Strobilanthes moschifera Blume (1826: 800)

Albertson, Winston D. & Wood, Hn. R. I., 2012, Forgotten types of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) in The Central National Herbarium, Kolkata, India, Phytotaxa 43, pp. 49-60 : 54-55

Strobilanthes moschifera Blume (1826: 800) . Lectotype (designated by Bennett & Scotland, 2003):

INDONESIA. Java, Blume 1298 ( L!) .

Adenostachya moschifera (Blume) Bremekamp (1944: 192) .

Strobilanthes haplanthoides T. Anderson (1867: 471) , synon. nov. Lectotype (designated here): BURMA (Myanmar), Moulmein , 4/09/49, [H.] Falconer 402 ( CAL0000019810 !). Figure 4B .

Strobilanthes debilis C.B. Clarke (1884: 467) . Lectotype (designated by Bennett & Scotland, 2003): MYANMAR. (Burma), Pegu, [W.S.] Kurz 2129 (K!).

The correct name for the plant treated in the Flora of British India as Strobilanthes debilis C.B. Clarke is S. moschifera Blume for which a synonymy is provided by Bennett & Scotland (2003). Examination of the type material of S. haplanthoides at CAL shows that it is conspecific with S. moschifera . Anderson cited Falconer 402 at CAL and Helfer 255 as types and we have selected the former as lectotype.

Strobilanthes moschifera is widely distributed in S.E. Asia being known from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia (Java).

Strobilanthes polythrix T. Anderson (1867: 470) . Lectotype (designated here): INDIA. Meghalaya, Khasia Hills, Garden Collectors 7 ( CAL0000019673 !, isolectotypes CAL!, BM!, K!). Figure 5A .

Although there are duplicates of this collection at BM, K and perhaps elsewhere, we have selected the better of the two sheets at CAL as a lectotype as Anderson clearly stated that the type was in the Calcutta Botanical Garden Herbarium.

Strobilanthes polythrix is evidently a very rare species. Apart from the type collection it is only known from a Kurz collection from the Khasi Hills, which may be a duplicate of the type, and Prain s.n. in 1886 from Palma Lodge, which may be in Nagaland. Both these collections are at CAL. There have been no collections for 125 years and this species might be extinct. It has never been collected with corollas and its pollen is unknown but it appears to be related to S. elongata , S. fimbriata , S. abbreviata Y.F. Deng & J.R.I. Wood and similar species placed by Bremekamp in Semnostachya Bremekamp.

Strobilanthes remota T. Anderson (1867: 471) . Type: MYANMAR (Burma). Tenasserim , Helfer s.n., location unknown.

No specimen labelled Strobilanthes remota has been found at CAL or elsewhere so the identity of this species is uncertain but the cited collection and location together with the description and comment by Anderson of its relationship with S. fimbriata and S. polythrix suggest that it might be a duplicate of the type of Strobilanthes paucinervia . This guess is supported by the fact there is no description of the corolla and the corolla is missing on the type specimen of S. paucinervia . If this supposition could be proved, then S. paucinervia would be a superfluous name and S. remota would be the correct name for S. elongata .

Figures

FIGURE 4 A. Lectotype of Strobilanthes mastersii T. Anderson. B. Lectotype of Strobilanthes haplanthoides T. Anderson.

FIGURE 5A. Lectotype of Strobilanthes polythrix T. Anderson. B. Lectotype of Strobilanthes violifolia T.Anderson