Bredia pingshanensis J. H. Dai & Ying Liu, 2025

Dai, Jin-Hong, Zhong, Zhe, Zhou, Ren-Chao & Liu, Ying, 2025, New taxa and nomenclatural changes in Bredia (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae), PhytoKeys 266, pp. 1-31 : 1-31

Bredia pingshanensis J. H. Dai & Ying Liu sp. nov.

Figs 13 , 14 , 15 D

Type.

China • Sichuan: Pingshan County, Lao-jun-shan Nature Reserve, Xin-tian-zui to Er-nian-ping , on shaded and moist steep slope along the road, 1,263 m, 30 Aug 2019, J. H. Dai and Y. Liu 757 [ holotype: PE!; isotypes: A!, SYS!] .

Diagnosis.

Somewhat resembles B. cordata in ovate leaf blade of similar size, glandular pubescent hypanthium, and ovate-triangular calyx lobes, but differs in the stems and leaves inconspicuously puberulent with bent uniseriate hairs (vs. usually with dense spreading hairs), leaves usually unequal (vs. equal to subequal), leaf base very shallowly cordate or rounded (vs. cordate), white (vs. pink) petals with the abaxial surface reddish glandular pubescent along the midvein (vs. glabrous to inconspicuously puberulent, colorless), deep purple anthers (vs. white to light purple), and purplish-red connectives (vs. yellow in the inner stamens).

Description.

Shrublets to 35 cm tall. Stems erect or ascending, few-branched, terete; branchlets with bending uniseriate hairs and very sparse ca. 0.3 mm long multiseriate setas. Leaves opposite, often unequal; petiole 0.8–8.2 cm long, indumentum same as branchlets but with denser seta; leaf blade ovate or ovate-elliptic, larger ones 4.5–12.3 × 2.8–7.5 cm, smaller ones 2.2–7 × 1.2–5 cm, membranous, secondary veins 2 or 3 on each side of midvein, adaxial surface green, with bent uniseriate hairs and very sparse seta, abaxial surface pale green, pubescent with bent uniseriate hairs, densely so along veins, base shallowly cordate to rounded, sometimes oblique, margin serrulate with each tooth having a terminal seta, apex short acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, cymose, or cymose paniculate, 3–12 - flowered; peduncle 0.8–2.8 cm long, puberulent as branchlets. Flowers bisexual, radial but androecium bilateral, 4 - merous, pedicles, hypanthium and calyx lobes densely pubescent with bent uniseriate hairs and 0.5–1 mm long multiseriate glandular hairs; pedicel 0.4–1 cm long; hypanthium purplish-red, funnel-shaped, 5 × 3–4 mm; calyx lobes 4, ovate-triangular, 3–2 × 1 mm; petals 4, white with pink apex, ovate, ca. 7 × 5.5 mm, puberulent along midvein on the abaxial surface with red glandular hairs, apex slightly oblique; stamens 8 in two whorls, dimorphic, unequal in length, with the outer whorl much longer than the inner one, longer stamens ca. 16 mm long, filaments ca. 9 mm long, anthers lanceolate, curved, ca. 7 mm long, purple, connectives decurrent, purplish-red, forming 2 ventral lobes, shorter stamens ca. 9 mm long, filaments ca. 5 mm long, anthers lanceolate, slightly curved, ca. 4 mm, deep purple, connectives purplish-red, forming 2 ventral lobes and a dorsal tubercle; ovary ca. 4 mm long, 2 / 3 as long as the hypanthium (crown excluded), half inferior, locules 4, apex with membranous crown, crown margin ciliate with red glandular hairs; style ca. 1.2 cm long, basally inconspicuously puberulous. Capsule ca. 6 × 5 mm, funnel-shaped, with enlarged apical crown; placentation axial, placentas non-thready. Seeds numerous, cuneate.

Phenology.

Flowering August, fruiting September to October.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species, Pingshan County.

Distribution.

Bredia pingshanensis is only known from Lao-jun-shan Nature Reserve in Pingshan County, Sichuan, China, occurring on shaded and moist steep slopes along the road at forest margin.

Figures

Figure 13. Holotype of Bredia pingshanensis, J. H. Dai and Y. Liu 757 (PE). The insets show details of flowers and young capsules. Scale bar: 5 cm.

Figure 14. Bredia pingshanensis, all from J. H. Dai and Y. Liu 757 (A, PE, SYS). A. Habitat and habit; B. Flowering branches; C. Close-up of a branchlet; D, E. Adaxial and abaxial views of a leaf; F, G. Inflorescences; H. Top view of a flower; I. Longitudinal section of a flower. Scale bars: 5 mm (H, I).

Figure 15. Distribution of the species discussed. A. B. cordata; B. B. esquirolii and B. macrophylla; C. B. fordii, B. micrantha, and B. jiuwanshanensis; D. B. pingshanensis, B. yunnanensis, and B. tuberculata.