Strobilanthes aprica (Hance) T. Anderson ex Bentham (1861: 262)

Albertson, Winston D. & Wood, Hn. R. I., 2012, Forgotten types of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) in The Central National Herbarium, Kolkata, India, Phytotaxa 43, pp. 49-60 : 50

Strobilanthes aprica (Hance) T. Anderson ex Bentham (1861: 262) .

Gutzlaffia aprica Hance (1849: 142-3) . Lectotype (designated here): CHINA. Hong Kong , H.F. Hance 536 ( CAL0000019794 !). Figure 1A .

Phlebophyllum apricum (Hance) Bentham (1853: 131) .

It seems that Hance’s private herbarium was destroyed in 1884 and although BM has some 23,000 of his collections ( Stafleu & Cowan 1979: 42), there is no collection of Strobilanthes aprica by Hance either there or at K. However there are three sheets of this species collected by Hance at CAL. Of these, one (barcode no. CAL0000019796 ) is dated 1859 so cannot have been used by Hance in preparing his description in 1849. Of the remaining two only one is labelled by Hance with the original name “ Gutzlaffia aprica Hance ” so we have selected this as lectotype even though it is of rather poor quality. Anderson’s annotation “ Strobilanthes apricus ” is also clearly visible on the sheet.

Strobilanthes aprica is a well-known species of southern China, Laos, northern Vietnam, northern Thailand and the Shan region of Myanmar and is especially common around Hong Kong.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Lectotype of Gutzlaffia aprica Hance. B. Holotype of Strobilanthes furcata Biswas.