Journal of
Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2018 | 10(9): 12294–12297
A reassessment and lectotypification of the name Striga
masuria (Buch.-Ham. ex Benth.) Benth. (Orobanchaceae) and its collection
from the Western Ghats of India
M. Omalsree
1 & V.K. Sreenivas
2
1 Department of Botany, Sri Vyasa N.S.S. College, Vyasagiri P.O., Wadakkanchery,
Thrissur District, Kerala 680652, India
1,2 Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Maruthamalai
Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641046, India
1 omalsree.nedungadi@gmail.com
(corresponding author),
2 sreenivasvk@gmail.com
doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4239.10.9.12294-12297
Editor: Mandar N. Datar, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, India. Date
of publication: 26 August 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms
# 4239 | Received 08 May 2018 | Final received 26 July 2018 | Finally accepted
05 August 2018
Citation: Omalsree, M. & V.K. Sreenivas
(2018). A reassessment and lectotypification
of the name Striga masuria
(Buch.-Ham. ex Benth.) Benth. (Orobanchaceae) and its collection from the Western Ghats of
India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 10(9): 12294–12297; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4239.10.9.12294-12297
Copyright: © Omalsree & Sreenivas 2018. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows
unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution
by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: Authors are
grateful to the personnel of the following herbaria: CAL, MH, K and E for permitting to do this research; Dr. K.A. Sujana,
M.C. Shameer, Dr. V.K. Suresh,
Sojan Jose for their support and two
unknown reviewers for their help to
improve the manuscript.
The
genus Striga Loureiro
belongs to the family Orobanchaceae and comprises
about 43 species (Omalsree et al. 2015) with the
highest diversity in tropical Africa (Mohamed et al. 2001; Fischer et al.
2011). Out of this, nine species have
been recorded so far from India, including the recent addition of three new
species, viz. Striga kamalii
Omalsree et al. (2015: 166), S. indica Prabhu et al. (in Jayanthi et al. 2013: 284) and S. scottiana
Jeeva et al. (2012: 79). As a part of the ongoing
taxonomic revision on the genus Striga in
India, the authors collected one unknown species of Striga
from the Chennai region of Tamil Nadu State in 2015. Further studies based on relevant literature
and comparison with type specimens confirmed its identity as Striga masuria (Buch.-Ham. ex Benth.)
Benth. Striga masuria
was described by Bentham based on two collections from the Morang Hills of
Nepal (Hamilton 1810) and Prome of Myanmar (Wallich 1826).
Later, Hooker (1884) reported this species for India based on Shutter’s
collection in 1880 from the Guindy region of Tamil
Nadu. Since then, there have been no
reports about this species from any part of India. The present recollection of this taxon from
Chennai is the collection of the plant after 135 years (Images 1, 3).
The
detailed taxonomic studies based on fresh specimens revealed that the character
of the plant shows close similarities with its allied species in the section Polypleurae, S. angustifolia
(D. Don) Saldanha by means of the pubescent nature of
the plant, white corolla lobes and 15-ribbed calyx lobes. The only differences observed are the length
of the plant, the loosely arranged flowers and closely positioned ribs on calyx
lobes. These characters are not strong
enough to retain its species status and are reduced as a variety under S. angustifolia. During the present study, it was observed
that no type has been designated to this taxon and the lectotype
are also designated here according to Art. 9.3 of the ICN, Shenzhen code (Turland et al. 2018).
Striga angustifolia (D. Don) Saldanha
var. masuria (Buch.-Ham. ex Benth.) Omalsree & V.K. Sreenivas
stat. nov.
(Image 1)
Striga masuria (Buch.-Ham. ex Benth.) Benth. (1838: 364) syn. nov.
Buchnera masuria Buchanan-Hamilton ex Bentham (1836: 41)
Buchnera wallichi Benth. (in Wallich Cat., 3876)
Type (lectotype,
designated here): Nepal, Morang hills, 28.vii.1810,
Francis (Buchanan) Hamilton, 1419 (E barcode: E00273651 [digital images!]; isolectotypes, K000899664, K001117506 [digital images!].
Residual Syntypes:
Myanmar, Prome, 09.x.1826, N. Wallich, 1161 (K barcode: K001117505, K000899663, E00273649
[digital images!].
