Ten new species of Phyllagathis (Trib. Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) from Sarawak, Borneo
Author
Lin, Che-Wei
varalba@gmail.com
Author
Chen, Chien-Fan
varalba@gmail.com
Author
Yang, T. Y. Aleck
text
Phytotaxa
2017
2017-04-04
302
3
201
228
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.302.3.1
journal article
10.11646/phytotaxa.302.3.1
1179-3163
13687316
10.
Phyllagathis yodae
C.W. Lin, C.F. Chen & T.Y.A. Yang
,
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 19
,
20
).
Type:
MALAYSIA
. Borneo,
Sarawak
, Kuching Division, Federal Route No. 1, from Jalan Lundu to Sematan,
ca.
100 m
elev. Type specimen pressed from plants cultivated in a nursery in Hong Kong,
25 August 2013
,
C
.
W
. Lin 555
(
holotype
TAIF
)
Diagnosis:
Phyllagathis beccariana
, from western
Sarawak
, also has a short stem, rosette, obovate leaves, umbelliform inflorescences, and tetramerous flowers. However,
P. yodae
is quite different from the former in its not-peltate leaf (vs. peltate or subpeltate) with the blade up to
9.8 cm
long (vs.
20 cm
long), adaxially sparsely velutinous (vs. glabrous); hypanthium ca. 2.3 ×
2 mm
(4–5 ×
1.2 mm
); whitish petals (vs. reddish); and absent ovary crown lobes (vs. ovary with crown lobes).
Subacaulescent herbs, erect or ascending.
Stems
unbranched, green, 0.5–3(–7) cm long,
0.4–0.8 cm
diam., terete, slightly woody at base, densely pale-brown velutinous; internodes very congested 0.1–0.3(–2) cm.
Leaf blades
3–6, decussate, rosette-like, equal or subequal, widely obovate to obovate-elliptic, 5.2–9.8 ×
3.3–5.6 cm
, base cordate, margins entire with rows of
2–4 mm
pale-brown hispid trichomes, apex obtuse to obtuse cuspidate; chartaceous; venation acrodromous, ca. 7 (–9) veined, secondary and tertiary veins numerous and conspicuous, reticulate or slightly trellis-like; adaxial surface green, sparsely pale-brown velutinous, the trichomes
0.7–1.2 mm
; abaxial surface pale green, veins prominent, densely puberulous and sparsely velutinous.
Petioles
4–31 mm
long, slightly grooved and flat, densely pale-brown puberulous and hispid.
Bracts
caducous, inconspicuous.
Inflorescences
terminal, umbelliform, sometimes with 1–2 branches as compound umbels, peduncle
2.6–7 cm
, red, sparse to densely pale-brown puberulous.
Flowers
tetramerous, pedicels ca.
5.5 mm
long, densely puberulous.
Hypanthium
campanulate, ca.
2.3 mm
long,
2 mm
diam., puberulous and with sparse glands.
Sepals
4, persistent, widely triangular, connate into a rim, each lobe with an acute-angled, triangular keel ca.
0.5 mm
.
Petals
4, oblique, widely ovate, 5.5–6.5 ×
3 mm
, white, reddish towards apex, glabrous, apex acuminate.
Stamens
8, isomorphic, subequal, filaments slightly flat, ca.
4.5 mm
long, white, magenta at upper half, anthers narrowly lanceolate, apex attenuate, ventrally curved,
3–3.4 mm
long, purplish to bluish, pore 1, connective distinct, ventral appendages absent, dorsally with one pair of conspicuous tuberculate appendages on the base;
Style
filiform,
8–9 mm
long, glabrous, stigma capitate.
Ovary
3/4 as long as the hypanthium, crown lobes absent, anther pockets shallow, placentae stalked.
Capsules
on pedicels up to
7.5 mm
long, hypanthium cup-shaped, non-ribbed, ca. 5 ×
3.5 mm
, placentae disintegrating after seed dehiscence.
Distribution and ecology:
Endemic to western Kuching Division,
Sarawak
, Borneo (
Fig. 3
). It grows on humid, steep slopes along streams, under semi-shaded places in lowland forest at
100 m
elevation.
Etymology:
The specific epithet was chosen after “Yoda”, a character in Star Wars movies, who has a furry, wrinkled and greenish appearance. This new species is characterized by the hairy, rugose and greenish leaves that resembles Yoda, therefore we choose this special character as the epithet.