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| Sporoxeia furcillispinosa T.C. Hsu, T.V. Do & C.W. Lin, in Hsu, Do et Lin. 2026. |
Abstract
Sporoxeia furcillispinosa T.C. Hsu, T.V. Do & C.W. Lin (Melastomataceae) is described as a new species from Mt Fansipan in the Hoang Lien National Park on the Hoang Lien Son Range, north-western Vietnam. It resembles S. vietnamensis but can be distinguished from it by having stems that are sharply angled, quadrangular or narrowly 4-winged (vs. obtusely quadrangular); two inflorescences per axil (vs. one), which are short racemose to subumbellate (vs. umbellate); bracts that are ovate to broadly ovate, up to 15 mm long (vs. subulate, ca. 3 mm long); a hypanthium covered with multi-branched or unbranched, fleshy soft spines (vs. irregular thick spines); and anthers of the inner and outer whorls equal or subequal in size (vs. strongly unequal).
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| Sporoxeia furcillispinosa. A and B: Habit and habitat (photographed at the type locality on 14 July 2025). — C: Inflorescence, also showing bracts and a portion of stem. — D and E: Portions of leaf, adaxial surface. — F: Hypanthium and calyx lobes. — G: Flower, frontal and lateral views. |
Sporoxeia furcillispinosa T.C. Hsu, T.V. Do & C.W. Lin, sp. nova
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin furcilla (little fork) and spinosa (thorny), referring to the characteristic irregularly branched soft spines densely covering the surface of the hypanthium, which distinguish this species from its relatives.
Tian-Chuan Hsu, Truong Van Do and Che-Wei Lin. 2026. Sporoxeia furcillispinosa (Melastomataceae), A New Species from North-Western Vietnam. Annales Botanici Fennici. 63(1); 183-189 DOI: doi.org/10.5735/085.063.0125 [15 July 2026]
