Glochidion ellipticum Wight in Icon. Pl. Orient. 5: t. 1906. 1852

Yao, Gang, Song, Zhu-Qiu, Xue, Bin-E, Shi, Shi, Li, Yu-Ling & Luo, Shi-Xiao, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the genus Glochidion (Phyllanthaceae) in Taiwan, China, PhytoKeys 159, pp. 137-159 : 137

2. Glochidion ellipticum Wight in Icon. Pl. Orient. 5: t. 1906. 1852 Figures 1A , 2D, E, H , 3

Phyllanthus assamicus Müll. Arg. in Flora 48: 378. 1865. Glochidion assamicum ( Müll.-Arg.) Hook. f. in Fl. Brit. India 5(14): 319. 1887. Type: India, upper Assam, 1861, J.D. Hooker & T. Thomson s.n. [ Glochidion 51] (lectotype: G -00324994, designated by Chakrabarty and Balakrishnan 2018); Remaining syntypes: India, Sikkim, 100 ft, 1861, J.D. Hooker s.n. [ Bradleia 45] (CAL, herb. acc, no. 403548; G-00324992; NY-00263421); India, Assam, Jenkins 530 (CAL).

Glochidion assamicum var. magnicapsulum Croiatz & Hara, in J. Jap. Bot. 16: 319. 1940. Type: China. Formosa (now Taiwan), September 1938, A. Henry 117 (holotype: A!; isotype: NY) (Figure 1A ).

Glochidion ovalifolium F.Y. Lu & Y.S. Hsu, in Quarterly J. For. Res. 25(4): 87. 2003. syn. nov. Type: China. Taiwan: Chiayi Hsien, Chungpu, 3 March 2002, F.Y. Lu & Y.S. Hsu 242 (holotype: NCAI!, Figure 3 ; isotype: NCAI!).

Type.

India, Malabar, R. Wight Kew Distrib. No. 2663 (lectotype: K-000246408, photo!, designated by Chakrabarty and Balakrishnan 2018; isolectotypes: CAL; L-0030051, photo!); Remaining syntype: India, Malabar, R. Wight 2576 (K!, K00024606; S!, S08-1933).

Distribution and habitat.

The species is widely distributed from northeastern India, Nepal, through Indo-China Peninsula, to China. In China, it occurs widely from the southwestern area to Taiwan. It usually occurs in evergreen broad-leaved forests, scrub on stream banks, roadsides, usually from low altitude to 1800 m. In Taiwan, the species is widely distributed from Keelung and Taoyuan, to Chiayi, Kaosiung, Nantou, Pingtung, Taichung and Tainan.

Taxonomic discussion.

Croizat and Hara (1940) described the variety G. assamicum var. magnicapsulum from Taiwan, and considered that it differed from the typical variety G. assamicum var. assamicum by its large female flowers (ca. 2.5 mm in diameter) and the pubescent and large capsules (8-10 mm in diameter). However, this variety had long been treated as a dubious taxa, or even not referred to in latter taxonomic treatments since its publication (e.g. Keng 1955; Hsieh 1977; Deng and Wang 1993; Hsu et al. 2006), until it was reduced to be a synonym of G. ellipticum ( G. assamicum was cited as one of its synonyms) in Flora of China ( Li and Gilbert 2008). After observing the types and many non-type specimens of G. ellipticum , it was found that the species showed much variation in morphology, such as its leaves are elliptic, lanceolate, oblong or ovoid in shapes; ovary usually 3-4-locular, and rarely 5-locular; fruits sub-glabrous or sparsely pubescent, usually 6-8 mm in diameter, and sometimes could be up to 10 mm in diameter. So the treatment of Li and Gilbert (2008) is accepted and the distribution of G. ellipticum in Taiwan is confirmed here. More Taiwanese specimens of G. ellipticum were also found and examined in the present study.

