Peliosanthes violacea Wallich ex Baker (1879: 504)

Tanaka, Noriyuki, 2018, Taxonomic revision of Peliosanthes bakeri and P. violacea (Asparagaceae), with description of two new species from Bangladesh and India, Phytotaxa 356 (1), pp. 34-48 : 45-46

6. Peliosanthes violacea Wallich ex Baker (1879: 504) , p.p. ( Fig. 7 ).

Type (lectotype, designated here):― MYANMAR ( BURMA). Needaim?, 28 January 1827, N. Wallich, List. no. 5084 (K-001104691*!).

Peliosanthes campanulata Wallich ex Baker (1879: 504) , as a synonym of P. violacea , nom. inval. (cf. Art. 36. 1c in McNeill et al. 2012).

Peliosanthes violacea var. minor Baker (1879: 504) . Type (lectotype, designated here):― MYANMAR. Tenasserim and Andamans, Helfer 5843 (K-000099352!). Isolectotype:―P-00753589*!, NY-00319819*!.

Peliosanthes violacea var. princeps Baker (1879: 504) . Type:― MYANMAR. Atran, Moulmein, T. Lobb s.n. (holotype K-000099353!).

Description based on studied specimens:―Herb acaulescent, rhizomatous, evergreen, perennial. Rhizome subterete, to 4 cm long, 3–12 mm in diam., knobby, often shortly branched and clumpy. Roots cordlike or wiry, to 3 mm in diam. Sheath leaves several at base of foliar petiole, ensiform, lanceolate, narrowly triangular or ovate, to 18.5 cm long, scarious along margins, acute. Leaves basal, tufted; petiole straight, sometimes curved, 16.5–43 cm long; blade elliptic, elliptic-oblanceolate, oblanceolate or lanceolate, 18–49 cm long, 4–11 cm wide, base attenuate, margins usually finely serrulate, apex acuminate or acute; longitudinal veins 18–43; cross veinlets numerous, closely spaced with intervals mostly 0.5–1.5 mm. Flowering stem (including inflorescence) (sub)erect or ascending, nearly straight or arcuate, shorter than leaves; peduncle terete, 3.8–14 cm long, sparsely bracteate; bracts ascending, narrowly deltoid or lanceolate, 6–23 mm long, 3–6 mm wide, entire, acute; inflorescence racemose, densely many-flowered, 3–24 cm long, as long as or longer than peduncle. Pedicels usually ascending, straight, terete, 2–8 mm long, 1–1.3 mm in diam.; bracts 2 at basal portion of pedicel, unicostate, margins entire or weakly few-denticulate, scarious; the lower larger, narrowly triangular-lanceolate or lanceolate, 5–14 mm long, 2–5 mm wide at base, concave proximally, entire, acute or acuminate distally, often descending; the upper (bracteole) ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 3–6 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, acute. Flowers acropetally blooming, 1 in axils of bracts, usually directed upward, obconic or broadly campanulate, 6–16 mm in diam., faintly scent; perigone fleshy, 6-cleft, pale green, white, or occasionally pale yellow; proximal tubular part obconic, 2–5 mm long, 3–6 mm wide at apex; segments, ovate, broadly ovate, elliptic, orbicular or obovate, 2.5–6 mm long, 1.8–6.5 mm wide, obliquely expanded, unicostate, proximally usually imbricate, margins entire or sometimes slightly finely denticulate-erose along distal margins, often distally recurved. Stamens 6; filaments connate, forming corona orbicular or subhexagonal at base, 3.8–6.5 mm in diam, nearly flat or broadly obconic, gradually raised towards central orifice, purple to dark purple, apex almost enire or slightly 6-lobed, orifice 1.5–3 mm in diam., often subhexagonal; anthers sessile, dorsally attached to inner distal portion of corona, bilocular, introrse, broadly elliptic, 0.5–0.7 mm long, pale cream-coloured. Pistil 1, tricarpellate, half inferior, distal free part 1.3–1.5 mm long, subpyriform or subpyramidal, purple; ovary trilobed, trilocular; ovules 4–7 per locule, borne at base of central axis of ovary, erect or suberect, oblong, anatropous; style pyramidal, 0.5–0.8 mm long, triangulate; stigma triparted, 0.4–0.7 mm wide, lobes elliptic or oblong, 0.2–0.3 mm long. Seeds antrorse, pyriform or ovoid, testa blue, glossy.

