Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2020 | 12(11): 16636–16640
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5529.12.11.16636-16640
#5529 | Received 07 November 2019 | Final
received 16 June 2020 | Finally accepted 06 August 2020
A new species of Dillenia (Angiosperms: Dilleniaceae)
from the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India
J. Swamy 1, L. Rasingam 2 , S. Nagaraju
3 & Pooja R. Mane 4
1–4 Botanical Survey of India,
Deccan Regional Centre, Plot No. 366/1, Attapur, Hyderguda (P.O),
Hyderabad, Telangana 500048, India.
1 swamy.2706@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 rasingam@gmail.com, 3 nagaraju.siddabathula@gmail.com,
4 poojarajendra2511@gmail.com
Editor: M.K. Vasudeva
Rao, Shiv Ranjani Housing Society, Pune, India. Date of
publication: 26 August 2020 (online & print)
Citation:
Swamy, J., L. Rasingam, S. Nagaraju
& P.R. Mane (2020). A new species of Dillenia
(Angiosperms: Dilleniaceae) from the Eastern Ghats of
Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 12(11): 16636–16640. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5529.12.11.16636-16640
Copyright: © Swamy et al. 2020. Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction,
and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to
the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Botanical Survey
of India
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to The Director, Botanical
Survey of India, Kolkata for facilities and Dr. P. V.
Prasanna, Officer In-charge, Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre,
Hyderabad for encouragement. The authors are also thankful to Andhra Pradesh
Forest Department for logistic support.
The genus Dillenia
L. is represented by ca. 60 species distributed from Madagascar and
Seychelles to the Fiji Islands and India to southeastern
Asia and Australia (Hoogland 1952; Mabberley
2008). In India the genus is represented
by seven species (Majumdar 1993), of which four are reported from Andhra
Pradesh (Pullaiah et al. 2018). Dillenia andamanica C.E. Parkinson and D. bracteata
Wight are strictly endemic to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Western
Ghats, respectively (Singh et al. 2015).
Initially, D. bracteata Wight was also
reported from Sri Lanka based on Wight collections, but, while revising the
family, Wadhwa (1996) ruled out the distribution in Sri Lanka and stated that
‘both specimens are wrongly labelled’.
While working on the project ‘Non Detrimental Finding
Studies (NDFs) on Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.f.) tree in
India’, a Dillenia species with white flowers
was collected from the Chittoor District of Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh. After critical studies and comparison with
all known species, the material is recognized as a novelty that markedly
differs from all known species of Dillenia. Hence, it is described here as a new species.
Dillenia tirupatiensis J. Swamy & Rasingam sp.
nov. (Image 1; Figure 1 & 2)
Type: 8858 (Holotype CAL; Isotypes BSID), 09.v.2018, Musalipedu Beat, 13.617222°N & 79.647778°E, 802m, Papanaidupet Section, Tirupati Range, Chittoor East Forest
Division, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, coll. J. Swamy.
Diagnosis: Dillenia
tirupatiensis is allied to D. hookeri by its inflorescence, bracteoles, and shape of
seeds but differs by its elliptic-obovate leaves (oblong-oblanceolate in D. hookeri), crenate margins (entire to slightly dentate
in D. hookeri), 8‒10 mm long pedicel (15‒40 mm
in D. hookeri), 8mm long bracteoles (20–35 mm
in D. hookeri), white flowers (yellow in D.
hookeri), ovules that are in four rows at the
base and two rows at the apex of the placenta (two rows in D. hookeri) and styles that are erect and parallel for up
to 3mm before spreading (spreading from the base in D. hookeri)
(Table 1).
Description: Deciduous tree 2‒5 m high; bark grayish; branches sympodial, younger ones 3.5‒8 mm thick,
densely tomentose, the hairs on older branchlets
appressed, glabrescent. Leaf scars clasping about half of branch, subfalcate, with emarginate upper margin, with 10‒13 leaf
traces about middle. Leaves elliptic,
obovate, 4‒13 (‒22) × 3‒7 (‒12) cm, cuneate or acute at base, crenate along
margin, rounded, obtuse, retuse, emarginate, acute,
rarely acuminate at apex, glabrescent above, densely tomentose beneath; lateral nerves slightly curving upward,
ending in margin, 13‒32 on either side of midrib, more densely tomentose and with hairs on nerves. Petiole 8‒20 mm long, 1‒4 mm broad, densely
sericeous. Flowers terminal, solitary
(rarely 2‒3-flowered), up to 6cm across, on racemes 8‒16 mm long. Pedicel 4‒10 mm long, 1.5‒2 mm broad,
thickened to 3mm at apex in bud, densely sericeous. Bracteoles 3, sessile, lanceolate, ca. 8 × 3
mm, decurrent at base, ciliate along margin, truncate or acute at apex, densely
sericeous. Sepals 5, oblong-oval, 22‒28
× 8‒15 mm, rounded at apex, densely sericeous on upper surface, glabrous on lower surface, faintly 11‒14-nerved from
base. Petals 5, white, 25‒45 × 14‒40 mm,
obovate, narrowed towards base, entire along margin, rounded at apex, glabrous, 9‒12 nerved from base. Stamens ca. 180 arranged in rows, slightly
curved in bud, all of about same length, 6.6‒7 mm long; filaments ca. 2mm long,
ca. 0.3 mm broad; anthers 4.6‒5 mm long, ca. 0.8mm broad, rounded or slightly
emarginate at apex, the thecae linear and opening by a pore near apex. Carpels 5, 5‒7.5 × 3.5‒5.5 mm, arranged
around a conical receptacle, globular, ca. 10 × 12 mm, glabrous,
each with 12‒24 ovules; ovules obovoid to reniform, ca. 1 × 0.7 mm, glabrous, arranged in lower parts in 4 rows and in the
upper part always in two rows; styles 5, parallel-jointed for lower 2.5‒3 mm
then spreading, ca. 6mm long, ca. 0.5mm broad.
