[Botany • 2026] Heptapleurum karsticola & Trevesia laotica (Araliaceae) • Two New Species from the limestone karst of Central Laos

 Heptapleurum karsticola Kongx., Tak.Yamam. & Tagane,

in Kongxaisavath, Tagane, Yamamoto, Phonepaseuth, Dang et Souladeth, 2026. 

 ຕ້າງຜາຫອມ  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.737.1.1 

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Abstract

Two new species of Araliaceae, Heptapleurum karsticola and Trevesia laotica, are described from limestone karst in central Laos. Heptapleurum karsticola was found in Khammouane Province, and the second species, T. laotica, was found in Bolikhamxai and Khammouane Provinces. Information regarding the distribution, habitat, phenology, vernacular names, preliminary conservation assessment, DNA barcodes, and taxonomic notes compared to other closely related species is provided for each species.

Apiales, endemic species, Flora, Indochina, phylogeny, taxonomy, Eudicots

 Heptapleurum karsticola Kongx., Tak.Yamam. & Tagane 

 ຕ້າງຜາຫອມ

 Trevesia laotica Kongx., Soulad. & Tagane  

 ຜັກໜາມຕົ້ນ

Deuanta KONGXAISAVATH, Shuichiro TAGANE, Takenori YAMAMOTO, Phongphayboun PHONEPASEUTH, Van-Son DANG and Phetlasy SOULADETH. 2026. Two New Species of Araliaceae from the limestone karst of Central Laos.  Phytotaxa. 737(1); 1-16. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.737.1.1 [2026-01-07]

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#ພູຫິນປູນ #ພູຜາມ່ານ #ແຂວງຄຳມ່ວນ 

ຂໍແນະນຳ 🌳ຕົ້ນໄມ້ 2 ຊະນິດໃໝ່ຂອງໂລກ ຕະກຸນຕ້າງ (Araliaceae) ໄດ້ຮັບການຕີພິມໃນວາລະສານ PHYTOTAXA 737(1): 001–016

1. Heptapleurum karsticola Kongx., Tak.Yamam. & Tagane (ໃຫ້ຊື່ລາວວ່າ ຕ້າງຜາຫອມ)

2. Trevesia laotica Kongx., Soulad. & Tagane (ໃຫ້ຊື່ລາວວ່າ ຜັກໜາມຕົ້ນ)

[Botany • 2025] Heptapleurum assamicum (Araliaceae) • A New Species From Assam, India

  

Heptapleurum assamicum S. Dey & Barbhuiya,

in Dey, Barbhuiya, Das et Baruah, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1002/fedr.70021 

 

ABSTRACT

A new species, Heptapleurum assamicum (Araliaceae), is described and illustrated from Assam, India. It was discovered during floristic documentation conducted in the Kopili River basin, in the Dima Hasao and West Karbi Anglong districts. The species is distinguished by a unique combination of morphological characters. Detailed comparisons with morphologically similar species are provided to support its recognition as a distinct species.

Keywords: Araliaceae, Assam, Heptapleurum, new species, Northeast India

Heptapleurum assamicum S. Dey & Barbhuiya.
(A) Plants in natural habitat, (B) lenticellate exposed roots growing over rocks, (C) portion of stem showing bark, leaf scars, and lenticels, (D) leafy crown with inflorescence, (E) arrangement of leaves on stem, (F) secondary axes of inflorescence, (G) portion of inflorescence showing umbels and stellate axis, (H) opened flower with six stamens, (I) petals falling off from flower, (J) leafy crown with infructescence, (K) portion of infructescence showing developing fruits, (L) infructescence showing ripe and unripe fruits.

Photos by S. Dey, based on living material.

Heptapleurum assamicum S. Dey & Barbhuiya sp. nov.  

 

Santanu Dey, Hussain A. Barbhuiya, Jayanta Das and Deepak Kumar Baruah. 2025. Heptapleurum assamicum (Araliaceae): A New Species From Assam, India. Feddes Repertorium. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/fedr.70021  [27 July 2025]

[PaleoBotany • 2025] Caffapanax canessae & Davidsaralia christophae • Osmoxylon-like Fossils from early Eocene South America: West Gondwana–Malesia Connections in Araliaceae

Caffapanax canessae 

Wilf, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70045

 

Abstract

Premise: Araliaceae comprise a moderately diverse, predominantly tropical angiosperm family with a limited fossil record. Gondwanan history of Araliaceae is hypothesized in the literature, but no fossils have previously been reported from the former supercontinent.

Methods: I describe large (to macrophyll size), palmately compound-lobed leaf fossils and an isolated umbellate infructescence from the early Eocene (52 Ma), late-Gondwanan paleorainforest flora at Laguna del Hunco in Argentine Patagonia.

