Danais laciniata C. M. Taylor, 2013

Taylor, Charlotte M. & Rogers, Zachary S., 2013, Six new species of Danais Vent. (Rubiaceae, Danaideae) from Madagascar, Candollea 68 (1), pp. 167-180 : 174-175

3. Danais laciniata C. M. Taylor , spec. nova

( Fig. 3 C-E).

Typus: MADAGASCAR. Prov. Toamasina: Analanjirofo Region, Ankirindro Massif, slopes above the village Ambodivato , ca. 5 km NW of Ambinanitelo along the Vohimaro River, 15°19’13”S 49°33’29”E, 150 m, 20.XI.2002, fr., Schatz & Antilahimena 4007 (holo-: MO-5989728 ! ; iso-: BR, K, P, TAN) .

Haec species acongenerispubescentiahispida, foliisternatis, stipulis reflexis laciniatis, inflorescentia terminali, pedicellis longis atque lobis calycinis longis linearibus distinguitur.

Woody lianas or climbing shrubs, climbing to 7 m high; stems moderately to densely hispid or pilose, subterete. Leaves opposite or ternate with arrangement often variable on a single stem; blades obovate to oblanceolate or elliptic, 2.5-8.5 × 1-3 cm, at base acute to cuneate, at apex acute to acuminate with tips 3-10 mm, drying papery, adaxially moderately hispid to strigose throughout, abaxially moderately to densely hispid to strigose with pubescence denser on principal veins, with margins plane; secondary veins 7 to 11 pairs, not looping to interconnect with each other, adaxially costa and secondary veins prominulous and remaining venation plane, abaxially costa prominent, secondary veins prominulous, intersecondary veins inconspicuous or hardly developed, and tertiary venation loosely reticulated and plane to prominulous. Petioles 3-7 mm, densely hispid to pilose. Stipules interpetiolar, generally persistent with leaves and becoming reflexed, deeply laciniate, with unlobed basal portion truncate to triangular, 1-2.5 mm, with laciniae or lobes 3 to 6, narrowly triangular, 2-4 mm, acute to acuminate, entire to ciliate. Inflorescences and flowers not seen. Infructescences terminal and sometimes also axillary at distalmost 1 to 4 nodes, cymose, rounded in outline, 3-5 × 2-6 cm (including peduncles and fruits), several-flowered (2 to 5), with fruits umbellate or usually with primary axis developed and fruits produced at 2 nodes, with axes hispid to pilose; bracts narrowly elliptic to narrowly triangular or stipuliform, 5-13 mm. Capsules in umbelliform groups of 2 to 5 and all pedicellate on pedicels 15-26 mm, subglobose to oblate and laterally somewhat flattened, 8-12 × 10-12 mm, stiffly chartaceous to thinly woody, moderately to densely pilose to hispid, dehiscent from apex for 1/4-1/2 of body, beak portion flat to broadly conical, with persistent calyx limb divided nearly to base, hispid, lobes 5, narrowly triangular, 7-14 mm, subequal or unequal by up to 1/3 on an individual fruit, acute to acuminate. Seeds elliptic to suborbicular, 2-2.5 mm, flattened, with circumferential wing subentire to weakly dentate and with 1 deep incision.

Names. – The scientific name created here for this species refers to the laciniate stipule form, which is unusual in the genus. The vernacular name “Vahidambo” was noted on Antilahimena 2627, and is probably in the northern Betsimisaraka dialect. This name translated into English means “pig liana” or “wild pig vine”.

Habitat and distribution. – This species is documented from humid forests, at least sometimes in highly disturbed sites, at 150-298 m in eastern Madagascar, in Toamasina Province (Analanjirofo Region, Fig. 5 , humid bioclimatic zone).

Conservation status. – An EOO cannot be calculated for Danais laciniata because the species is known only from two localities. Its AOO is very restricted, certainly <10 km 2, which meets the criterion for Critically Endangered. The two localities where this species is known are ca. 4 km apart, and neither falls within Madagascar’s current system of protected areas. Vegetation at one of the localities was highly fragmented and disturbed in 2002 according to the label information, and the other site is most likely similarly degraded. The habitat quality is certainly expected to worsen in the future, and Danais laciniata is assigned a preliminary conservation status of Critically Endangered due to its limited distribution and threatened habitat [CR B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)].

Notes on morphology, taxonomic identity and similar species. –Danaislaciniata can be recognized by its hispid or pilose pubescence, its leaves that are ternately arranged on at least some nodes and with the blades generally widest above the middle, its laciniate reflexed stipules, its rather lax umbelliform infructescences, its well developed persistent calyx lobes, and its relatively large fruits and seeds. Although the inflorescences and flowers of this species have not been seen, the fruit characters along with the climbing habit support its classification in Danais and the combination of the distinctive characters listed above distinguish D. laciniata from all other Danais species. The relatively long, perhaps flexuous pedicels also appear to be distinctive for this species, but in Danais the fruiting pedicels are frequently much longer than flowering pedicels (e.g., D. vestita Baker ), so details of the inflorescences cannot necessarily be inferred from the infructescences.

These plants may be the same as the fruiting specimen J. S. Miller & al. 3326 that was studied by PUFF & BUCHNER (1994: 44), but neither that collection nor duplicates have been located. PUFF & BUCHNER (1994) included that specimen provisionally in their circumscription of Danais vestita Baker but considered it anomalous due to its ternate leaves, sparser pubescence that dried whitish rather than rusty brown, fewer-flowered inflorescences, and more northern collection locality. Additional specimens of both D. vestita and this new species are now available and clarify that the distinctive features cited by PUFF & BUCHNER (1994) for each of these are consistent. Danais vestita differs from D. laciniata in its pubescence, which is densely pilosulous or hirtellous with shorter trichomes; its leaf blades that are widest below the middle and truncate to cordulate at the base; its stipules that are erect or sometimes weakly spreading; and its inflorescences that are mainly axillary with the bracts linear and generally 1-5 mm long.Specimens of D. laciniata will be identified by PUFF & BUCHNER (1994) ’s key as D. andribensis Homolle , of central and southern Madagascar; however D. andribensis differs from D. laciniata in its pubescence, which is pilosulous to puberulous or entirely lacking, its opposite leaves with the blades widest below the middle and rounded to cordulate at the base, its consistently bilobed stipules, and its smaller capsules (4-8 mm in diam.).

Paratypi. – MADAGASCAR. Prov. Toamasina: Analanjirofo, Maroantsetra, Ambinanitelo, Marovovonana , 15°19’34”S 49°31’15’E, 298 m, 29.VIII.2004, fr., Antilahimena 2627 ( MO!, P, TAN) .

Figures

Fig. 3. – Danais disticha C. M. Taylor. A. Flowering branch; B. Portion of inflorescence with three flowers at anthesis. – Danais laciniata C. M. Taylor. C. Fruiting branch; D. Stem node with two reflexed stipules, and petioles and bases of two leaves; E. Stipule, abaxial face. [A-B: Rakoto 29, MO; C: Antilahimena 2627, MO; D-E: Schatz & Antilahimena 4007, MO] [Drawing: C. M. Taylor]

Fig. 5. – Distribution of Danais laciniata C. M. Taylor (asteriks) and Danais masoalana C. M. Taylor (circles), mapped over the outlines of the five simplified bioclimatic zones of Madagascar of SCHTZ (2000, following CORNET, 1974).