Peliosanthes griffithii Baker (1879: 506)

Tanaka, Noriyuki, 2018, Taxonomic revision of Peliosanthes bakeri and P. violacea (Asparagaceae), with description of two new species from Bangladesh and India, Phytotaxa 356 (1), pp. 34-48 : 35-37

1. Peliosanthes griffithii Baker (1879: 506) .

Type:― INDIA. Darjiling, W. Griffith 5840 (holotype K-000099365!). Peliosanthes violacea Wallich ex Baker var. clarkei Baker (1879: 504) , p.p. Peliosanthes violacea Wallich ex Baker var. minor Baker (1879: 504) , p.p. Peliosanthes violacea Wallich ex Baker var. violacea Baker (1879: 504) , p.p. Peliosanthes bakeri Hooker (1892: 267) . Lectotype (designated here):― INDIA. Khasia, 4–5000 ft, J.D. Hooker & T. Thomson s.n.

(K-000099363!). Isolectotype:―E-00894741*!, K-000099362!, L-1213308*!, L-1449927*!, L-1449952*!, P-02195230*!, P-

00753573*!

Additional specimens examined:― INDIA. East Bengal, W. Griffith 5834 (K-000099367–lectoparatype of P. violacea var. minor , p.p., as to right individual without scape); East Bengal, W. Griffith 5835 (K-000099359–lectoparatype of P. bakeri , as to right specimen; L-1449928*–isolectoparatype of P. bakeri ; P-01851608*–isolectoparatype of P. bakeri ); East Bengal, W. Griffith 5838 (K-000099369–lectoparatype of P. violacea var. minor , p.p., as to right individual, left one is P. subspicata ); East Bengal, W. Griffith 5842 (P-00214613–isolectoparatype of P. violacea var. violacea ); East Bengal, Mishmee, W. Griffith 5844 (K-000099360–lectoparatype of P. bakeri ); Bengal, November 1904, H. H. Haines 1038 (K-000099364); Darjeeling, elev. 1500 ft., C. B. Clarke 13246 A (K-000099361–lectoparatype of P. bakeri ); Darjeeling, Takdah-Rayang, 20Apr. 1960, H. Hara & M. Togashi 2180 ( TI); Mont. Khasia, elev. 0–4000 ft., J.D. Hooker & T. Thomson (P-00753581*–isolectoparatype of P. violacea var. clarkei ); Sikkim, Labdah, 4000 ft, 7 November 1913, G. H. Cave s.n. (E-00894756*). PROVENANCE UNKNOWN. Cultivated plant at HBC [Hort. Bot. Calcuttensis], N. Wallich List no. 5083D (K-000099359–lectoparatype of P. bakeri , as to left specimen; K-001104684*–lectoparatype of P. bakeri ; K-001104688*–lectoparatype of P. bakeri ; P-02174775*–isolectoparatype of P. bakeri , p.p., as to right individual, left one is P. subspicata ).

Distribution:―NE India, Nepal ( Hara et al. 1978, Noltie 1994).

Habitat:―This species occurs at elevations up to 1220 m.

Phenology:―Flowering and fruiting in October–November.

Notes:―The specimens identified by Baker (1879) as Peliosanthes humilis Andrews (1811 : t. 634) were reidentified by Hooker (1892) as P. bakeri (excluding a specimen from Penang, Malaysia). Peliosanthes bakeri was subsequently regarded as conspecific with P. griffithii by Noltie (1994). The lectotype, isolectotypes, and most of the (iso)lectoparatypes of P. bakeri agree well with P. griffithii , and hence I support his view. Peliosanthes griffithii (including P. bakeri ) is unique in having a long slender stoloniform rhizome elongating up to 32 cm or longer (e.g., J. D. Hooker & T. Thomson s.n., P-02195230*!– isolectotype of P. bakeri ). It is also characterized mainly by the comparatively small, narrowly elliptic, acuminate, thin-textured leaf blades, and small, antrorse flowers with perigone segments laterally revolute and distally minutely denticulate-erose, a bluntly trigonous columnar style, and a short, erect annular staminal corona. The perigones are recorded as “green, lurid purple” (C.B. Clarke 13246A, K000099361!). Peliosanthes griffithii resembles P. humilis from the Malay Peninsula, but it clearly differs by having a stoloniform rhizome, erect and distally slightly recurved (vs. distally slightly narrowing) staminal corona, and columnar (vs. pyramidal) style. Peliosanthes violacea var. minor was treated by Noltie (1994) as conspecific with P. griffithii , but not all of the syntypes of the former are P. griffithii ( Table 1).