Fordiophyton jinpingense J.H.Dai & Z.Y.Yu, 2019

Dai, Jin-Hong, Zhou, Qiu-Jie, Yu, Zhi-Yong, Zhou, Ren-Chao & Liu, Ying, 2019, A new species of Fordiophyton (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) from Yunnan, China, PhytoKeys 122, pp. 15-28 : 15

Fordiophyton jinpingense J.H.Dai & Z.Y.Yu sp. nov. Figures 2 , 3

Type.

CHINA. Yunnan: Jinping County, Ma-an-di town, 900-1900 m alt., damp but well drained places in forest, 10 Mar 2019, Ying Liu 728 (holotype: A; isotype: SYS).

Diagnosis.

Differs from F. repens in having slightly obtusely 4-sided short stem (vs. 4-angular, long and creeping), mature leaves 6-16.5 × 4.5-13 cm (vs. 4-7.5 × 4-6.5 cm) sparsely and shallowly dentate leaf margin with each tooth having a caducous terminal seta (vs. densely denticulate, persistent) and inflorescence 5-13-flowered (vs. 3-6-flowered).

Description.

Perennial herbs, 10-14 cm tall (including inflorescence). Stems 2-5 cm long, slightly obtusely 4-sided, sometimes branched, villous with multiseriate hairs. Petiole 3-16 cm long, densely villous with multiseriate hairs; leaf blade ovate-oblong to ovate-orbicular, 6-16.5 × 4.5-13 cm, papery, adaxially green to dark green, abaxially pale green or sometimes purplish-red, villous with multiseriate hairs on veins, both surfaces inconspicuously pubescent with very short, appressed uniseriate hairs, secondary veins 3 or 4 on each side of midvein, base cordate, margin sparsely and shallowly dentate with each tooth having a terminal seta when young but caducous at maturity, apex short acute, obtuse or retuse. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, umbellate, 5-13-flowered; peduncle 9-14 cm long, sometimes white maculate, bearing several multiseriate hairs at nodes, otherwise glabrous; bracts caducous, oblong, 1-3 cm long, one pair (rarely two) in middle or lower part and another two pairs enclosing the flowers. Pedicels 4-10 mm long, glabrous. Hypanthium funnel-shaped, ca. 10 mm long, obtusely 4-sided, glabrous. Calyx lobes narrowly triangular-ovate, 2-5 × 1-2 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse or acute, caducous. Petals pink, obovate, ca. 16 × 8 mm, oblique. Longer stamens pink; filaments ca. 9 mm; anthers ca. 13 mm long, linear, curved, base lengthened into a forked, curved spur, connective bulging basally. Shorter stamens yellowish; filaments ca. 6 mm long; anthers oblong, 3-4 mm long, base obtusely forked, connective base slightly bulging. Ovary obovate, apex with a membranous ciliate, 4-lobed crown. Capsule funnelform-campanulate, ca. 6 mm in diam., apex 4-lobed, crown not exserted from calyx; hypanthium exceeding capsule, glabrous. Seeds numerous.

Phenology.

Flowering March–April, fruiting April–May.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from Jinping County, the type locality of Fordiophyton jinpingense .

Distribution.

Fordiophyton jinpingense is currently known only from Jinping County, south-eastern Yunnan, China (Fig. 7 ). It occurs in dense or open forests, often in damp, shaded, but well drained places, such as on steep slopes, at 900-1900 m alt.

Figures

Figure 2. Fordiophyton jinpingense, all from Y. Liu 728 (SYS, A). A Habitat B a flowering individual C adaxial leaf surface D abaxial leaf surface E petiole villous with multiseriate hairs F young inflorescence G young inflorescence dissected showing the position and morphology of bracts. Scale bar: 2 cm (G).

Figure 3. Detail of inflorescence, flower, stamens, ovary and fruit of Fordiophyton jinpingense, all from Y. Liu 728 (SYS, A). A Mature inflorescence B side view of a flower C top view of a flower D longitudinal section of a flower showing dimorphic stamens and ovary crown E anther morphology in detail F transection of ovary at young fruit stage, showing the very short-stalked, nearly sessile placenta G young fruit showing the crown not exserted from hypanthium. Scale bars: 5 mm (D-F).

Figure 7. Distribution of Fordiophyton jinpingense.