Uraria lacei Craib, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1910(8): 276 (1910)

Gogoi, Jahnabi & Rana, Tikam Singh, 2020, The rediscovery of Uraria lacei Craib (Leguminosae) after 67 years from India, PhytoKeys 160, pp. 99-107 : 99

Uraria lacei Craib, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1910(8): 276 (1910) Figs 1 , 2

Type.

Myanmar. Maymyo Plateau, 3500 ft, 12 Oct 1908, J.H. Lace 4325 (lectotype, designated by Thuan et al. 1987, pg. 112: K! [K000858898]; isolectotypes: CAL! E! [E00301323, E00813650])

Synonyms.

U. paniculata C.B. Clarke, J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 25: 15, tab. 4. 1889. nom. illeg. Type: India. Kohima, 3000 ft, 19 Oct 1885, C.B. Clarke 40924 (K!). U. clarkei Gagnepain in Lecomte, Fl. Gen. Indoch. 2: 542. 1920. Type: Vietnam. Tonkin: Plateau de Kiendi, dans les paturages, 7 Oct 1891, B. Balansa 4430 (Holotype: P [P02142551]). U. pulchra Haines, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1921 (8): 308. 1921. Type: India. Bihar, Someshwar Hills, H.H. Haines 3962 (ABD!). U. guangxiensis W.L. Sha in Guihaia 14: 23. 1994. Type: China. Guangxi, Nandan Xian, Yueli, 20 Sept 1977, Exped. Nandan 4-5-073; (Lectotype, designated by Ohashi et al. 2006, pg. 344: Herb. Guangxi Research Centre of Natural Materia Medica).

Description.

Shrubs up to 3 m height. Roots taproot with lateral roots. Stems erect, solid, strong, striate, 0.5-0.9 cm wide with ferruginous hooked hairs (0.018-0.099 cm long) and straight hairs (0.008-0.045 cm long), internodes 0.7-3.0 cm long. Leaves trifoliolate, rarely 4-foliolate, 8.0-21.5 × 7-17 cm; petiole terete, 1.5-5.0 × 0.2 cm, scabrous, up to 0.1 cm long hairs; rachis 1.0-2.5 × 0.1-0.2 cm; petiolule densely scabrous, 0.2-0.4 cm long; terminal leaflets 3.7-13.2 × 2.1-7.5 cm, lateral leaflets smaller than terminal, 4.0-10.5 × 1.4-4.1 cm, leaflets elongated ovate, obtuse at both ends, margin entire to crenate, apex mucronate; lateral veins 9-14 pairs, up to margin, with dense brown hairs underneath; midrib protruding underneath, with both dense long straight and hooked brown hairs; leaf blade adaxial (upper) surface pilose with both eglandular straight and hooked hairs, few scattered glandular straight hairs, blade with granular deposition; leaf blade abaxial (lower) surface tomentose soft hairs, shines white in sunlight. Stipules 2, not covering whole of stem width, triangular, caudate, 0.9-1.5 × 0.3-0.6 cm with scabrous hooked and straight hairs; stipels elongated triangular, 0.3-0.5 cm long with scattered scabrous hairs. Inflorescence a very lax panicle, 17-40 × 6-24 cm, ferruginous hairy, young panicle with many bracts and short secondary rachis, mature panicle with deciduous bracts and longer secondary rachis, panicle terminal, sometimes axillary; secondary rachis green, with yellowish-white glandular hairs and short hooked brown hairs; flowers in pairs; pedicels 0.8-1.0 cm long, violet-purple, minutely bent towards calyx, with short hooked white hairs (0.017 cm long). Calyx valvate, 0.3-0.5 cm long, violet-purple, sepals 5, persistent, upper two lobes completely joined together except slightly at the tooth, lower three free at teeth, joined at tube, both lobes almost of equal length, lobes abaxially glandular hairy. Corolla dark blue, petals 5, standard suborbicular, 0.87-0.88 × 0.97-1.02 cm, with two white spots adaxially towards base; wings dark blue, purple, towards base white, 0.81-0.86 × 0.38-0.48 cm, auricle slightly drooped, up to 0.12 cm long; keel-petals 0.99-1.04 × 0.44-0.51 cm, auricle minute, up to 0.04 cm long. Androecium 9 + 1, filament 1.04-1.08 cm long, filament sheath 0.83-0.88 cm × 0.14-0.15 cm, filament tips 0.05-0.14 cm long; anthers 0.07-0.08 × 0.04-0.06 cm. Gynoecium 1.15-1.27 × 0.05 cm, ovary 0.51-0.55 cm long, with 4-8 ovules, slightly appressed hairy, style ca. 0.62 cm long, bent. Pods coiled, 4-8 articles, 0.7-1.2 × 0.3-0.4 cm, green to brownish, with long glandular hairs (0.03-0.06 cm) and minute eglandular hooked (0.008-0.019 cm long) hairs on the joints; seeds yellowish, 0.23-0.25 × 0.18-0.20 cm.