Pseudocarps indehiscent, globular, 12‒16 × 16‒18 mm (excluding enclosing
sepals). Carpels 10‒12 × 4‒5 mm, 1‒3
seeded. Seeds obovoid to reniform, 3‒4
mm diam., smooth, dark reddish-brown.
Flowering and fruiting: March‒August.
Habitat: Rare in dry deciduous forest, growing from
600‒900 m elevation in association with Phoenix loureiroi,
Pterocarpus santalinus,
Syzygium alternifolium,
Chloroxylon swietenia,
Anogeissus latifolia
etc.
Distribution:
India, Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor District, Chittoor East Forest Division,
Tirupati Range, Papanaidupet Section, Musalipedu Beat (Figure 2).
Etymology:
The specific epithet is derived from the type locality Tirupati, a famous
temple town in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Conservation
status: This species is so far known only from the type locality and a total of
five mature individuals in the surrounding areas. Extensive explorations,
however, are needed in nearby locations and similar habitats to know the exact
extent of occurrence of this species, for an accurate evaluation of its threat
status. Therefore, the threat status is provisionally evaluated here as “Data
Deficient (DD)” using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria Version 3.1
(IUCN 2012).
Notes: Dillenia bracteata is related to D. tirupatiensis
by its leaf shape and size, equal stamens and arrangement of styles but differs
by having 0–2 small bracteoles, 2–6-flowered racemes, yellow flowers, and
ovules arranged in 2 rows in the carpels.
Dillenia retusa
reported from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka, is also similar to the new
species by its inflorescence, and flower colour but differs by its fewer
lateral nerves in the leaves, ebracteolate flowers,
unequal stamens, and styles spreading from the base.
Key to the Dillenia
species in India
1a. Flowers white
......................................................................................................................................................................................
2
1b. Flowers
yellow ....................................................................................................................................................................................
4
2a. Flowers more
than 12cm across
..............................................................................................................................................
D. indica
2b. Flowers less
than 12cm across
............................................................................................................................................................
3
3a. Bracteoles
absent; innermost stamens distinctly larger than outer ones, with apical part
reflexed outward over the later...D. retusa
3b. Bracteoles
present; stamens all about same length, only slightly curved in bud
......................................................... D. tirupatiensis
4a. Anther thecae
opening with longitudinal slit; flowers up to ca. 5cm across
.....................................................................................
5
4b. Anther thecae
opening with apical pore; flowers ca. 10–12 cm across
.............................................................................................
6
5a. Flowers up to
3cm across; pedicels without bracteoles
.................................................................................................
D. pentagyna
5b. Flowers 4–5
cm across; pedicels with bracteoles
..............................................................................................................
D. scabrella
6a. Stamens
equal; styles parallel up to 3mm at base, above spreading; carpels 5
............................................................. D. bracteata
6b. Stamens
unequal; styles spreading from base; carpels 6–12
.............................................................................................................
7
7a. Petiole up to
2cm long; outer sepals ca. 15 × 12 mm, inner ones ca. 18 × 14 mm; carpels 6–8
................................... D. andamanica
7b. Petiole 3–6.5
cm long; outer sepals 25 × 18 mm, inner ones 30 × 20 mm; carpels 10–12
................................................... D. aurea
Table1. Morphological comparison of Dillenia hookeri and
D. tirupatiensis J. Swamy & Rasingam sp. nov.
|
Characters |
Dillenia hookeri |
Dillenia tirupatiensis |
|
Leaves |
Oblong to oblanceolate |
Elliptic, obovate |
|
Leaf base |
Acute |
Cuneate, acute |
|
Leaf margin |
Entire to slightly dentate |
Crenate |
|
Leaf apex |
Rounded, sometimes
slightly acuminate |
Rounded, obtuse, retuse,
emarginate, acute and rarely acuminate |
|
Flower |
Yellow |
White |
|
Pedicel |
15‒40 mm |
8‒10 mm |
|
Bracteoles |
20‒35 × 7‒10 mm |
8 × 3 mm |
|
Sepals |
15mm long |
22‒28 mm long |
|
Carpels |
6‒7, 5 × 1.5 mm, glabrous
in each with 18 ovules in two rows |
5, 7.5 × 5.5 mm, glabrous,
in each with ca. 12‒24 ovules in basally four rows and apically two rows |
|
Style |
Spreading, cylindric, ca. 11 × 4 mm |
Lower 2.5‒3 mm parallel, above this spreading, ca. 6
× 0.5 mm |
For
figures & image - - click here
References
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