Sonerila lateritica Resmi, Manudev & Nampy, 2018
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.333.2.7 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DD0664-3360-FFE5-FF29-5595FA28F7F7 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Sonerila lateritica Resmi, Manudev & Nampy |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Sonerila lateritica Resmi, Manudev & Nampy View in CoL , sp. nov. Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 & 3 View FIGURE 3 .
Similar to S. anaimudica Lundin & Nordenstam (2009: 76) in having caulescent habit, glandular trichomes, ovate leaves, subulate bracts and campanulate hypanthium but readily distinguished by its tuberous rootstocks (vs stem with a bulbous base), quadrangular delicate stems (vs terete robust stems), opposite-decussate leaves (vs whorled leaves), many flowered cymes (vs solitary or 2 or 3 flowered cymes) and mucronate petals with glabrous margins (vs rounded or retuse petals with glandular-ciliolate margins).
Type:— INDIA. Kerala: Kozhikode district, Kakkoor, Ponkunnu hills, lateritic rock crevices, ca. 200 m, 20 October 2015, S. Resmi & K.M. Manudev 143853 (Holotype CALI!; Isotype MH!) .
Erect perennial herbs, 5–10(-13) cm tall; stems and petioles covered with multiseriate pilate-glandular trichomes with small lateral branches. Rootstocks tuberous, globose, up to 1 cm diam., white to pale green, with tufts of roots all over. Stems angular, 1–2 mm thick, greenish or reddish brown, branched. Leaves 5–10, simple, opposite-decussate; petioles 3–5 mm long, reddish brown; lamina ovate, 1–2 × 0.5–1.5 cm, cordate at base with non-overlapping margins, obtuse-rounded at apex, dark green adaxially, reddidh brown abaxially, membranous but bullate when mature, glandular hairy adaxially but only on veins abaxially, margin serrate with each tooth ending in a terminal glandular trichome; veins 3 on each side of the midrib, less branched, impressed adaxially, conspicuous abaxially; trichomes multiseriate, unbranched, pilate-glandular, glandular heads globular to elliptic. Cymes terminal, scorpioid, 3–12(-14)-flowered; peduncles 2–7 cm long, quadrangular, pale green with fewer glandular trichomes. Floral bracts subulate, 0.5–1mm long, caducous. Flowers 0.7–1.2 × 1–1.2 cm; pedicels narrowly angular, 1.5–6 mm long, green with dense glandular trichomes. Hypanthium campanulate, with dense glandular trichomes. Calyx lobes 3, unequal, 3–4 mm long, acute at apex, green. Petals 3, broadly obovate to elliptic, 3–5 × 3–4 mm, cuneate to rounded at base, mucronate at apex, pale pink with darker midrib, glabrous adaxially, with glandular trichomes on midrib abaxially, margin glabrous. Stamens 3, alternate to petals; filaments 2–3 mm long, dark pink, glabrous; anthers sagittate at base, 2–3 mm long, yellow, non-beaked, blunt at apex, dehiscent through apical pores. Ovary inferior, 2–2.5 × 1.8–2.4 mm; style filiform, 4–5 mm long, dark pink at middle, pale at apex and base, slightly curved at maturity; stigma capitate, glabrous. Capsules urceolate, 3–5 mm long, green or brownish green, with glandular trichomes; seeds many, 0.5–0.7 mm long, obovoid, pale brown, raphe prominent, excurrent, densely tuberculate.
Distribution, ecology, conservation and phenology:— Hitherto known only from the type locality ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). This species occurs in exposed lateritic rock crevices at an elevation of ca. 200 m and two populations comprising more than 100 individuals were observed at the type locality. The plant usually perennates from dormant tubers. It is found in association with Canscora pauciflora Dalzell (1850: 136) , Ceropegia nampyana Manudev et al. (2016: 1408) , Digitaria ciliaris ( Retzius 1786: 16) Koeler (1802: 27) , Polycarpaea corymbosa ( Linnaeus 1753: 205) Lamarck (1792: 129) , Eriocaulon eurypeplon Koernicke (1854: 685) , species of Selaginella Beauvais (1805: 101) and some mosses. According to IUCN criteria (2010), the species falls under the category Data Deficient (DD). The authors collected flowering and fruiting materials during September and October, but this might be extendable from June to November.
Etymology:— The epithet “ lateritica ” refers to the precise habitat (iron-rich, rocky substrate) of the new species at type locality.
Additional specimens examined (Paratypes):— INDIA. Kerala, Kozhikode district, Kakkoor, Ponkunnu hills, lateritic rock crevices, ca. 200 m, 24 September 2015, S. Resmi & K.M. Manudev 143841 (CALI!) ; ibid., 08 October 2015, S. Resmi & S. Nampy 151210 (CALI!) .
Notes:— Sonerila lateritica is a small caulescent herb with a tuberous root stock. With the onset of the monsoon the plants sprout from the dormant tubers. The stems are initially unbranched but later produce short branches from the basal or apical nodes. The number of flowers varies from 3 to 12 (rarely up to 14) which are produced in terminal scorpioid cymes. The leaf apex is usually obtuse but sometimes rounded ( Fig. 1B–G View FIGURE 1 ).
Five caulescent, tuberous species are so far reported from southern Western Ghats viz., Sonerila keralensis Deepthikumari & Pandurangan (2014: 72) , S. malabarica Robi, Dantas & Sujanapal in Sujanapal et al. (2016: 1), S. ponmudiana Deepthikumari & Pandurangan (2016: 166) , S. sahyadrica Giri & Nayar (1986a: 175) and Sonerila talboltii Giri & Nayar (1986b: 344) . A comparison of the morphological characters of the above species are provided in Table 1.
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Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel |
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