Glochidion ovalifolium was described from Chiayi, Taiwan, China, and it was suggested to be similar to G. lanceolatum in morphology, but differs in having hairy ovaries and fruits ( Lu and Hsu 2003). However, results from checking the types of G. ovalifolium (Figure 3 ) revealed that the species is actually conspecific with G. ellipticum (Figure 1A ), which is very different from G. lanceolatum by its female flowers and fruits cluster in axillary (vs. usually pedunculated supra-axillary cymes), ovary and fruits sub-glabrous or sparsely pubescent (vs. glabrous), stamens 3 (vs. 4-6). The pedunculated supra-axillary cymes of G. ovalifolium as described in its protologue, and observed in its line drawing provided in Lu and Hsu (2003), are incongruous with its types (Figure 3 ). Hence, based on a careful study of its type and non-type specimens, G. ovalifolium is here reduced to a new synonym of G. ellipticum .

Representative specimens examined.

China. Taiwan. Chiayi Hsien, Meishan Hsiang, Juifeng Bridge-Juili, 23°33'N, 120°39'E, at an elevation of 600 m, 25 August 2001, C.M. Wang 05251 (IBSC); Zhuqi Hsiang, 5 October 2014, H.Y. Chen 011 (NCAI); Kaosiung Hsien, Maoning Hsiang, at an elevation of 800 m, 27 January 1989, J.C. Wang 5177 (HAST); Kaosiung Hsien, Liouhguei, roadside, at an elevation of 250-350 m, 5 May 1991, M.J. Deng & S.L. Chen 463 (HAST); Keelung Hsien, Denryoko, 25°8'2"N, 121°44'26"E, May 1931, Y. Yamamoto s.n. (TAI); Nantou Hsien, Chingshuikou, 23°47'16"N, 120°46'55"E, 16 February 1959, K.K. Huang 839 (PH); Nantou Hsien, Lienhuachih-Yuchih, 24 July 1955, H. Keng & K. Liu s.n. (PH); Nantou Hsien, 11 May 1991, Y.S. Hsu & J.C. Liaw 198, 199, 201, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 209 (NCAI); Pingtung Hsien, at an elevation of 1427 m, 8 February 2015, Y.J. Lin 021 (NCAI); Taichung Hsien, 25 July 1955, H. Keng, Liu & Kao s.n. (PH); Tainan Hsien, Kuantzuling, 23°20'32"N, 120°29'33"E, 3 May 1943, Senben 390 (TAI); Taoyuan, 9 September 1990, Y.S. Hsu & J.C. Liaw 70 & 71 (NCAI).

Figures

Figure 1. A holotype of Glochidion assamicum var. magnicapsulum Croiatz & Hara (A. Henry 117, A) B holotype of G. kusukusense Hayata (B. Hayata & S. Sasaki s. n., TI) C lectotype of G. lanceolatum Hayata (T. Makino s. n., TI) D holotype of G. chademenosocarpum Hayata (B. Hayata s. n., TI) E isotype of G. rubrum Blume (C. L. von Blume s. n., NY) F isolectotype of G. suishaense Hayata (B. Hayata s. n., TI).

Figure 2. General morphology of Glochidion A-C G. acuminatum var. acuminatum Muell. Arg D, E, H G. ellipticum Wight F, G G. lanceolatum Hayata I-K G. philippicum (Cav.) C. B. Rob L, P G. puberum (L.) Hutch M-O G. rubrum Blume Q-S G. zeylanicum var. zeylanicum (Gaertn.) A. Juss T-V G. zeylanicum var. tomentosum Trimen A, D, F, I, M, R, T female flowers B, E, J, S, U male flowers C, G, H, K, N-Q, V fruits L female flowers and male flowers N male flowers and fruits. Photographs: A-C, F, G, I-K, M-O, Q-U by A. Kawakita (Kyoto University, Japan) D-E, H, L, P by G. Yao V Z. Q. Song.

Figure 3. Holotype of Glochidion ovalifolium F. Y. Lu & Y. S. Hsu. (F. Y. Lu & Y. S. Hsu 242, NCAI!).