaments ca. 6–7 mm long, bent with the anthers to one side of the flower, anthers lanceolate, slightly curved, 6–7 mm long, cream, connective forming 2 ventral lobes and a dorsal tubercle of the same color; ovary ca. 4 mm long, 2 / 3 as long as the hypanthium (crown excluded), half inferior, locules 4, apex with membranous crown, crown margin ciliate with dark red glandular hairs; style ca. 1.3 cm long, basally puberulent. Capsule ca. 6 × 5 mm, funnel-shaped, with enlarged apical crown; placentation axial, placentas non-thready. Seeds numerous, cuneate.

Phenology.

Flowering July to August, fruiting August to September.

Distribution.

Bredia micrantha is currently only known from Dushan County, Guizhou, China, occurring among rocks near stream or on moist rock in forests.

Additional specimen examined.

China. Guizhou Province: • Dushan County, Cha-he to Li-zi-chong , on shaded and moist rocks or rock cliff in forests, 1,000 m, 16 Aug 2019, J. H. Dai and Y. Liu 745 ( A, PE, SYS) .

Figures

Figure 12. Bredia micrantha, all from J. H. Dai and Y. Liu 745 (A, PE, SYS). A. Habit; B, C. Adaxial and abaxial views of a leaf; D. Indumentum on a branchlet; E. Young inflorescence; F. Mature inflorescence; G. Top view of a flower; H. Longitudinal section of a flower; I. Lateral view of a young capsule. Scale bars: 5 mm (H, I).

Figure 15. Distribution of the species discussed. A. B. cordata; B. B. esquirolii and B. macrophylla; C. B. fordii, B. micrantha, and B. jiuwanshanensis; D. B. pingshanensis, B. yunnanensis, and B. tuberculata.