Camellia furfuracea (Merr.) Cohen-Stuart (1919: 240)

Zhao, Dongwei, 2021, Six new synonyms of Camellia furfuracea (Theaceae), Phytotaxa 510 (2), pp. 193-195 : 193-194

Camellia furfuracea (Merr.) Cohen-Stuart (1919: 240)

≡ Thea furfuracea Merrill (1918: 149) . Type (holotype):— CHINA. Guangdong: Luofu Mountain , ca. 1000 m, 17 August 1917, Merrill 10681 (PNH 87432 [image!]; isotypes: UC 286596 [image!], US00113900 [image!]) .

= Camellia maiana Orel in Orel & Wilson (2010a: 198), syn. nov. Type:— VIETNAM. Lam Dong: Dalat Plateau, 19 November 2002, Orel et al. 21149 (holotype NSW901884 [image!]; isotype VNM00018567 !).

= Camellia curryana Orel & Luu in Orel et al. (2014a: 42), syn. nov. Type:— VIETNAM. Lam Dong: Dalat Plateau , 27 February 2002, Orel et al. 21147 (holotype NSW901031 [image!]).

= Camellia duyana Orel, Curry & Luu in Orel et al. (2014b: 308), syn. nov. Type:— VIETNAM. Lam Dong: Dalat Plateau , ca. 1400 m, 27 November 2010, Orel & Duy 0719 (holotype NSW901883 [image!]).

= Camellia albata Orel & Curry (2015: 239) , syn. nov. Type :— VIETNAM. Quang Ninh, 2 December 1999, Orel et al. 991202c (holotype NSW901898 [sheet 1of 2, image!] and NSW849513 [sheet 2 of 2, image!]).

= Camellia reflexa Orel & Curry (2015: 209) , syn. nov. Type:— VIETNAM. Vinh Phuc: Tam Dao National Park , 2 April 2001, Orel et al. 1240 (holotype NSW901749 [image!]).

= Camellia viscosa Orel & Curry (2015: 214) , syn. nov. Type:— VIETNAM. Lam Dong: Dalat Plateau , 19 November 2002, Orel et al. 21148G (holotype NSW901821 [image!]).

Nomenclatural notes:— Camellia maiana was published twice by the same authors and in the same year: in Novon on 9 June 2010 ( Orel & Wilson 2010a) and in the International Camellia Journal (with the references omitted and a coloured photo of C. maiana added, Orel & Wilson 2010b). The latter journal did not state its date of issue; it must be, however, later than that of Novon because it included an obituary which said that a lady had died on 3 September 2010 ( Davis 2010: 154). Therefore, the later isonym ( Orel & Wilson 2010b: 137) has no nomenclatural status and should be disregarded (Art. 6 Note 2 of the ICN).

Morphological notes:—Based on Sealy’s (1958) classification, C. albata was placed in C. sect. Paracamellia Sealy (1958: 192) rather than sect. Heterogenea because Orel & Curry (2015: 241) thought that the similarities between C. albata and sect. Heterogenea were “rather few and superficial”. Therefore, they compared the morphological differences among C. albata , C. kissi Wallich (1820: 429) , and C. sasanqua Thunb. in Murray (1784: 632; cf. Zhao 2021) to argue the novelty of C. albata . Remarkably, the photos provided in the protologue ( Orel & Curry 2015: 244) clearly show that C. albata bears a furfuraceous surface of the pericarp and persistent sepals. These character states are usually diagnostic for species of sect. Furfuracea but absent in the taxa of sect. Paracamellia which generally bear a smooth pericarp and caducous sepals.

Camellia curryana was placed in sect. Heterogenea in the protologue and, fortunately, compared some morphological characters with C. furfuracea . Orel et al. (2014a: 45) suggested that C. curryana bore 6–7 petals, a 4–5 mm long adnation of the androecium and corolla, a 4–5 mm long basal connation of the outer filaments, a ca. 2 mm long basal connation of three styles, and an “unevenly globose-elliptical” capsule. By contrast, C. furfuracea was suggested to bear 8 petals, a 4 mm long adnation of the androecium and corolla, a 5–6 mm long connation of the outer filaments, three free styles, and a “subglobose” capsule, although Ming & Bartholomew (2007: 396) recorded that C. furfuracea bore 7–10 petals per flower, a 4–6 mm long basal connation of the outer filaments, and a globose to oblate capsule. However, those differences are hardly considered to be significant enough to warrant a new species in Camellia . As a widely distributed plant occurred in subtropical and tropical Asia, those trivial quantitative variations are very common in different populations of C. furfuracea . Similarly, C. duyana was placed in sect. Heterogenea and was suggested to differentiate from C. furfuracea by its 5–8 petals and a less than 2 mm long adnation between the filament and petals ( Orel et al. 2014b). As discussed above, these variations are poorly convincing to support the novelty of a species.