Erect annual, chlorophyllous
herbs, 32–68 cm tall. Stem densely
hispid, quadrangular, green, branched from middle to apex. Leaves opposite at base, alternate towards
apex, sessile, 12–40 × 1–4 mm, linear-lanceolate,
acute at apex, cuneate at base, hairy on both
surfaces especially on mid-rib; margins ciliate with strigose
hairs; mid-rib prominent. Inflorescence a raceme, terminal or from axils of upper leaves,
15–45 cm long. Rachis angular, strigose
hairy. Flowers zygomorphic,
sessile, hypogynous, lax, alternate, 22–34 per
inflorescence. Bract 1, 2.6–2.9 mm long, linear-lanceolate,
hairy. Bracteoles 2, 1.8–2.1 mm long,
linear-lanceolate, hairy. Calyx tubular,
15-ribbed; ribs distantly arranged and ending upto
the teeth; lobes 5, 2.4–2.8 mm long, linear-lanceolate,
hairy, green or with a brownish tinge.
Corolla bilabiate; tube 8.8–9.8 mm long,
prominently curved above the middle, greenish; lobes creamy-white, 3.8–4.4 mm
long, broadly obovate, pubescent without, glabrous
within; throat 4–4.2 mm long, hairy.
Stamens 4, included, didynamous; filaments
1.5-3.2 mm long, attached to the distal end of the corolla tube; anthers
1-celled. Ovary
superior, 2-celled, 2–2.2 mm long, oblong to ellipsoid, glabrous; ovules many, axile; style 4.8mm long, white, brown at apex, glabrous;
stigma brown. Fruit
5.5mm long, ellipsoid, beaked. Seeds numerous, 0.3–0.4
mm long, ellipsoid with parallel striations, glabrous.
Phenology: July–November.
Distribution: In India, the plant is narrowly endemic to Kerala and Tamil Nadu
states, the southern part of the Western Ghats (Image 2).
Nomenclatural notes: Hamilton proposed the name Buchnera
masuria based on his own
collections from Morang mountains on 28 July 1810. Subsequently, Bentham proposed the name B.
wallichi based on Wallich’s
collections from Prome of Myanmar on 09 October
1826. Both names are mentioned only in Wallich’s catalogue numbers 3877 and 3876 respectively
without giving any additional information such as description of the plant (nomen nudum). Later Bentham (1836) validated the name Buchnera masuria
Ham. and synonymized the name B. wallichi Benth. under B. masuria. In that protologue,
Bentham mentioned two collections, one by Hamilton for B. masuria (mountains of Morang,
Nepal) and the latter by Wallich for B. wallichi (Prome, Burma). During the study, we have traced six
specimens, which represent duplicates from a heterogenous
collection, four specimens at K and two specimens at E. All the sheets are well preserved and bear
flowers. We found three specimens each
from both the localities which were deposited two at K
and one at E. According to Art. 9.3 of
the ICN, Shenzhen code (Turland et al. 2018), the
specimen kept in E (1419, E barcode E00273651 [digital images!]) fits the
description, and is preserved very well with collection number, locality and
collector name, which is considered as the best choice and designated here as
the lectotype (Image 3).
Habitat and biotic association: Striga masuria collected from two localities, viz.,
near Guindy forest regions of Tamil Nadu and Kodikuthimala Hills of Kerala. We have identified two host species from Guindy region viz. Ischaemum
rangacharianum C.E.C. Fisch.
and Paspalum scrobiculatum L. and four from Kodikuthimala
region viz. Ischaemum rangacharianum C.E.C. Fisch.,
I. tumidum Stapf ex Bor var. calicutensis (Sreek., V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair) R. Kr. Singh &
P.S.N. Rao, Arundinella
mesophylla Nees ex Steud. and Pennisetum
polystachyon (L.) Schult.
Additional Specimens examined: OM-605 (MH), 12.ix.2015, India: Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Way to Guindy National Park, coll. M. Omalsree;
OM-627 (MH), 28.x.2017, Kerala: Malappuram, Kodikuthimala, coll. Omalsree M;
OM-629 (MH), 17.xi.2017, Kerala: Malappuram, Kodikuthimala, coll. M. Omalsree.
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