Piper makruense C. DC. Repert., 2018

Mukherjee, Prasanta Kumar, 2018, Nomenclatural notes on Piper Linn. (Piperaceae) from India II, Phytotaxa 338 (1), pp. 17-32 : 23

12. Piper makruense C. DC. Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 521. 1912.

Type:— INDIA: Manipur: Makru, 4000ft. Meebold 10830 (lectotype designated here CAL!; isolectotype G-DC G 00320535 image!–a pencilled sketch of the leaf; syntype Meebold 11129 n. v.). Piper dekkoanum C. DC. Candollea 2: 206. 1925 syn. nov. Type :— INDIA, Assam, Nambiar Forest , Forest Herbarium no. 706 (lectotype designated here G-DC G00314076 image!; isolectotype:

CAL!; syntypes: Assam, Masters s.n. CAL!, Changril, Lushai Hills , G. C. Prazer CAL!, G-D G00314137 image !).

Distribution:— INDIA: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur.

Note: — Piper makruense C. DC. was based on two collections from Makru in Manipur by A. Meebold (10830 & 11129). The types, reported to be present at WRSL, were lost or destroyed during the second World War. However, there is a specimen (Meebold 10830) surviving at CAL that apparently was sent on loan to WRSL and later returned. This specimen has all the appropriate details as indicated in the protologue, including an annotation by C. de Candolle (1912). A pencilled sketch of the leaf is present at G-DC (G 00320535). The other syntype, Meebold 11129, could not be located and was probably lost/destroyed at WRSL. As such, the specimen ‘Makru, Manipur, A. Meebold 10830 at CAL is designated as the lectotype. This plant is similar to the types of P. dekkoanum C. DC. housed at CAL, and they are synonymized here. This species appears very similar to Piper anisotis (1986: 86), differing in the leaves being larger with a base somewhat round-cordate and unequal, and the venation acrodromous suprabasal with the upper veins alternate. Gajurel et al. (2008: 52–54) reported this species from Arunachal Pradesh and cited the type amongst the specimens examined.