Results: The leaf fossils are assigned to Caffapanax canessae gen. et sp. nov. (Araliaceae). Comparable living species belong to five genera that are primarily distributed from Malesia to South China. The most similar genus is Osmoxylon, which is centered in east Malesia and includes numerous threatened species. The infructescence is assigned to Davidsaralia christophae gen. et sp. nov. (Araliaceae) and is also comparable to Osmoxylon.

Conclusions: The Caffapanax leaves and Davidsaralia infructescence, potentially representing the same source taxon, are the oldest araliaceous macrofossils and provide direct evidence of Gondwanan history in the family. The new fossils and their large leaves enrich the well-established biogeographic and climatic affinities of the fossil assemblage with imperiled Indo-Pacific, everwet tropical rainforests. The fossils most likely represent shrubs or small trees, adding to the rich record of understory vegetation recovered from Laguna del Hunco.

Keywords: Araliaceae, biogeography, fossil rainforests, Laguna del Hunco, leaf architecture, Malesia, Osmoxylon, paleoconservation, Patagonia

Caffapanax canessae gen. et sp. nov., holotype, MPEF-Pb 10171a (see Figure 2A for counterpart). Specimen has five primary lobes, including a pair of reflexed basal lobes, a pair of lateral lobes each with one sublobe, and an expanded medial lobe with paired sublobes. Scale bar: 10 cm.

Caffapanax canessae gen. et sp. nov., holotype. (A) MPEF-Pb 10171b (counterpart, see Figure 1 for part). Scale bar: 10 cm. (B) Discovery photo with part and counterpart, Laguna del Hunco quarry LH04, 21 November 2006.

Family—Araliaceae Juss.

Genus— Caffapanax Wilf gen. nov.

 Caffapanax canessae Wilf sp. nov.  

Diagnosis—Petiole insertion marginal; base cordate. Blade size microphyll to macrophyll; length:width (L:W) ratio near or below 1:1. Primary veins basally actinodromous, regular, robust. Blade palmately lobed with three or five wide, convex primary lobes; lobe size increases markedly distally. When blade is five-lobed, the basal lobes reflexed, the next lateral lobe pair undivided or with one sublobe per lobe, and the medial lobe much larger than the laterals, with a prominent pair of pinnate sublobes. Margin serrate; teeth short, narrow, non-glandular. Major and minor secondary veins craspedodromous, terminating as tooth principal veins; fimbrial vein present. Higher-order venation well organized; areolation impressed in tiny quadrangular to pentagonal fields; freely ending veinlets absent.

Etymology—The new generic and specific epithets honor Técnicos Mariano Caffa and Leandro Canessa, respectively, of the MEF for their admirable record over more than two decades of fieldwork and fossil discovery in Patagonia. They continue to make significant contributions to paleontology, including the holotype of the new species (Figures 1, 2) unearthed by Téc. Caffa.

Genus—Davidsaralia Wilf gen. nov.

 Davidsaralia christophae Wilf sp. nov. 

 

Peter Wilf. 2025. Osmoxylon-like Fossils from early Eocene South America: West Gondwana–Malesia Connections in Araliaceae. American Journal of Botany. 112(6); e70045. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70045 [19 May 2025]

https://x.com/RadioGondwana/status/1924493718809108579

[Botany • 2023] Panax siamensis (Araliaceae) • A New Species of Ginseng from northern Thailand

 

 Panax siamensis J. Wen, 

in Wen, Krupnick et Esser, 2023. 

DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.234.106289

 

Abstract

We herein describe a new species, Panax siamensis J. Wen, from the tropical monsoon forests in northern Thailand. Panax siamensis is characterized by a combination of characters including horizontally elongated rhizomes with thick internodes, 3–5 whorled leaves each with 7–9 sessile and lanceolate leaflets, lanceolate bracteoles not persisting at the fruiting stage, 2-locular ovaries, and red fruits with a black top. The new species is most closely related to Panax zingiberensis C.Y. Wu & Feng from southeastern Yunnan province of China, sharing the character of sessile leaflets, but differing in that P. siamensis has well developed, elongated rhizomes (vs. compact, ginger-like rhizomes and rootstock in P. zingiberensis), and 7–9 leaflets (vs. (3–) 5–7 leaflets in P. zingiberensis). We also compare Panax siamensis to other related Asian Panax species, including P. assamicus Banerjee, P. bipinnatifidus Seem., P. pseudoginseng Wallich, and P. vietnamensis Ha & Grushv. The new taxon is preliminarily assessed as Vulnerable (VU D2), according to the IUCN Red List criteria. A taxonomic key is provided to facilitate the identification of P. siamensis and its close allies.

