Tashiroea villosa X.X.Su, 2019

Zhou, Qiu-Jie, Dai, Jin-Hong, Lin, Che-Wei, Denda, Tetsuo, Zhou, Ren-Chao & Liu, Ying, 2019, Recircumscription of Bredia and resurrection of Tashiroea (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) with description of a new species T. villosa, PhytoKeys 127, pp. 121-150 : 131-134

Tashiroea villosa X.X.Su sp. nov. Figures 10 , 11 , 12 A–B

Type.

China. Fujian: Pingnan County, Lingxia Town, 1000 m, 16 Jul 2017, Y. Liu 568 (holotype: A!; isotype: SYS!).

Diagnosis.

Resembles T. amoena in height, leaf size and shape, inflorescence and stamen morphology, while differing from the latter in the dense indumentum covering the whole plant and much larger bracts.

Description.

Shrubs or shrublets, 20-60 (-90) cm tall. Stem, leaves, peduncles, bracts, pedicels and hypanthium densely pubescent and villous with multiseriate or sometimes uniseriate glandular or non-glandular trichomes. Stems cylindrical, branchlets slightly 4-sided, sometimes rubescent. Leaves opposite; petiole 1.2-4.5 cm long; leaf blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, 4.2-12 × 1.8-6 cm, papery, abaxial surface pale green, adaxial surface green, secondary veins 3 on each side of midvein, base cordate to rounded, margin ciliate and inconspicuously serrulate, apex acuminate or short acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, cymose, 7-14 × 3.5-6.5 cm, bracts 9-19 × 5-8 mm, deciduous or sometimes persist till anthesis. Pedicels 1-3 mm. Hypanthium short campanulate, 4-sided, 3-5 mm long, calyx lobes broadly triangular, 1 mm long, apex acute. Petals pur plish pink or pink, ovate to ovate-oblong, 7-10 × 3.5-5 mm, slightly oblique, apex acute. Stamens 8, dimorphic, unequal. Longer stamens antesepalous, ca. 15 mm long; anthers lanceolate, ca. 8 mm long, geniculate; connective decurrent, slightly prolonged, forming a short spur dorsally. Shorter stamens antepetalous, ca. 8 mm long, anthers lanceolate, ca. 4 mm long, base gibbose ventrally and forming a short spur dorsally. Ovary half inferior, locules 4, apex slightly 4-lobed, margin ciliate with glandular trichomes. Style ca. 0.6 cm long, puberulous with glandular trichomes basally. Capsule cup-shaped; hypanthium ca. 4 × 3.5 mm long; placental column distally entire, placentas non-thready. Seeds numerous, minute, cuneate, granulate. Flowering July-August, fruiting August-October.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the dense pubescent and villous indumentum.

Distribution and ecology.

Tashiroea villosa is currently known from Pingnan, Jianou and Jianyang, northern Fujian, China ( Fig. 9 ). It often grows in grasses and bushes along streamside at elevations of 900-1400 m.

Notes.

Tashiroea villosa is discovered by Mr. Xiang-xiu Su. He is an amateur collector in Fujian who had made an important contribution to the description of this new species. We therefore include him as the author of this name. Tashiroea villosa is the sole species currently known in Tashiroea with densely puberulous and villous leaves (vs. glabrous) and smooth leaf surface sculpture (vs. furrowed). It is morphologically and phylogenetically closest to T. amoena . The two species are similar in height, leaf size and shape, inflorescence and stamen morphology. Tashiroea villosa is distinct from T. amoena in the dense indumentum covering the whole plant (vs. petioles and inflorescences pubescent or sometimes glabrescent) and much larger bracts (9-19 × 5-8 mm vs. 1-2 × 1 mm) in the florescence ( Fig. 12 ). Geographically, T. amoena is widely distributed in southeastern China (Anhui, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guangxi), whereas T. villosa occurs in northern Fujian where both species occur. Nevertheless, they have not been found to co-occur within the same habitat.

Figures

Figure 9. Distribution of Tashiroea. Hollow triangles indicate the locations of Tashiroea villosa.

Figure 10. Line illustration of Tashiroea villosa (A-G), all from Y. Liu 568. A Habit B Flower (side view) C Longitudinal section of flower, showing slightly crowned ovary D Dimorphic stamens E Capsule (side view) F Capsule (longitudinal section) G Capsule (top view). Scale bar: 1 cm (A).

Figure 11. Y. Liu 568 (A) collected from Lingxia, Pingnan County, Fujian, China, holotype of Tashiroea villosa.

Figure 12. Tashiroea villosa (A-B) and T. amoena (C-D). A Habit B Inflorescence showing large bracts C Habit D Inflorescence showing minute bracts. Photographed by Xiang-xiu Su (A, C) and Ying Liu (B, D).