Garcinia nuntasaenii Ngerns. & Suddee

Ngernsaengsaruay, Chatchai & Chanton, Pichet, 2024, A taxonomic revision of Garcinia sections Dicrananthera and Macrostigma (Clusiaceae) in Thailand, PhytoKeys 248, pp. 339-360 : 339-360

1. Garcinia nuntasaenii Ngerns. & Suddee , Thai Forest Bull., Bot. 44 (2): 134. figs 1, 2, 3. 2016; Tagane et al., Edinburgh J. Bot. 75 (1): 110. fig. 2 G. 2018.

Fig. 5

Type.

Thailand • Bueng Kan Province, Bung Khla District, Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary , fr., 13 Dec 2008, N. Nuntasaen 10 (holotype BKF!; isotype BKF!) .

Description.

Habit shrub, 1–2 m tall; latex white, turning pale yellow, sticky; branches decussate, horizontal or nearly horizontal; branchlets green, 4 - angular, glabrous. Bark green when young, turning dark brown when mature, smooth, usually lenticellate; inner bark pale yellow. Terminal bud concealed between the bases of the uppermost pair of petioles. Leaves decussate; lamina lanceolate-ovate, ovate or elliptic, 6–17 × 3–7.5 cm, apex acuminate or acute and rigid, base subcordate, margin thick, entire and slightly undulate (repand), coriaceous, slightly bullate or bullate, apical part of leaves conduplicate, twisted and recurved, glossy dark green above, paler below, glabrous on both surfaces, midrib shallowly grooved above, raised as a prominent ridge below, secondary veins 12–20 each side, curving towards the margin and connected in distinct loops and united into an intramarginal vein, flattened above, slightly raised below, conspicuous on both surfaces, intersecondary veins conspicuous, veinlets reticulate, visible on both surfaces, interrupted long wavy lines present, of differing lengths, nearly parallel to the midrib, running across the secondary veins to the apex, visible below; petiole green, 0.2–1 cm long, not grooved, transversely rugose, glabrous, with a basal appendage clasping the branchlet; young leaves red. Inflorescences terminal or at leafless nodes (in axils of fallen leaves), cymose. Flowers unisexual, plants dioecious, 4 - merous, fully open flowers 0.8–1 cm in diam.; bracteoles narrowly triangular or triangular, 2–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, apex acute or acuminate, somewhat thick; pedicels short; sepals 4 and petals 4, decussate, pale yellow or creamish white, somewhat thick; sepals obovate or elliptic, 3–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm, concave, apex rounded; petals broadly obovate, 5.5–8.5 × 3.5–7 mm, apex rounded, apical part recurved. Flower buds: sepals pink or pink-pale yellow. Male flowers in fascicles of several simple cymes; stamens numerous, united into a single weakly 4 - lobed bundle; filaments very short; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm long; pistillode usually absent. Female flowers usually in a cluster of 3 flowers (a simple cyme); staminodes numerous, united into a single weakly 4 - lobed bundle, surrounding the ovary; pistil fungiform; ovary depressed globose, 1.5–2 × 2–3 mm, shallowly 4–6 - lobed, 4–6 - locular; stigma convex, hemispherical, 1.5–2 × 2.5–3.5 mm, papillate. Fruits berries, depressed globose, 0.5–0.7 × 1–2 cm, 4–6 - lobed, green with white dots, turning red when ripe, smooth, glabrous, glossy, with persistent sepals; persistent stigma circular, flat, radiately lobed or unlobed; fruiting stalk 2–4 mm. long. Seeds 4–6, with fleshy pulp. The description of this species is based on Ngernsaengsaruay and Suddee 2016, which includes additional information.

Distribution.

Central Laos and North-Eastern Thailand.

Distribution in Thailand.

North-Eastern: Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom.

Habitat and ecology.

It is found in dry evergreen forests, 150–220 m amsl.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting more than once; flowering in December to July; fruiting in December to April.

Conservation status.

Garcinia nuntasaenii is known only from four localities in Bueng Kan and Nakhon Phanom Provinces, North-Eastern Thailand and Nam Kading National Protected Area, Laos. All occurrences are in small populations. It has a small EOO of 796.87 km 2 and a relatively small AOO of 16 km 2. Because of its number of localities, and because the roots of this species are used for medicinal purpose by nearby villagers in Thailand, the population is suspected to be declining. We therefore suggest the conservation status Endangered [EN B 2 ab (v)].

Etymology.

The specific epithet of Garcinia nuntasaenii honours Mr Narong Nuntasaen, a staff member and a plant collector of BKF, who collected the type specimen.

Vernacular names.

Chang nga ek (ช ้ างงาเอก) (Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom).

Uses.

The fruits are edible (from the specimen M. Norsaengsri & N. Tathana 8630). The roots are locally used for medicinal purposes (Ngernsaengsaruay personal observation).

Note.

Garcinia nuntasaenii is similar to G. phuongmaiensis in its habit (shrubs); sticky white latex, turning pale yellow when exposed to the air; 4 - angular branchlets, especially when young; coriaceous, bullate, shiny dark green, subcordate leaves with a short petiole; flower size, c. 1 cm in diam.; and the color of fruits, turning red when ripe, but differs in having 4 - merous flowers [vs (4 –) 5 - merous flowers]; pale yellow or creamish white petals (vs white petals); 4–6 - lobed fruits (vs 3–4 - lobed fruits); and is also distributed in Central Laos and North-Eastern Thailand (vs distributed in Central Vietnam). The morphological characteristics and distribution of G. phuongmaiensis were taken from Tuan et al. (2023).

Additional specimens examined.

Thailand. North-Eastern • Bueng Kan [Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary, Bung Khla District, fl., 8 Nov 1996 ( Garcinia sp. ), C. Niyomdham 4910 ( BKF) • ibid., fl., 27 Aug. 2001 ( Garcinia sp. ), R. Pooma et al. 2791 ( BKF) • ibid., ♂ fl., 1 Jan 2008 (spirit specimen), N. Nuntasaen 11 ( BKF) • ibid., fr., 27 Dec 2011 ( Garcinia sp. ), M. Norsaengsri & N. Tathana 8630 ( BKF, QBG) • ibid., 12 Feb 2015, M. Poopath 981-1, 981-2 ( BKF) • ibid., ♀ fl., 24 Jul 2015, C. Ngernsaengsaruay & N. Meeprom 754 ( BKF) • The Upper Northeast Wild Plants Conservation Center, Bung Khla District , ♂ fl., 24 Jul 2015, C. Ngernsaengsaruay & N. Meeprom 750, 751 ( BKF) • ibid., ♀ fl., 24 Jul 2015, C. Ngernsaengsaruay & N. Meeprom 752, 753 ( BKF)] • Nakhon Phanom [Ban Phaeng District, Phu Langka National Park (Narong Nuntasaen own observation)] .

Laos • Bolikhamxay [ Nam Kading National Protected Area , ♂ fl., L 8 • ibid., fl. & fr., L 431 • ibid., L 1034 ( Tagane et al. 2018) .

Figures

Figure 5. Garcinia nuntasaenii A habit and habitat B branchlets and young leaves C terminal bud concealed between the bases of the uppermost pair of petioles D terminal inflorescences with flower buds E branchlets and male inflorescences in axils of fallen leaves with male flower buds and open male flowers F female flower (top view) G branchlets, leaves, and fruit. Photos: Chatchai Ngernsaengsaruay (A – D, F), Manop Poopath (E, G).