Zingiber murlenica Ram.Kumar, Sushil K.Singh & S.Sharma, 2015

Kumar, Ramesh, Singh, Sushil Kumar, Sharma, Sachin & Triboun, Pramote, 2015, Two new Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) species from Northeast India, Phytotaxa 233 (1), pp. 80-84 : 80-82

Zingiber murlenica Ram.Kumar, Sushil K.Singh & S.Sharma , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Similar to Zingiber callianthus Triboun & K.Larsen (in Triboun et al. 2014: 59), but differs in having greenish brown rhizomes, short petioles, pinkish-white peduncles, oblong-obovate, pinkish-green, deflexed bracts with acuminate apices, glabrous, creamy-white bracteoles and calices and a labellum with maroon mottling. In Z. callianthus rhizomes are purplish inside, petiole long (almost double), peduncle pink-red, bract reddish linear pubescent with obtuse apex, bracteoles and calyx pale pink pubescent, labellum red mottled (fide Triboun et al. 2014).

Type:— INDIA. Mizoram: Champhai District, Murlen National Park, 93°15′30.49″E 23°38′42.12″N, 11 August 2014, Ramesh Kumar et al. 128821 (holotype: ASSAM).

Terrestrial herb; rhizomes close to the soil surface, small, branched, greyish brown inside, roots many, fleshy, without tubers, odorless. Leafy shoots 1.00− 1.25 m tall, erect, thick, basal sheaths green, glabrous; leaves 12–15, green throughout, at 9– 3 cm intervals from down to upwards, petiole c. 1 cm long, whitish green, glabrous, ligule c. 1 × c. 3 cm, bilobed, glabrous, apices round, coriaceous, green, margins hyaline; laminae 25−50 × 10−14 cm, oblong-lanceolate, adaxially dark green, smooth, glabrous, abaxially off-green, pubescent, bases cuneate, apices acuminate. Inflorescences radical, 1–2 per plant, 7–10 cm above the ground; peduncle procumbent, 7–10 cm long, pinkish-white; spike ovate or subglobose, 5−7 × 3.0− 4.5 cm, with 25–30 floral bracts; bracts 5–8 × 2.5–3.0 cm, oblong-obovate, tip acuminate, deflexed, pinkish-green, glabrous, lower one smaller than upper one. Bracteoles lanceolate, c. 4.0 × c. 0.8 cm, creamy-white, with truncate tip, glabrous. Flowers 7−9 cm long; calyx creamy-white, glabrous 2.0− 2.5 cm long, 3–4 mm in diameter, tubular, shortly tridentate at apical portion, unilaterally split; corolla tube slender, creamy-white, glabrous, corolla lobes subequal, dorsal lobe 2.5−3.0 × 0.8–1.0 cm, lanceolate, 8-nerved, apex acuminate, lateral lobes 2.5−2.8 × c. 0.5 cm, lower part fused together up to 2/3 rd of the length, lanceolate, 4-nerved, apex acuminate, adhering basally to the ventral surface of the labellum; labellum 2.50−2.75 × 1.5−2.0 cm, trilobed with maroon stripes, glabrous, mid lobe 2.0–2.3 × 1.5–1.7 cm, broadly ovate, apex truncate, margin entire, side lobes short, 1.0–1.3 × c. 0.5 cm, adnate, maroon, darker at apices. Anther c. 1 cm long stalked, thecae parallel, c. 1.5 × c. 0.3 cm; connective and crest 1.0– 1.5 cm long, yellow with dark maroon apex; style 4–5 cm long, filiform, stigma white with a circular apical aperture surrounded by stiff hairs; pollen ovate with lamellate surface; epigynous glands in a pair, 6–7 mm long, linear, free from each other, yellow; ovary c. 5 × c. 3 mm, oval, c. 3 mm across, creamy white, trilocular with many ovules, placentation axile, hairy outside.

Distribution: Currently known only from the type locality.

Ecology: Found on sandy, moist soil in exposed forest edge at elevations between 800 and 900 m.

Etymology: Named after Murlen National Park from where the type is collected.

Phenology: Flowers from July–August.

Conservation status: Unknown at this time.

Figures

FIGURE 1.Zingiber murlenica.A. plant in habitat.B. Leaf.C. ligule.D.portion of plant with rhizomeand inflorescence.E. inflorescence. F. bract. G. bracteole. H. flower with bracteole. I. calyx with ovary. J. dorsal lobe of corolla. K. lateral lobes of corolla. L. labellum. M. stamen with crest. N. cross-section of ovary (Photo credit: S.K. Singh & Ramesh Kumar).