Except for the insignificant differences in the shape of the leaf blade, the length of the pedicel, the colour of the petals, and the shape and size of the capsule, C. maiana , a member of C. sect. Stereocarpus ( Pierre 1887: t. 119) Sealy (1958: 45), was suggested to distinguish from C. furfuracea mainly by its larger flower (5–8 cm in diameter) and four styles, whereas the latter bore a smaller flower (2–4.5 cm in diameter) and three or five styles ( Orel & Wilson 2010a). Taxa of sect. Stereocarpus are generally characterised by their out filaments that are basally connate for about one third the length, and the single style that is apically 3–5 lobed ( Sealy 1958, Ming 2000). These character states are, however, absent in C. maiana . Furthermore, the petals on the holotype of C. maiana (NSW901884) are 2–3.2 cm long, which is not unique in C. furfuracea . For instance, the petals of a collection of C. furfuracea, Cuong & Cuong VN2306 (HN), are ca. 3 cm long. Meanwhile, the number of styles of C. furfuracea is usually three, but it can vary between three and five (e.g., Phuong 700 at HN bears four styles). Many species have a varied number of styles in Camellia , such as C. amplexicaulis , which usually bears three styles, while some flowers of the plant can also produce two, four, or five styles ( Zhao 2019).

Camellia reflexa and C. viscosa were placed in sect. Heterogenea but the authors did not compare them with C. furfuracea ( Orel & Curry 2015) . Based on the photos presented in the protologue and their types, they are nothing but C. furfuracea .

Very few collections of C. furfuracea from Indochina were cited in the former monographs of Camellia ( Chang 1981, Ming 2000). Therefore, more Indochinese specimens examined in this research are listed below.

Other examined specimens:— LAOS. Champasak: plateau du Boloven, October 1928, Poilane 16260 (PE 01678927); nord de Pakson plateau des Boloven , 29 October 1928, Poilane 16217 (P04511411, VNM00003771 ) ; Parksong, Nonglouang , 22 November 2013, Phonesack & Sengvilai ChS.0832 (HNL) . THAILAND. Chanthaburi: Soi Dao, Khao Soi Dao , 1300–1400 m, 12 December 1924, Kerr 9638 ( BK 203925 , BM, C, K, P04500307) ; Pong Nam Ron, Khao Soi Dao , ca. 1600 m, 23 January 1956, Smitinand 3242 (BKF SN060898) , 1100 m, 5 April 1974, Smitinand 11994 (BKF SN060894) , 1650 m, 9 February 1975, Smitinand 12023 (BKF SN060895, BKF SN060896, P04500286) . VIETNAM. Phuong 11305 (HN) . Bac Giang: Son Dong, Tay Yen Tu , 15 November 2012, Cuong & Cuong VN 2306 (HN). Dak Lak: 1450–1750 m, 30 December 1997, Phengklai et al. 10732 (BKF SN150674) . Dak Nong: Dak Glong, Dak Plao, Ta Dung , 11°52’18’’N, 108°1’37’’E, 1100–1250 m, 12 November 2006, Wu et al. WP 1568 (HN); Dak Mil , 9 December 1979, Tue 296 (HN), 10 December 1979, Ly 720 (HN) . Hanoi: Ba Vi , 500 m, October 1995, Rosmann 95685 (P05247459), 800 m, December 1994, Ninh TN 9414 (HNU) . Kon Tum: massif du Ngok Pan, 9 December 1946, Poilane 35763 (P05156325); Kon Plong, Mang Canh , 23 November 1978, Phuong 700 (HN) . Lam Dong: Di Linh, près Djiring , 1700–1800 m, 17 January 1935, Poilane 23971 (P04511591); Lam Ha, Doi Oui, ca. 1100 m, 30 December 1997, Wongprasert et al. 9712-19 (BKF SN163432, BKF SN163433) . Thanh Hoa: Ba Thuoc, Thanh Son, middle part of Pu Luong range, 20°28’14’’N, 105°5’34’’E, 1450–1550 m, 9 October 2003, Averyanov et al. HAL 4184 (HN) . Thua Thien Hue: Huong Thuy , Duong Hoa, Huong Thuy forest enterprise territory, SW slopes of Mang Chan ridge, 16°13’36’’N, 107°35’9’’E, 450–500 m, 11 May 2005, Averyanov et al. HAL 8159 (HN) . Vinh Phuc: Tam Dao, 1924–1925, Pasquier 6 (P06491557, P06491558), 1000 m, October 1923, Pételot 1519 (HNU), 800 m, 17 November 1998, Ninh H 9872, H 9873, H 9874, H 9875 & H 9877 (HNU), 900 m, 18 November 1998, Ninh 9868 (HNU), 19 November 1998, Ninh H 9868 (HNU), 17 November 2015, Zhao et al. 104 (TCD) .