Flora of Singapore precursors, 4. A summary of scandent Psychotria (Rubiaceae) in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia
Author
Turner, I. M.
Singapore Botanical Liaison Officer, Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW 9 3 EA, UK. & Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259659
Author
Kumar, V. S.
Central National Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India, P. O. Botanic Garden, Howrah - 711103, India
text
Phytotaxa
2018
2018-07-19
361
2
183
197
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.361.2.4
journal article
10.11646/phytotaxa.361.2.4
1179-3163
4.
Psychotria euosma
I.M. Turner
,
stat. et nom. nov.
≡
Psychotria sarmentosa
var.
montana
Ridley (1923: 131)
Type
(
lectotype
, designated here): PENINSULAR
MALAYSIA
.
Pahang
: Gunong Tahan,
Jul 1911
,
H
.
N
. Ridley 16068
(
K
barcode
K
000777156).
Specimens examined:
—
PENINSULAR
MALAYSIA
.
Kedah
:
Kedah
Peak
,
8 May 1938
,
C
.
F
.
Symington
KEP 46904
(
K
)
;
Kedah
Peak
,
2 Dec 1915
,
H
.
C
.
Robinson
&
C
.
Boden Kloss
6032
(
K
)
;
Trengganu
:
Gunong Padang
,
4000 ft
,
19 Jun 1937
,
L
.
Moysey
&
Kiah SFN
31887
(
K
)
;
Malacca
;
Mt Ophir
,
Aug 1867
-1868,
A
.
C
.
Maingay
2747
[kdn 922] (
K
)
;
Pudda
,
W
.
Griffith
s.n
. [kdn 3043] (
K
).
THAILAND
.
Nakhon Si Thammarat
:
Khao Luang
,
750–950 m
,
22 May 1968
,
C
.
F
.
van Beusekom
&
C
.
Phengklai
929
(
K
)
;
Phangnga
:
Khao Paw Ta Luang Keo
,
1000–1300 m
,
29 Apr 1974
,
K
.
Larsen
&
S
.
S
.
Larsen
33509
(
K
)
.
Notes:
—Ridley associated this taxon with
Psychotria sarmentosa
Blume (1826: 964)
, but with its fleshy leaves it seems closer to
P. serpens
and little akin to
P. sarmentosa
. The collections from the mountains of Peninsular
Malaysia
and Peninsular
Thailand
included here form a coherent entity with distinctive coriaceous, acuminate leaves that dry olive green or brown with scarcely discernible venation. They come close to
P. tahanensis
Ruhsam
in
Ruhsam
et al.
(2008: 116)
(
P. brachybotrys
Ridley (1909: 38))
which has similar leaf form, though generally drying chestnut or greybrown. However,
P. tahanensis
has smaller, darker stipules, generally smaller inflorescences with glabrescent axes and flowers compared to the dense but short pubescence of
P. sarmentosa
var.
montana
. The pyrenes have sharp-edged ridges in
var.
montana
but they are more rounded in
P. tahanensis
. It seems best therefore to consider
P. sarmentosa
var.
montana
as a separate species. As the eipthet montana is already pre-empted at specific rank in
Psychotria
, a new epithet is given here. That chosen, euosma, is Greek for fragrant, and reflects a field note on a collection from
Thailand
(
Beusekom & Phengklai 929
) which states that the flowers are very sweet-scented.