Syzygium montanum Gamble (1919: 479)

Singh, Rajeev Kumar & Arigela, Ravi Kiran, 2020, Lectotypifications and new synonyms in Indian Syzygium (Myrtaceae), Phytotaxa 429 (3), pp. 200-216 : 211-212

9. Syzygium montanum Gamble (1919: 479) . = Eugenia montana Wight (1845 –1846: 3, tab. 1060), nom. illeg., non Aublet (1775: 495). = Syzygium tamilnadense Rathakrishnan & Chithra in Chithra (1983: 158), nom. superfl. = Syzygium gadgilii Almeida (1998: 273) , nom. superfl. Lectotype (designated here):— INDIA. Neilgherries (Nilgiri), s.d., Wight s.n. (lower specimen of MH00002089!). = Syzygium lakshmananii Murugan & Arumugam (2017: 189) . Holotype:— INDIA. Tamil Nadu: Madurai (Theni) district, Hospital valley,

1550 m, 22 Jan. 1998, V. Lakshmanan 87751 ( CAL0000026949 !; isotypes MH00238119 !, MH00238120 !). Paratypes:— INDIA .

Tamil Nadu: Madurai (Theni) district, Hospital valley, 1450 m, 26 May 1998, V. Lakshmanan 91022 (MH00238117!, MH00238118!),

syn. nov.

Distribution:— India, Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu), endemic.

Notes:— Wight (1845 –1846) described Eugenia montana based on the specimens collected by him from Neilgherries (Nilgiri). Byng et al. (2015) designated one herbarium sheet K000821339 which contain three specimens of Wight’s collection number Peninsula Indiae Orientalis No. 1042 as the lectotype, but this collection number is a later addition and can not be followed, which is evident from the other two herbarium sheets of this connection number, one each at K (K000821340) and MH (MH00193844), annotated by Wight with locality Neelgherry and collection date May 1857. Byng et al. (2015) have not seen specimens at MH (Madras Herbarium) where many types and collections of Wight are held ( Stafleu & Cowan 1988, Singh 2016, 2017a & 2017b). One herbarium sheet is traced at MH (MH00002089) which contains original specimen of E. montana and Syzygium densiflorum Wallich ex Wight & Arnott (1834: 329) . The lower specimen of MH00002089 ( Figure 6 ), is designated here as the lectotype because the illustration in the protologue is based on it and annotation of locality is in Wight’s hand as ‘Neilgherries’.

Eugenia montana was described and illustrated by Wight (1845 –1846), but it become a later homonym of the validly published name Eugenia montana Aublet (1775: 495) and is therefore illegitimate. In Enumeratio Plantarum Zeylaniae, Thwaites (1859: 116) doubtfully transferred the name Eugenia montana Wight to Syzygium and given remark about his uncertainty “My specimens bear considerable resemblance to Dr. Wight’s figure, but they are in too imperfect a state to enable me to feel certain they are identical with his species”, but he did not provided or referred to a description. Therefore, Thwaites’s doubtful citation of the basionym/synonym (? Sign) and his remark about his uncertainty make the name “ Syzygium montanum ” invalid. Further, under addenda et corrigenda Thwaites (1859: 417) substituted the name S. montanum by Syzygium firmum with description, which is at present synonymous to S. grande (Wight) Walpers (1843: 180) . Later, Gamble (1919) made a new combination for Eugenia montana Wight under Syzygium and according to Art. 6.14 and 58.1 of the ICN ( Turland et al. 2018), the name Syzygium montanum Gamble is valid as a replacement name for Eugenia montana Wight.

In some works ( Sasidharan 2004; Nayar et al. 2006; The Plant List 2013; Soh & Parnell 2015; Catalogue of Life 2019) Syzygium montanum Gamble is treated as a synonym of S. grande (Wight) Walpers (1843: 180) , but after studies of type specimens, other herbarium specimens and fresh collections from Western Ghats, it is found that S. montatum differs from S. grande in having branchlets tetragonus and winged at an angles (vs. terete), midrib of leaf distinctly canaliculate above throughout (vs. at basal part only), peduncles quadrangular (vs. terete), flowers 0.6–0.9 cm across (vs. 2.5–3.5 cm), petals fused (vs. free), ripe fruits 0.5–0.8 cm across and purplish (vs. 1.5–4 cm and light green), seeds 0.3–0.5 cm across (vs. 1–2.5 cm).

After study of type specimens, illustration and description of Syzygium lakshmananii , we found very similar to description, illustration, type specimen and other authentic specimens of S. montatum . Earlier, all the type specimens of S. lakshmananii were correctly identified by its collector Lakshmanan as S. montanum Gamble.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Lectotype of Eugenia montana Wight (lower specimen of MH00002089, © Madras Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India, SRC, Coimbatore).