Litsea vagamonica Robi & Revathy V.

Robi, Aloor Jose & Vijayasharma, Revathy, 2024, Litsea vagamonica (Lauraceae): a new species from southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India, Phytotaxa 645 (3), pp. 294-300 : 295-299

Litsea vagamonica Robi & Revathy V. , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–3 )

Type:— INDIA. Kerala: Kottayam dist., Vagamon hills, ± 1000 m, 26 November 2021, fl., A.J. Robi­ & Revathy Vi­jayasharma 330 (holotype, BAM! Fig. 1 ; isotypes, MH!, KFRI!) .

Li­tsea vagamoni­ca is similar to Li­tsea wi­ghti­ana, from which it differs by its glabrous branchlets (vs. rusty tomentose), glabrous and thinly coriaceous leaves (vs. rusty tomentose on both sides, rigidly coriaceous), densely puberulent brachyblasts (vs. rusty-tomentose), fulvous-tomentose involucral bracts, the inner ones with 6 nerves (vs. ferrugineoustomentose bracts, the inner ones with obscure nerves), stamens with stipitate glands (vs. sessile glands), presence of a pistillode in male flowers (vs. pistillode absent), and an ellipsoid fruit with puberulent fruit cupule (vs. ovoid fruit with sparsely pubescent cupule) on a 0.9–1.2 cm long fruiting pedicel (vs. 0.2–0.8 cm long) ( Table 1 ).

Trees to 5 m tall, bark densely lenticellate, inner bark creamy with reddish-brown fibers; branchlets glabrous, conspicuously lenticellate. Leaves alternate; petiole 8–10 mm long, flat adaxially and rounded abaxially, glabrous; lamina 12–13 × 4–6 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, glabrous, thinly coriaceous, slightly bullate adaxially, base acute to obtuse, apex acute to acuminate, margin incurved, midrib and secondary veins adaxially prominent, midrib flat above, secondary veins 9–11 pairs, adaxially impressed, tertiary veins sub-scalariform, slightly raised on abaxial side, quaternary veins finely reticulate. Inflorescences umbellate, axillary or lateral arranged on reduced branchlets (brachyblasts), giving the appearance of a raceme of umbels; brachyblasts 4–7 cm long, densely puberulent; peduncle of umbels 5–10 mm long, densely puberulent, sub-terete; involucral bracts 6, 3–5 × 4–5 mm, orbicular to obovate, fulvous-tomentose outside, glabrous inside, 6-nerved. Flowers 7–8 per umbel, creamy yellow, 3–4 mm long; pedicel 2 mm long, silky tomentose, quadrangular. Male flowers: tepals 6, ca. 4 × 2 mm, ovate-oblong, base obtuse, apex acute and slightly keeled, membraneous, silky-tomentose on both sides, stamens 12, in 4 whorls, unequal; anthers 1.2–1.5 mm long, 4-locular, upper 2 locules smaller, introrse and lower 2 larger, latrorse; filaments 4 mm long, slender, pale yellow, villous, those of whorl 1and 2 usually eglandular, those of whorls 3 and 4 with 2 glands; glands 1 mm long, ovate, white, stipitate; stipe 0.6–0.9 mm long, pistillode present. Female flowers: tepals 6, ca. 2.5 × 1 mm, ovate-oblong, base obtuse, apex rounded and slightly keeled, membraneous, silky-tomentose on both sides, staminodes 12, those of outer whorls 3–3.2 mm long, linear, subulate, eglandular, pilose at base; inner whorls 1–2.5 mm long, subulate, 2-glandular, pilose at base, glands ca. 0.6 mm long, ovate; ovary ca. 1.5 mm long, ellipsoid, sparsely pubescent, style ca. 3 mm long glabrous, straight; stigma peltate. Fruit a berry, 1.2–1.9 × 0.9–1.2 cm, ellipsoid, tip rounded, receptacle cup shaped, cupule 0.6–0.8 × 0.5–0.8 cm, puberulent, margin entire and cleft at maturity; fruiting pedicel 0.9–1.2 cm long, sub-terete to angular, glabrous, stout.

Phenology:—Flowering: October–November; Fruiting: December–May.

Distribution and Ecology:—So far, known only from Vagamon hills of Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is growing as a small tree in evergreen forests at an elevation of ca. 1000 m.

Etymology:—The specific epithet “ vagamoni­ca ” named after its type locality Vagamon in Kerala, India.

Additional specimens examined: — INDIA. Kerala: Kottayam dist., Vagamon hills, ± 1000 m, 28 April 2018, fr., A.J. Robi­ 69 (BAM); ibid., 12 November 2020, fl. bud, A.J. Robi­ 204 (BAM); ibid., 23 November 2022, fl. Revathy Vi­jayasharma & A.J. Robi­ 477 (BAM); ibid., 12 April 2023, fr., Revathy Vi­jayasharma & A.J. Robi­ 584 (BAM).

Notes:— Li­tsea vagamoni­ca also shows similaries with Li­tsea glabrata (Wall. ex Nees von Esenbeck 1831: 67) Hooker (1886: 174) , from which it differs by its leaves with margins incurved, thinly coriaceous (vs. margins flat and coriaceous), densely puberulent brachyblasts (vs. silky-appressed hairy), fulvous-tomentose involucral bracts, the inner ones with 6 nerves (vs. grey appressed hairy, with 5 nerves), presence of a pistillode in male flowers (vs. pistillode absent), and an ellipsoid fruit (vs. ovoid fruit) on a 0.9–1.2 cm long fruiting pedicel, glabrous (vs. 0.2–0.8 cm long, sparsely silky pubescent).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotype of Li­tsea vagamoni­ca Robi & Revathy V.: A.J. Robi­ & Revathy Vi­jayasharma 330 (BAM).

FIGURE 2. Li­tsea vagamoni­ca Robi & Revathy V.: A. Habit. B. Bark. C. Inner bark. D. Leaf, abaxial view. E. Branch with leaves. F. Branchlet with unopened umbels. G. Brachyblast with inflorescence. H. Tepal, adaxial side. I. Tepal, abaxial side. J. Umbel with male flowers. K. Male flower, longitudinal section. L. Outer stamens, abaxial side. M. Stamen with stipitate glands.

FIGURE 3. Li­tsea vagamoni­ca Robi & Revathy V.: A. Twig with immature brachyblasts. B–C. Branch with female inflorescences. D. Involucral bract, abaxial view. E. Involucral bract, adaxial view. F. Female flower. G. Female flower, longitudinal section. H. Staminodes without glands. I. Staminodes with glands. J. Gynoecium. K. Branch with immature fruits. L. Fruit with cleft cupule. M–N. Ripening and fully mature fruit, respectively.