Symplocos sisparensis B. Karthik, Murug., Anusuba, Premkumar & R. Tharani, 2023

Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M. & Tharani, R., 2023, Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India, Phytotaxa 589 (1), pp. 83-90 : 84-89

Symplocos sisparensis B. Karthik, Murug., Anusuba, Premkumar & R. Tharani , sp. nov. ( Figure 1 )

Type:— INDIA. Tamil Nadu: The Nilgiris Distr., Way to Nadugani-Mukurthi National Park , 11°15′13.94″ N, 76°29′13.50″ E, ± 2223 m, 29.11.2022, M . Murugesan & B . Karthik 148115 (Holotype MH; Isotypes MH) .

Diagnosis:— Small tree with glabrous branches (vs medium to large tree with villous branches); leaf margins crenulate, each crenulate tooth with a blunt tip, glabrous abaxially with 4–6 pairs of lateral veins (vs leaf margins serrulate, each serrulate tooth with sharp tip, midrib sparsely long-hairy with 7–13 pairs of lateral veins); calyx lobes equal, glabrous and pinkish along margins, hairy in middle of abaxial side (vs calyx lobes unequal, glabrous or sparsely appressed-hairy, greenish along margins); style hairy, curved and constricted at middle (vs style glabrous except at base, style curved without constriction); fruits 7–10 mm long, globose or cylindrical to ellipsoid with blunt apex (vs fruits 1.2–1.4 cm long, broadly cylindrical to ellipsoid or oblongoid, truncate at ends) ( Figure 3 ).

Description

Large shrub to small tree, up to 4 m high. Bark grey, young branchlets light greenish yellow, glabrous, covered with pulvinate leaf scars, twigs have discontinuous growth. Leaves simple, alternate-spiral, exstipulate; lamina 5–9 × 2–3.5 cm, elliptic, shortly attenuate towards base, crenulate along margin, acute-acuminate at apex, mid vein prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, secondary veins abaxially prominent, lateral veins 4–6-pair, convergent towards apex with intramarginal venation, terminal vegetative juvenile leaves abaxially pubescent also covered by bract-like scales, densely pubescent abaxially. Petioles 1–1.5 cm long, brown, canaliculate near the base on adaxial side, glabrous. Inflorescence in axillary spikes on young and rarely on mature branches; sometimes flowers subsessile. Peduncles 1–5 cm long, pubescent at flowering, glabrescent during fruiting. Bracts 3.5–4.5 × 2.5–3 mm, ovate to cymbiform. Bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, 1–2 × 1–1.5 mm, caducous, brown, acute at apex, truncate at base, ciliate along margin, concave, appressed sericeous adaxially, glabrous abaxially. Flowers 3–9 in cluster on a spike, 6–7.5 × 7–8 mm. Calyx tube green, ca. 2 mm long, glabrous, 5-lobed; lobes deltoid, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous and green to pinkish at margins, sparsely hairy from middle to apex abaxially. Corolla white, 3–4.5 × 3–3.5 mm, deeply 5-lobed; lobes connate at base, elliptic, obtuse or subobtuse at apex, 5-veined. Stamens 55–70 in 4 or 5 irregular series, uppermost series extending beyond corolla, 1–6 mm long; filaments equally wide from base to apex; anthers ca. 1 mm long. Style 2–3 mm long, shorter than corolla, constricted at middle; stigma capitate. Disk 5-glandular, stellate-hairy. Fruits 7–10 × 4–6 mm, globose or cylindrical to ellipsoid with blunt apex, not grooved.

Flowering & Fruiting: October–December.

Etymology: The new species named after the type locality, Sispara Ghats of Mukurthi National Park, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.

Habitat & Ecology: Daphniphyllum neilgherrense (Wight) Rosenthal (1919: 7) , Eurya nitida Korthals (1841: 115) , Hedyotis sisaparensis Gage (1906: 244) , Berberis nilghiriensis Ahrendt (1945: 1) , Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hasskarl (1842: 35) , Rubus ellipticus Smith (1815: 16) and Myrsine wightiana Wallich ex de Candolle (1834: 106) .

Distribution: Mukurthi National Park, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India ( Figure 2 ).

Conservation status: During the present study, the authors have observed seven individuals of this new species, on the way to Nadugani-Mukurthi National Park covering about 2 km 2 geographical areas. Therefore, it is provisionally assessed here as Critically Endangered [CR, D], according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2022).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. A Twig; B & C. Leaf abaxial & adaxial view; D. Inflorescence; E. Flower bud with bracteole; F. Calyx lobes; G. Petal; H & I. Flower adaxial & abaxial view; J. Glands on disk; K. Androecium; L. Style – hairy; M. Gynoecium; N. Fruit.

FIGURE 2. Type locality & Habitat

FIGURE 3. A1 & A2. A Twig; B1 & B2. Leaf; C1 & C2. Branchlets; D1 & D2. Fruits. 1. Symplocos sisparensis sp. nov.; 2. Symplocos foliosa Wight.