Schizotechium (Fenzl) Rchb. ex Kafle & G.Parmar, 1841

Kafle, Rashika & Parmar, Gaurav, 2024, Taxonomic revision of Schizotechium (Caryophyllaceae) in Nepal, including one new record, Phytotaxa 645 (1), pp. 29-42 : 30-31

Schizotechium (Fenzl) Rchb. ex Kafle & G.Parmar , stat. nov.

≡ Stellaria sect. Schizotechium Fenzl (1833: 13) .

Type:— Schizotechium monospermum (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Pusalkar & S.K.Srivast . (2016: 83).

Nomenclatural note:— Reichenbach (1841) treated Schizotechium at the genus level in the Deut. Bot. Herb.-Buch (Nom.), however, he only listed the name “ Schizotechium Fnzl. ” without providing any type citation or diagnostic characters. Stellaria crispata was recognized as the type species of the genus Schizotechium when the genus was revived by Pusalkar & Srivastava (2016). But they also neglected to mention a Schizotechium species as the type of the genus. Therefore, this study considered Schizotechium monospermum , which is also the accepted synonym of S. crispata , as the type species of the genus in order to validly publish the genus Schizotechium according to the rules of ICN ( Turland et al., 2018).

Diagnosis: —Perennial herbs; roots tuberous; proximally glabrous to subglabrous, distally subglabrous to densely pubescent; stems subscandent; leaves petiolate or sessile with crispate margin; flowers sticky due to glandular pubescence, numerous, rarely sparse, in axillary or terminal paniculate cymes; petal cleft up to 1/2 or 1/3 of lamina; stamens 5 or 10, nectarous gland lobes present at stamens base and alternipetalous; ovary 1-loculed with 3 ovules; capsule 6-valved, central columella nearly absent; seed one, rarely two, articulations rugose or corrugate.

Description: —Perennial herbs. Roots tuberous or fleshy, few fibrous roots at basal nodes, fusiform. Proximally glabrous to subglabrous, distally subglabrous to densely pubescent. Stems mostly subscandent to ascending, older stems terete and nearly hollow, mature and immature stems 4-angled and solid, eglandular or glandular-pubescence on 1–2 lines or all surfaces. Leaves simple, opposite, exstipulate, sessile or subsessile or petiolate, last pairs of basal leaves are reduced, apical leaves are bracteate and reduced; leaf blade linear-lanceolate or oblong lanceolate or ovate to elliptic, base semi-clasping or rounded, apex acute or acuminate, margins crisp & membranous, both surfaces glabrous to pubescent, midvein conspicuous, venation closed. Flowers numerous, rarely few, in axillary or terminal paniculate cymes. Peduncles usually long, divaricate, hairy. Bracts foliaceous, usually in pairs, subsessile to sessile, linear-lanceolate to oblong, base nearly rounded to subcordate, apex acute to acuminate, margins entire and glabrous or hairy, subglabrous. Pedicels dichotomously branched, ascending in mature flowers and slightly reclined or divergent in flower bud and fruits, glandular-pubescence. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, hypogynous, inconspicuous nectarous gland, usually sticky due to glandular hairs. Sepals 5, oblong to lanceolate, apex acute or acuminate, margins entire and glabrous or glandular-ciliate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially glandular-pubescent, midvein conspicuous. Petals 5, white, subequal or half to sepals; lobes 2-cleft up to middle. Stamens 5 or 10, if 10 then arranged 5+5, equal in length or with longer filaments in outer side and shorter in inner side; filaments white, slender, slightly dilated at base, disc with glands present at base; anthers dorsifixed. Ovary globose to ovoid, one-loculed, ovules 3; Styles 3, slightly spreading, apex curved. Capsules ovoid, one-seeded, 6-valved, central columella nearly absent; valves membranous, glabrous. Seeds brown, oval or globose, notched at apex, shiny, articulations corrugate or rugose.

Habitat and distribution: —Members are found in forest ecosystems; in moist and closed canopy. It is distributed in W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Assam-Burma, S Asia (Punjab, E Pakistan), E Asia (E China, Japan, Taiwan), SE Asia, SW Asia and N America, including W, C & E Nepal ( Fig. 1 ).

Key to the species of Schizotechium in Nepal

1. Scabrous hairs on stems, leaves and inflorescence; stamens 5 .......................................................................................... S. delavayi

- Tomentose on stems, leaves and inflorescence; stamens 10 ..............................................................................................................2

2. Leaves petiolate; flowers 6–7 mm across..................................................................................................................... S. paniculatum

- Leaves sessile or subsessile; flowers 10–14 mm across.....................................................................................................................3

3. Leaves lanceolate, base amplexicaul, subcordate; petals subequal to sepals; seeds 2.6–3.5 mm, rugose ............... S. monospermum

- Leaves oblanceolate to obovate, base cuneate; petals half to sepals; seeds 2–2.6 mm, rugulose ................................... S. devendrae

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of genus Schizotechium in Nepal.