Tinospora krispura I.M.Turner, 2023

Turner, I. M., 2023, Revision of Tinospora (Menispermaceae - Chasmantheroideae - Burasaieae) in Singapore, European Journal of Taxonomy 900, pp. 180-193 : 183-186

Tinospora krispura I.M.Turner sp. nov.

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77329782-1

Figs 2–3

Diagnosis

The pit domatia in the axils of the main nerves on the leaf lamina adaxial surface, the general form of the male inflorescence and the turbinate male flower buds are all similar to Tinospora baenzigeri Forman , but the male inflorescences are typically longer, the male flower pedicels much longer (10–15 mm vs 1.5–4 mm), and the stamen filaments dry dark rather than pale.

Etymology

The specific epithet represents a contraction of the Malay names for the two islands from which the species is known, Pulau Krismas ( Christmas Island) and Pulau Singapura ( Singapore Island). The epithet is effectively a noun in apposition.

Material examined

Type

CHRISTMAS ISLAND • 3 Aug. 1981, D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 263 E; holotype K [ K001129962 , K001129963 , one specimen mounted on two sheets] !.

Paratypes

CHRISTMAS ISLAND • Jun. 1981, D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 263 C; K ! • Isabel Beach , Feb. 1981; D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 263 B; K ! • Isabel Beach , Dec. 1980, D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 263 A; K ! • Between waterfall and Ethel Beach, Mar. 1993, D. A. Powell 1217; K ! • Isabel Beach , 28 Sep. 1981, D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 408; K ! • Smith’s Point , 28 Sep. 1981, D. A. Powell & H’ng Kim Chey 407 B; K ! • 11 Nov. 1981, D. A. Powell 439; K !.

SINGAPORE • Bukit Tinggi , Kampong Chantek, 16 Sep. 2016, H. K. Lua SING 2016-153; SING [ SING0253453 , SING0251967 ] ! • Evans Road , 8 Oct. 2015, H. K. Lua SING 2015-260; SING [ SING0225269 ] ! • Turf Club Road , 30 Mar. 2015, H. K. Lua SING 2015-080; SING [ SING0232261 , SING0232260 ] ! • Balestier Road , 1899, H. N. Ridley s.n.; SING [ SING0042527 ] ! • Government House Domain , 15 Jul. 1931, R. E. Holttum s.n.; SING [ SING0042531 ] !.

Description

Large woody climber with young shoots twining, abundant long descending aerial roots. Old stems with a smooth shiny uniformly coloured yellow-brown to red-brown thin outer layer, peeling in places, drying coarsely wrinkled with scattered raised pale lenticels, in cross section with vascular bundles divided radially, younger stems drying pale brown or grey, finely longitudinally wrinkled with abundant raised pale lenticels, young twigs drying uniformly longitudinally finely striate, glabrous. Leaves membranous to subcoriaceous, glabrous, drying pale grey-green to grey-brown, generally slightly paler below, not peltate, main nerves more or less flush above, raised below, lamina ovate, 9–17 × 6.5–12 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate, main nerves palmately arranged, 5–7, with pit domatia in nerve axils below, tertiary venation reticulate and clearly visible from both surfaces in dry leaves; petioles 3–11 cm long, 0.5–1.5 mm wide midlength, glabrous, not notably swollen at either end when dry, base often geniculate with long straight central portion, drying pale brown, finely and uniformly longitudinally striate. Male inflorescences solitary, arising from axils of fallen leaves or on old stems, main axis very slender, to 30 cm long, ca 1 mm wide near base when dry, glabrous, drying brown, finely longitudinally striate, laxly bearing, more or less uniformly spaced fascicles of 3–4 flowers in a close­packed row on a very short, laterally compressed protruberance of the main axis, subtended by an ovate, incurved bracteole, ca 1 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, apex acute, glabrous, flowers developing in order from uppermost. Male flowers mostly green in vivo, obovoid in bud, pedicel filiform, 10–15 mm long at anthesis, drying ca 0.2 mm wide, glabrous, drying brown, faintly longitudinally striate, sepals glabrous, outer sepals 3, elliptic 1–1.5 × 0.7–0.8 mm, drying minutely verruculose outside, inner sepals 3, elliptic to obovate, 4 × 2 mm, apex rounded, base cuneate, in bud 1 inner sepal each with 2, 1 or 0 margins overlapped, reflexing at anthesis, drying brown, sometimes with ca 5 longitudinal veins visible, minutely verruculose outside, petals 6, basally connate, yellow in vivo, narrowly rhomboidal, ca 2 × 1 mm, long basal portion with margins inrolled to form tube clasping filament of opposed stamen, apical portion ca 1 × 1 mm, spreading, stamens 6, 3–4 mm long, filament filiform or winged, wings widening distally, connective triangular with oblique thecae meeting apically. Female inflorescences, flowers and fruits unknown.

Distribution

Currently only known from Christmas Island and Singapore.

Notes

Forman (1986, 1993) referred the Christmas Island specimens to his Tinospora baenzigeri , a species otherwise known from the strongly seasonal parts of Central and Northern Thailand, with droughtdeciduous vegetation. The occurrence of the Christmas Island plant on aseasonal Singapore, with collections dating back to the 19th Century, must raise questions as to whether there is only one species involved. Forman (1986) noted that there were many similarities between the Thailand and the Christmas Island collections, but that the male flower pedicels were considerably longer on Christmas Island. The Singapore specimens are very similar to the Christmas Island ones. Given the consistent and considerable differences in the length of the pedicel in the male flowers, I feel justified in describing a new species for the Christmas Island and Singapore plant. Forman suggested that the plants on Christmas Island could be escapes from cultivation of imported plants. Given the distance between Christmas Island and Thailand, this seems unlikely, when considering Tinospora baenzigeri as the species in question. But cultivating plants from Singapore on Christmas Island seems more likely given the closer proximity and former political and cultural ties between the two islands ( Christmas Island was administered from Singapore in the period 1949–1958).

Figures

Fig. 2. Tinospora krispura I.M.Turner sp. nov. A. Habit of male plant bearing inflorescence. B. Old stem showing prominent lenticels. C. Leaf lamina adaxial surface. D. Leaf lamina abaxial surface. E. Domatia in nerve axils on leaf abaxial surface. F. Part of male inflorescence. G. Male flower bud beginning to open. H. G after removal of inner sepals to reveal petals clasping filaments of stamens. I. Inner sepal abaxial view. J. Petal and stamen adaxial view. K. Petal with stamen removed, adaxial view. L. Open male flower (pedicel incomplete) with anthers post dehiscence. Drawn by Andrew Brown. Graduated single bar = 2 mm and 5 mm, double bar = 1 cm, graduated double bar = 5 cm. Material used: Powell & H’ng 263C (K) (A, F–L); Powell 439 (K) (B); Lua SING 2015-080 (SING) (C, D); Powell & H’ng 263A (K) (E).

Fig. 3. Photograph of Tinospora krispura I.M.Turner sp. nov. on Christmas Island showing male inflorescences. Reproduced with the permission of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.