Phenology.

Flowering from October to November, fruiting from November to December.

Specimens examined.

China. Yunnan: No locality, No altitude, 1897, A. Henry 9144 (CAL); Szemoa, A. Henry 9144A (US02055945); Mengtze, A. Henry 9144C (MO-2331548, A00234907, A00234912); A. Henry 9144 (US-02055943, 02055944); Puerh, A. Henry 9144C (K000858912); Southern Yunnan, Between Muang Hai and Keng Hung, 15-17 Feb 1922, J.F. Rock 2492a (US-02055941); West of Talifu, Mekong watershed, en route to Youngchang and Tengyueh, Sept.-Oct. 1922, J.F. Rock 6615, 6585 (US-02055940, 02055942); India. Manipur: Manipur, Laimatak, 3-4000 ft, Nov 1907, A. Meebold 6245 (CAL); Myring Naga Hills, 5000 ft, Dec 1907, A. Meebold 9263 (CAL); Litan, 3000 ft, 12 Nov 1944, N.L. Bor 18132 (CAL); Palel, 3000 ft, 13 Nov 1945, A.H. Bullock 793 (L0477544); Karong, 3500 ft, 26 Sept 1950, Walter N. Koelz 26287 (L0477545); Imphal, 11 Sept 1952, D.B. Deb 585 (CAL); Bishnupur district, Keibul Lamjao National Park, 24.475687°N, 93.814391°E, 773 m, 17 Nov 2019, Jahnabi Gogoi 327778, 327779 (LWG-106051, 106052, 106050, 106053); 24.475614°N, 93.814607°E, 758 m, Jahnabi Gogoi 327780 (LWG-106054, 106054); 24.475590°N, 93.814555°E, 755 m, Jahnabi Gogoi 327781 (LWG-106056); Nagaland: Kohima, 3000 ft, 19 Oct 1885, C.B. Clarke 40924; S.N. Bal 513 (CAL); Naga Hills, Assam, 1935, N.L. Bor 32 (DD); Myanmar. Maymyo Plateau, 3500 ft, 31 Oct 1911, J.H. Lace 5512 (DD, E00899264); Maymyo plateau, 3500 ft, 5 Oct 1912, J.H. Lace 4325/ 5512? (E00899265); Shwebo District, Kanza Laga Reserve, near Maukaw Forest Rest House, under 1000 ft, 16 Nov 1917, C. Gilbert Rogers 670 (CAL, DD); Myit Kyi na District, Ka dw nan Pa law, 9 Nov 1930, Maung Ba Pe 11834 (CAL, DD); Vietnam: Plateau de kiendi, dans les paturges, 7 Oct 1891, B. Balansa 4430 (P02142551); N. du Tonkin, 900 m, 31 Dec 1937, M. Poilane 26958 (P02996196, P03089173).

Conservation status.

Based on the available literature in the public domain, and our recent field studies, we suggest that U. lacei can be provisionally considered under the 'Data deficient’ category of IUCN ( IUCN 2019). However, a further assessment of the threat operating on the species in question needs to be done as per IUCN guidelines.

Figures

Figure 1. Map of Manipur showing the locality where Uraria lacei was rediscovered.

Figure 2. The first photographs of Uraria lacei Craib A habitat B habit C young panicle D mature panicle E stipules and magnified stem hairs F leaflets G upper surface of leaf H lower surface of leaf I abaxial surface of bract J adaxial surface of bract K rachis and fruit position with magnified hairs of pedicel L flower position on the panicle M single flower N calyx (Safranin stained) O petals-standard, wings, keel (Safranin stained) P androecium with magnified anthers (Safranin stained) Q gynoecium with magnified hairs R single pod S single seed. Scale bars: 2 mm (J, N-Q); 500 µm (S).