Cryptocoryne pygmaea Merrill (1919: 371)

Naive, Mark Arcebal K., Bastmeijer, Jan D. & Jacobsen, Niels, 2022, On the identity of Cryptocoryne pygmaea (Araceae) from Western Mindanao and the description of a new species from the islands of Palawan and Busuanga, Phytotaxa 572 (3), pp. 295-300 : 296-298

Cryptocoryne pygmaea Merrill (1919: 371) Fig. 1 .

Type: — PHILIPPINES, Zamboanga District, Sax River, Merrill 8174, 6 December , 1911; type lost during WW2. Neotype (designated by Rataj, 1975): PHILIPPINES. Western Mindanao , Zamboanga Peninsula , near Kabasalan , Muralong Mountain , 27 November 1940, L. E. Ebalo 717 (neotype GH!, isoneotypes, PNH!, MICH!).

Amphibious, perennial herb, up to 10 cm tall. Rhizome terete, 6–8 mm in diameter, fleshy, glabrous, creamy to brownish white outside, creamy white inside. Cataphylls narrowly subulate, 2.5–3.0 cm long by 0.4–0.6 cm wide, papery, striate, glabrous, brown except the whitish basal 1/3, margin membranous, entire, apex long acuminate, slightly cucullate. Leaves 15–20 cm long, fully spreading, up to 10 leaves per individual; petiole 6–8 cm long, flattened, glabrous, canaliculate; lamina narrowly ovate to oblong, 4–5 cm long by 1.5–2.0 cm wide, glabrous on both sides, shiny green adaxially, pale green abaxially, margin entire, base cordate, apex acute. Peduncle terete, up to 2 cm long, glabrous, creamy white. Spathe 3.0– 3.5 cm long; kettle urceolate, ca. 1 cm long, 0.7–0.9 cm in diameter, fleshy, glabrous, greenish white; tube tubular, ca. 1 cm long, 0.7–0.8 cm in diameter, glabrous, greenish white suffuse with purple; limb narrowly ovate to subulate, forward obliquely, horizontally twisted hiding the collar, ca. 2 cm long by ca. 0.5 cm wide, glabrous on both sides, surface rough, green suffuse with purple outside, purple inside, apex long acuminate; collar distinctly raised, purple. Spadix ca. 1 cm long. Female flowers 6; ovary 1.0– 1.5 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, creamy white, minutely papillose; stigmas creamy white, erect, concave, obtuse. Male flowers ca. 40, pale yellow, irregularly rounded, smooth, slightly spreading; naked axis 3.0– 3.5 mm long; sterile appendix creamy white; olfactory bodies pale yellow. Fruit not seen.

Distribution:— Endemic to Zamboanga Peninsula, Western Mindanao, Philippines. The species had previously been found in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay from which there are no newer confirmations and presently Zamboanga del Norte.

Ecology:— The collected specimen was found growing in a crack of a rock in a stream with clear, slow running water and deeply shaded locality at 150 m a.s.l. Merrill (1919) says that C. pygmaea grows “in the crevices of ledges, in stream beds, in very damp shaded ravines, in situations subject to overflow, at an altitude of about 300 meters”. An original habitat situation for C. pygmaea would probably be along the banks of small forest streams, and presently with intensified agricultural development it has survived in places where it has been able to maintain a root grip, i.e., “in the crevices of ledges”, a niche which has also been noted for other Cryptocoryne species.

Phenology:— Observed flowering in July, November, and December.

Vernacular name:— The species was locally known as “S igbut ” by the Subanen, as indicated in the specimen of L.E. Ebalo.

Proposed conservation status:— The distribution of the species now is restricted within Zamboanga Peninsula and is really rare with less than 10 mature individuals found within the stream in Zamboanga del Norte. The species was found growing near a human settlement where several anthropogenic activities are observed such as quarrying, rubber plantation and poaching. Following the Red List Criteria of the IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee ( IUCN 2022), we proposed this species to be treated as Critically Endangered under subcriteria D (very small or restricted population) ‘CR D’.

Specimen examined:— PHILIPPINES. Western Mindanao , Zamboanga del Norte, elev. 150 m, 31 July 2022, MAK Naive 130 ( PNH!). Full locality data withheld owing to the risk of potential exploitation of wild populations for commercial purposes .

Notes:— With the identity of C. pygmaea established, there are other Philippine Cryptocoryne collections referred to C. pygmaea over the years which need further investigation.

Edano 46022, Capiz Prov., Panay, Oct. & Nov. 1926 (NY!). Identity unresolved, but the size of the leaves is much larger than those of both C. pygmaea and C. palawanensis and they could indicate small specimens of C. aponogetifolia Merrill (1919: 370) .

Ramos & Edano 37040, Mindanao, Zamboanga District , Malangas, Oct. & Nov. 1919 (BM!, BO!, K!, L!, P!, US!). Although there are several duplicate specimens available from several herbaria, it is difficult to interpret exactly what the spathe looks like, except that it seems to be an upright spathe perhaps 2.5 cm long and dark purple in the upper, upright part. The leaves are about 15 cm long, blades narrowly ovate 6 × 2.5 cm with a cordate base. The plant seems different from the species known.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cryptocoryne pygmaea (MAK Naive 130). A. Habit and habitat. B. Details of the leaf (left adaxial, right abaxial). C. Spathe showing the forward bent limb. D. Detail of a yellow, more upright limb showing the raised collar. E. Details of female flowers at the base of the spadix and the male flowers in the distal part. Photos and prepared by: MAK Naive.