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| Tashiroea dayaoshanensis Q.J. Zhou & Ying Liu, in Zhou, Dai, Zhou & Liu, 2019. |
Abstract
Tashiroea dayaoshanensis (Melastomataceae, Sonerileae), a species from northeastern Guangxi, China and previously often identified as Phyllagathis nudipes or P. oligotricha in Chinese herbaria, is described as new based on morphological and molecular data. Indumentum, leaf texture and surface sculpture, capsule morphology and molecular phylogenetic data strongly support the placement of T. dayaoshanensis within the Tashiroea clade which should be accommodated in Tashiroea. Morphology as well as sequence divergence of the nrITS region indicate that T. dayaoshanensis is well differentiated from other species in the same clade, and thus should be treated as a distinct species. Tashiroea dayaoshanensis is phylogenetically closest to Bredia sessilifolia but can be easily distinguished by its petiolate leaves (vs. sessile or subsessile), and crowned ovary (vs. uncrowned). It resembles P. nudipes and P. oligotricha in habit and stamen morphology but differs from both in its leaf apex acuminate (vs. acute to obtuse), connective ventrally tuberculate (vs. not tuberculate) and ovary crown exerted from calyx tube during young fruit stage (vs. not exerted).
Keywords: Eudicots, Bredia, Tashiroea, taxonomy
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| Drawing of Tashiroea dayaoshanensis, all from Y. Liu 476 (A, SYS). A. Habit. B. Bud of a flower. C. Top view of a flower. D. Longitudinal section of a flower (part). E. Anther morphology. F. Longitudinal section of young fruit. G. Old fruit. Drawn by Ms. Rong-Mei Zhang (KUN). |
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| Tashiroea dayaoshanensis, all from Y. Liu 476 (A, SYS). A. Top view of a flower. B. Side view of a flower. C. Longitudinal section of a flower showing subequal stamens. D. Anther morphology in detail. E. Longitudinal section of ovary at anthesis showing the ovary crown. F. Longitudinal section of young fruit showing the enlarged ovary crown. Scale bars: 2 mm (A-F). |
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| Tashiroea dayaoshanensis, all from Y. Liu 476 (A, SYS). A. Habitat. B. Yellowish hairs covering axillary buds. C. Adaxial and abaxial leaf surface. D. Furrowed leaf surface sculpture under SEM. E. Flowering branch. F. Inflorescence. Scale bars: 2 mm (B); 50 μm (D). |
Tashiroea dayaoshanensis Q.J. Zhou & Ying Liu, sp. nov.
Diagnosis:— Resembles P. nudipes and P. oligotricha in the stoloniferus habit and isomorphic stamens, while differs from both in having acuminate leaf apex (vs. acute to obtuse), ventrally tuberculate connective (vs. not tuberculate) and ovary crown exerted from calyx tube during young fruit stage (vs. not exerted).
Etymology:—The specific epithet is derived from Dayaoshan Mountain, the distribution range of T. dayaoshanensis.
Distribution:—Tashiroea dayaoshanensis is currently known from Dayaoshan Mountain, Pingnan and Jinxiu, northeastern Guangxi, China (Fig. 7). It occurs in dense or open forest, often on slopes, along forest margin, or in bushes along trails, at 700–1100 m.
Qiujie Zhou, Jinhong Dai, Renchao Zhou and Ying Liu. 2019. A New Species of Tashiroea (Melastomataceae, Sonerileae) from Guangxi, China. Phytotaxa. 414(6); 269-279. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.414.6.1