Additional specimens examined:― MYANMAR. Dawna Range, Amherst District, 500 to 3000 ft, 15 February 1912, J.H. Lace 6320 (E-00846418*); Kachin State, Moe Hnyin Township. Nanyinkha Forest Reserve at south end of Indawgyi Lake, elev. 260 m, 28 February 2002, W.J. Kress et al. 02-7092 (US-3443297, barcode US-00732603); Moulmein, T. Lobb s.n. (K-000099357–lectoparatype of P. violacea var. violacea ); Moulmein, Kyanktalon, December 1937, F.G. Dickason 6836 (E-00846417*, L-0068853); Saluen, N.Wallich List no. 5084 (P-02174781*–isolectoparatype of P. violacea var. violacea ); Tenasserim Division, Tavoy district, E of Paungdaw Power Station, 1100 ft, August 1961, J. Keenan et al. 1005 (E-00846416*); Trogla hills, 12 March 1827, N. Wallich List no. 5084 (K-001104689*– lectoparatype of P. violacea var. violacea ; P-02174780*–isolectoparatype of P. violacea var. violacea ); Upper Burma, J.C. Prazer 14 (L-0068856). THAILAND. Doi Pae Poe, ca. 90 km NV of Tak, elev. 1380 m, 14 March 1968, Hansen & Smitinand 12903 (L-1449937*); Ranong, Luang Keo, Kao Pawta, elev. 1000–1100 m, 1 February 1919, A.F.G. Kerr 16935 (BM-000071930); Ranaung [Ranong], 28 January 1927, A.F.G. Kerr 11674 (BM-000071927).

Distribution:― Myanmar, Thailand.

Habitat:―Damp shady places in evergreen or semi-evergreen forests at elevations 20–1380 m.

Flowering:―December–March.

Taxonomic relationships:―Of the four varieties ( var. clarkei , var. minor, var. princeps , and var. violacea ) of Peliosanthes violacea , only var. clarkei has dark purplish flowers. It was mainly for this trait that Ridley (1898, 1907, 1924) regarded var. clarkei as P. violacea proper. Peliosanthes violacea recircumscribed here (excluding P. violacea var. clarkei ) usually has pale greenish perigones, but its staminal corona is purplish or violet (Kress et al. 02-7092, US-00732603!; Fig. 7 ). Therefore it is likely to be this coronal colour on which the specific epithet “ violacea ” was based. Furthermore, the specimens identified by Wallich (1831–1832 in 1828–1849) as P. violacea (Wallich List no. 5084: K-001104691*!, P-02174781*!) markedly differ in morphological characters from P. violacea var. clarkei (= P. macrostegia ; see the identification key). Peliosanthes violacea var. minor was characterized chiefly by its smaller leaves and flowers as represented by the right individual of the lectotype (Helfer 5843, K-000099352!). However, there appears to be no relevant qualitative difference between var. minor (lectotypified here) and var. violac e a. Peliosanthes violacea var. minor is hence merged here into P. violacea . Peliosanthes violacea var. princeps described from Moulmein, southern Myanmar, is evidently more robust than the majority of Peliosanthes violacea var. violacea (including the lectotype). However, the typical form of P. violacea var. violacea also occurs in Moulmein (F.G. Dickason 6836, E-00846417*!, L-0068853!), and the two varieties appear to differ only in quantitative characters such as the size of leaves and the length of flowering stems (inclusive of inflorescences). Peliosanthes violacea var. princeps is therefore likely to be a large form of P. violacea . Further surveys of the variation of the two varieties may more explicitly elucidate their relationship. Peliosanthes violacea resembles P. campanulata ( Baillon 1888: 743) Rodriguez (1934a: 96 ; 1934b: 669; specific name not of Wallich ex Baker) which was based on Lourya campanulata Baillon described from southern Vietnam. However, P. violacea tends to have a longer inflorescence and more widely open flowers, indicating that these two taxa are differentiated to some extent.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Peliosanthes violacea from Myanmar, cultivated in Tokyo (provided by the Botany Department, Smithsonian Institution, U.S.A., USBRG 2002-085). A. Flowering plant. B. Close-up of inflorescence. Photos taken on 29 December 2006 by Noriyuki Tanaka.