Boesenbergia meghalayensis Aishwarya & M. Sabu, 2015

Vinitha, M. R., Thomas, George & Sabu, M., 2015, A new species of Boesenbergia and rediscovery of B. rotunda (Zingiberaceae) from India, Phytotaxa 197 (3), pp. 186-196 : 187

1. Boesenbergia meghalayensis Aishwarya & M. Sabu , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 & 2 )

Type:— INDIA, Meghalaya: Shillong, Nortiang road side, Alt. 1120 m, 18 August 2004, Sanoj E. 95637 (holotype CALI!).

Diagnosis:— B. meghalayensis is related to B. rotunda , but differs from it by the following characters: shorter shoot, wavy leaf margin, elongate rachis with no crowded bracts, bracteole shorter than bract, white corolla lobes, acuminate hood on dorsal lobe, white staminodes, ovate with acute apex and white with maroon-apexed labellum and peltate stigma.

Perennial rhizomatous herb. Rhizome 0.8–1.5 cm wide, running, with many root tubers which are cylindrical and tapered towards tip, slightly aromatic, cream coloured inside, brownish outside. Leafy shoot 50−60 cm tall; 3−7 leaves per shoot; pseudostem 7–11 cm long. Leaf 28−46 cm long; petiole 7−13 cm long, pale green, villous beneath; lamina 21−33 × 8.5−13 cm, elliptic, light green, glabrous, base oblique, tip acute, margin wavy; ligule 0.1−0.2 cm, bilobed, lobes oblong, translucent, pale green, villous. Inflorescence terminal, ca. 10.5 cm long, enclosed within leaf-sheaths, rachis elongate with 4 or 5 flowers per spike, one opens per day. Flower 8.5−9.5 cm long, white with maroon tip. Bracts 4.4−4.9 × 0.7 cm long, oblong, translucent, white, glabrous, tip acute. Bracteoles 2.8−3.6 × 0.7 cm, translucent, white, glabrous. Calyx 2.1−2.2 × 0.3−0.5 cm, tubular, truncate, membranous, translucent, white, glabrous, split on one side up to ca. 0.9 cm deapth, unsplit side bilobed. Corolla tube 6.2−6.4 cm long, white, sparsely hairy towards base; lobes white, translucent, incurved, glabrous, reticulate; dorsal lobe 2.3 × 0.7 cm, lanceolate with acuminate hood; lateral lobes 1.9 × 0.5 cm, oblong, tip acute. Lateral staminodes 2, 1.6−1.7 × 0.9−1.0 cm, obovate to obovate-oblong, membranous, white, glabrous, margin wavy at tip. Labellum 2.5−2.8 × 1.0− 1.4 cm, saccate, ovate, apex acute reflexed and sometimes emarginate, white with maroon (predominant laterally) towards tip and maroon spots in the throat, glabrous (along median hairy), margin wavy towards apex. Stamen 0.7−0.8 cm long, white; filament 0.2−0.3 × 0.2 cm, translucent, white, glabrous; anther 0.5–0.6 × 0.2 cm, falcate, white with minute orange spots; crest 0.25 × 0.2 cm, recurved, emarginate and tip touches the backside of the anther. Ovary 0.5−0.6 × 15 cm, tricarpellary, trilocular with ovules on axile placenta, glabrous or with few hairs only at apex; style 6.6−7.0 cm long, white, filiform, glabrous; stigma peltate with opening slightly ciliate and one side trilobed, white with pink spots. Epigynous glands 2, 0.8−0.9 cm long, linear, cream coloured. Fruit not seen.

Flowering:— July− September

Distribution:— Endemic to Meghalaya and Mizoram of northeast India

Etymology:— The specific epithet denotes the name of the state Meghalaya, where the type was collected.

Ecology:— Growing in open land along the road side.

Other specimen examined:— INDIA, Mizoram: Hauruang, 602 m, N 22 ⁰ 53, 237 E 097 ⁰ 43, 231, 08 September 2002, Prasanth Kumar, M.G. & Jana Skornickova 86232 (CALI!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Boesenbergia meghalayensis. A. Habit (Inset: flower- front view). B. Flower. C. Bract. D. Bracteole. E. Calyx. F. Corolla lobes. G. Lateral staminodes. H. Labellum. I. Stamen- side view. J. Stamen- ventral view. K. Ovary with epigynous glands. L. Stigma. M. C.S of ovary. (Photos by Aishwarya, K. from Sanoj, E. 95637).

FIGURE 2. Boesenbergia meghalayensis. A. Habit. B. Flower. C. Bract. D. Bracteole. E. Calyx. F. Corolla lobes. G. Lateral staminodes. H. Labellum. I. Stamen- side view. J. Stamen- ventral view. K. Ovary with epigynous glands. L. Stigma. M. C.S of ovary. (Illustration by Aishwarya, K. from Sanoj, E. 95637).