Piper pedicellatum C. DC., J. Bot.

Mukherjee, Prasanta Kumar, 2018, Nomenclatural notes on Piper Linn. (Piperaceae) from India II, Phytotaxa 338 (1), pp. 17-32 : 25

14. Piper pedicellatum C. DC., J. Bot. 4: 164. 1866

Type:— BANGLADESH: Bengalia Orient , Griffith 4404 (lectotype designated here K000794428 image!; isolectotype P01656302 image!;

syntypes India, Sikkim, 3000ft. Hook. f. & Thomson 1861 G-DC G00206450 image!, P01656301 image!, K00794430 image!, CAL !;

Bengalia Orient, East Himalaya, Griffith 4404 K 00794428 image!; Mishmi, Griffith 4404 K 000794427 image!; East Bengal, Griffith

4418 CAL!, K 000794429 image!, P 01656300 image!). Piper nigramentum C. DC. Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 13: 299. 1914. Type:— INDIA: Sikkim, Kurseong 2000ft. Meebold 15957 (syntypes G-DC G 00320779 image!; Mongpu, 4000ft. Meebold 15961 GDC. G 00320778 image!–both on same sheet). Piper clarkei C. DC. Candollea 2: 192. 1925. Type:— INDIA: West Bengal, Darjeeling, Dumsong, 5000ft., C. B. Clarke 9148D (lectotype designated here CAL!; isolectotype

K 000794426 image!). Piper mannii var. glabrum C. DC. Candollea 2: 204. 1925 pro parte syn. nov. Type:— INDIA: Sikkim, Nuneklao, C. B. Clarke 43300 A (lectotype designated here CAL!). Piper subpedicellatum Van Heurck & Müll. -Arg. Observ. Bot. 122. 1871 syn. nov. Type:— INDIA, India Orientale, Griffith 1209 (holotype BR 1491 image!; isotype G-DC G 00323281 image!).

Distribution:— INDIA: West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland; BHUTAN, BANGLADESH, CHINA.

Note:— Casimir de Candolle (1866) described plants with uniquely long-pedicellate bracts on male spikes as Piper pedicellatum from Sikkim. He cited a specimen from Sikkim collected by Hooker & Thomson which is present at G-DC, together with Griffith 4404 & 4418 present at K. Gilbert & Xia (1999) designated ‘Bengalia Orient. Griffith 4404´, a male specimen at K (000794428) as the lectotype, even though they have not seen the specimen. A duplicate at P (01656299) was selected as the isolectotype. Another specimen, Griffith 4404 from Mishmi (K000794428) has both male and female twigs. All these specimens are without any annotation by C. de Candolle. Griffith 4418, represented by a female twig (K000794429) matches to the female twig on Griffith 4404 from Mishmi, but this also is without an annotation by de Candolle. Rejection of this as a syntype by Gilbert & Xia (loc. cit.) is found to be incorrect. Curiously, they could not find J. D. Hooker’s & Thomson specimen at G-DC (G00206450) bearing annotation by C. de Candolle. A duplicate of this at K (000794430) missed annotation by C de Candolle but that at P (01656302) has it dated 1884. Evidently, Gilbert & Xia’s action is not in accord action with Recommendation 9A. 3 in selecting the lectotype (Art. 9.2), yet their designation of the lectotype is followed according to Art. 9.19 ( McNeill et al., 2012).

The plant is characterized by its blackish nature on drying, ovate, unequally based lamina, and interrupted, elongate female spikes with fruits seated on the rachis. It occurs at low altitudes in the Sikkim Himalayas. The distinguishing feature of this species are its long-pedicellate bracts exceeding the flowers in the male spike.

Van Heurck & Müll.-Arg. (1871) described Piper subpedicellatum and mentioned its similarity to P. pedicellatum . Long (1984: 349) correctly considered P. clarkei and P. nigramentum as synonyms.