Key words: Araliaceae, conservation, ginseng genus, Panax, Panax siamensis J. Wen

Illustration of  Panax siamensis J. Wen based on J. Wen 7371 (US)
A habit B horizontal rhizome with base of stem C leaflet margin D leaflet abaxial surface E infructescence F enlarged infructescence G bracteoles subtending pedicels at flowering stage H older flowers after petals falling off, showing 2-locular ovary I young fruiting stage J seed K seed surface.

Field images of Panax siamensis and its habitat
A habitat in monsoon evergreen forest B infructescence showing red fruits with a black top C habit.

Photo credit: A (Ricky Ward), B, C (Jun Wen).

 Panax siamensis J. Wen, sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Rhizomes horizontally elongated with thick internodes. Leaves 3—5 at the tip of stem, exstipulate, with 7–9 leaflets; leaflets sessile or nearly so, tapering toward the base, lanceolate, long acuminate at apex, long acute at base, serrulate to doubly so at margin, membranaceous, bristly along veins and veinlets on both surfaces. Ovary 2-locular. Fruits subglobose, bright red with a black top, persistent stigmas recurved, 1–2 seeded, 5–6 mm long, 7–8 mm wide, 3–3.5 mm thick. Seeds ovate, 5–5.5 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, 2.5–3.5 mm thick, surface rough.

Ecology: In shaded areas of monsoon evergreen hardwood forests, or in mixed evergreen hardwood and pine forests, granite bedrock.

Jun Wen, Gary Krupnick and Hans-Joachim Esser. 2023. Panax siamensis J. Wen, A New Species of the Ginseng Genus (Panax, Araliaceae) from northern Thailand. PhytoKeys. 234: 51-59. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.234.106289

[Botany • 2020] Sciodaphyllum zarucchii (Araliaceae) • A New Species from Antioquia, Colombia [Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. V]

Sciodaphyllum zarucchii M. M. Mora, Lowry, Idárraga, Jiménez-Mont. & G. M. Plunkett 

 in Mora, Lowry, Plunkett, ... et Raven, 2020.

DOI: 10.3417/2020540 

 Abstract

Sciodaphyllum zarucchii M. M. Mora, Lowry, Idárraga, Jiménez-Mont. & G. M. Plunkett (Araliaceae) is described as a new species in honor of James L. Zarucchi (1952–2019). It occurs in humid premontane and montane forests on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, where it is known from only two localities, one of which is highly threatened by forest clearing. A risk of extinction assessment using the IUCN Red List criteria reveals that S. zarucchii is Endangered. 

 KEYWORDS: Andes, Araliaceae, conservation status, Neotropics, new species, Schefflera, Sciodaphyllum

Figure 2. Holotype of Sciodaphyllum zarucchii M. M. Mora, Lowry, Idárraga, Jiménez-Mont. & G. M. Plunkett (Zarucchi, Brandt & Castaño 5634, MO). 

Figure 1. Photos of Sciodaphyllum zarucchii M. M. Mora, Lowry, Idárraga, Jiménez-Mont. & G. M. Plunkett.
-A. Branch with young infructescence. -B. Leaf (note absence of stipular ligule at the base of each of the three petioles, indicated by arrows). -C. Inflorescence branch with flower buds (note yellowing stipular ligule about to abscise from petiole base of the uppermost leaf, indicated by an arrow). -D. Heads with immature fruits.

From Jiménez et al. 2295 (HUA). Photographs by J. Jiménez-Montoya.

 Sciodaphyllum zarucchii M. M. Mora, Lowry, Idárraga, Jiménez-Mont. & G. M. Plunkett

Etymology. This tree is named in honor of James L. Zarucchi (1952–2019), who joined the staff of the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1983. Both in the course of his doctoral studies at Harvard University (Ph.D.,1982) and for his first 13 years at the Garden, Jim concentrated on Latin American plants. He notably collected and encouraged studies of the flora of the Andes, especially in the departments of Antioquia and Vaupes, Colombia, coincidentally describing the genus Quiotania Zarucchi (Apocynaceae), its name an anagram for that of the Colombian Department of Antioquia. In 1996, Jim was named Managing Editor of the Flora of North America project, making an extensive contribution of great importance in that role for the remaining 23 years of his life (Ulloa et al., 2019). 

M. Marcela Mora, Porter P. Lowry II, Gregory M. Plunkett, Álvaro Idárraga-Piedrahíta, Jáider Jiménez-Montoya and Peter H. Raven. 2020. Studies in Neotropical Araliaceae. V. Sciodaphyllum zarucchii (Araliaceae), A New Species from Antioquia, Colombia, Honoring James L. Zarucchi (1952–2019). Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature. 28(2); 94-99. DOI: 10.3417/2020540

Researchgate.net/publication/341335409_Sciodaphyllum_zarucchii_a_New_Species_from_Antioquia_Colombia