Anisophyllea sessiliflora Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He, 2015

Chen, Xin, He, Hai & Zhang, Li-Bing, 2015, A monograph of the Anisophylleaceae (Cucurbitales) with description of 18 new species of Anisophyllea, Phytotaxa 229 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

64. Anisophyllea sessiliflora Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He , sp. nov. ( Figure 126 )

Type:— MALAYSIA. Johor: Layang-Layang , Bkt. Badak, 28 January 1959, Hassan & Kadim H. 84 (holotype K-H2008/0021867!, isotype L-0649628!) .

Diagnosis:— Anisophyllea sessiliflora is most similar to A. corneri in having inflorescences more than 4 cm long and infructescences

MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 163

without floral scars on rachis, but the former has flowers all sessile and leaves farinose with brownish powders on both surfaces; in contrast, the latter has female flowers sessile, male flowers pedicellate and leaves efarinose.

164 • Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press

CHEN ET AL.

Trees to 12 m tall; bark smooth, purplish (outer bark blackish, inner bark brownish), sapwood yellowish brown; branches glabrous when mature; buds tomentose with matted rusty hairs ca. 0.16 mm long. Leaves dimorphic, internodes between similar types of leaves 0.7–3.0 cm, between two adjacent different types of leaves 2–4 mm; small leaves caducous, only leaving minute scars on young branches; large leaves petiolate, petiole 5–8 mm long, 1.6–2.7 mm in diam., glabrous; leaf blade elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 10–17 cm long, 5.0– 7.5 cm wide, base oblique, acute or obtuse, apex acuminate or caudate with tips to 1.5 cm long, coriaceous, glabrous and densely brownish farinose on both surfaces; main longitudinal veins 5–7, springing from blade base, inner 3 veins (midrib and its adjacent lateral two veins) bold, slightly prominent adaxially and distinctly raised abaxially, outer lateral veins rather fine, outermost two veins close to blade margins and usually disappearing into blade margins if 6–7 main veins present, slightly prominent on both surfaces; transverse veins numerous, sub-parallel or irregular, at angles of 60–65° with midrib; veinlets tessellate and slightly prominent on both surfaces. Inflorescence a supra-axillary spike, in serials, unevenly branched and panicle-like; rachis to 6 cm long, 0.6 mm in diam., densely tomentose with matted rusty hairs tortuous, ca. 0.08 mm long, with unevenly fascicled flowers on main rachis or flowers crowded on very short lateral branches, floral fascicles or lateral short branches 2.5–8.0 mm distant; bracts small, deltoid, ca. 0.5 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, pubescent with rusty hairs, each with one axillary flower; flowers unisexual, sessile, usually 4-merous, yellowish green; female flowers receptacle cylindric and ±quadrangular, ca. 0.4 mm long, 1 mm in diam., densely tomentose; sepals deltoid, ca. 0.5 mm long, 0.7 mm wide at base, farinose on both surfaces, margins ciliate; stamens and petals not seen; disk 4-lobed with lobes slightly bulged between stamens and enclosing styles; styles 4, free, exserted, ca. 0.8 mm long, base conical 0.2–0.3 mm in diam., farinose proximally, gradually attenuate distally; male flowers receptacle ca. 0.25 mm long, 0.6 mm in diam., densely tomentose; sepals 0.6–1.0 mm long, 0.6–0.8 mm wide; petals not seen; stamens 8, equal in length, 0.6–0.8 mm long, incurved, filaments thickened and compressed at base, ca. 0.19 mm wide, anthers subglobose, ca. 0.16 mm long; disk as females, pistil rudimentary, styles 4, subulate, ca. 0.25 mm long, 0.16 mm wide, farinose. Fruits unknown.

Flowering and fruiting: —Flowering in January; fruiting time unknown.

Habitat and distribution: —Rain forests; elevation unclear. Malaysia (Johor, Sabah) ( Figure 127 ).

MONOGRAPH OF ANISOPHYLLEACEAE

Phytotaxa 229 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 165

Taxonomic notes: —In addition to the difference between Anisophyllea sessiliflora and A. corneri outlined above, the former has fine powder on both surfaces of its sepals, while A. corneri has abaxially pubescent sepals. Though there are minute petals in female flowers in A. coneri while petals absent in male flowers, we observed petals in flowers of neither sexes of A. sessiliflora . Apart from the missing petals, A. sessiliflora is also very similar to A. ferruginea in floral structures. However, it can be distinguished from the latter by its prominent main veins and glabrous but farinose adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces.

The epithet is a combination of Latin words sessili - and - flora, which referring to its lack of pedicels for both female and male flowers.

Additional specimens examined: — MALAYSIA. Sabah: Beaufort , Halogilat Padas Gorge. 22 November 1963, L . Madani 39893 ( K, SAN) .

Figures

FIGURE 126. Anisophyllea sessiliflora Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He. —A. Flowering branch and leaves (Hassan & Kadim H. 84; holotype, K-H2008/0021867). —B. Female flower. —C. Male flower. —D. Stamen of male flower. —E. Styles and disk of male flower (Drawn by Fang Cui).

FIGURE 127. Geographical distribution of Anisophyllea sessiliflora Li Bing Zhang, Xin Chen & H.He.