Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca Hook.f.

Hareesh, Vadakkoot Sankaran & Sabu, Mamiyil, 2022, Taxonomic studies on Indian Ophiorrhiza L. (Rubiaceae): with a new variety, new distributional record of O. medogensis H. Li for India and the identity of O. recurvipetala Bhuyan, Baruah & Mehmud, Adansonia (3) 44 (5), pp. 29-36 : 32-34

Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca Hook.f.

( Fig. 3 )

Flora of British India 3: 78 ( Hooker 1880).

Ophiorrhiza recurvipetala Bhuyan, Baruah & Mehmud, Nordic Journal of Botany 39: e03048 (2021) syn. nov. — Type specimen: India, Assam : Dima Hasao district, hilly areas near Jatinga , 14.XI.2019, B. Bhuyan & S. Baruah 0019 (holo-, ASSAM ; iso- BUH) .

TYPE. — India. Sikkim, alt. 2-5000 ft, s.n., J.D. Hooker 5-Ophiorrhiza (lecto-, first-step lectotype designated by Deb & Mondal on 1997; second-step lectotype designated here, K [ K000031179 ]! ; isolecto-, CAL [ CAL0000010928 ]!; K [ K000031178 ]!; L [ L0281127 ]!; P [ P04004375 ]!; W [ W0074652 ]!) .

SYNTYPES. — India. Khasia Mts , alt. 0-4000 ft, s.n., J.D. Hooker & Thomson 5-Ophiorrhiza (syn-, CAL [ CAL0000010927 ]!; E [ E00327639 ]!; L [ L2940737 ]!; M [ M0198352 ]!; NY [ NY00132371 ]!; P [ P02273392 ]!; W [ W0074651 , W18083 ]!) .

SPECIMEN DATA. — Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca: India. Arunachal Pradesh : Papum Pare District , Sagali , 28. V.2017, V.S. Hareesh 152672 (MBGH) ; West Kameng District, near Sessa Village , 31. V.2017, V.S. Hareesh 152697 (MBGH) .

HABITAT, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSERVATION STATUS. — Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca is distributed in India, Bhutan, China (Yunnan), India and Myanmar. In India, it is distributed in Sikkim, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur at an altitude that ranges from 2 to 5000 feet. Like other Ophiorrhiza species, this is also growing in moist shady areas in association with Impatiens drepanophora Hook.f ., I. pseudolaevigata Gogoi, B.B.T.Tham & Liden , Ophiorrhiza debiana Hareesh, A.Joe & M.Sabu , Tacca sp. , Pilea sp. etc. According to the present field data, the new species is tentatively classified as Data Deficient (DD) ( IUCN 2017).

REMARKS

Ophiorrhiza recurvipetala is a newly described species from Assam of North-East India. While describing the new species, the authors have compared it with O. ochroleuca , a species already having wide distribution across NE India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. The extensive field works made by the authors during 2015 to till date in the Northeastern India in different seasons collected several gatherings of O. ochroleuca , especially from Arunachal Pradesh. The identity of these materials was confirmed by comparing with the type housed at (K and CAL) and protologue. However, we noticed many intermediate forms especially about internal nature of corolla tube, position of stamens and style length as mentioned in the protologue.

The newly published O. recurvipetala by Bhuyan et al. (2021) clearly matches with typical O. ochroleuca . The major differences that they have mentioned were “attenuate leaf base, inflorescence 3-4 cm across, 5-7 cm long peduncle, creamy white flowers, pubescent capsule, corolla tube hairy all over and strongly recurved corolla lobes with acute apex”. Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca also has wide range of variations in the lamina shape that varies from round to cuneate or attenuate leaf base and acute to acuminate apex. The inflorescence cross length and peduncle length also overlap with the O. ochroleuca as mentioned in earlier literature and also from the living collections. Bhuyan et al. (2021) have vaguely described the flower colour as creamy white.From the protologue images ( Fig. 1B ), it was clear that, it has yellowish green flower, which is typical for O. ochroleuca . Similarly, the indumentum on the fruit wall also shows variation from puberulent to pubescent. In addition to this, the recurved nature of the corolla lobe is the typical character of O. ochroleuca which is clearly mentioned by Deb & Mondal (1997) and is also clear from the present collections by the authors. The internal corolla tube nature, which is hairy all over is the difference discussed by the authors as the character not motioned by Deb & Mondal (1997). From our collection, throughout villose hairs are present in corolla tube in the short-styled flowers of O. ochroleuca . Whereas, the long styled flowers possess a villous ring in the throat of the corolla followed by glabrous nature. From these we concluded that all floral characters fall within the range of O. ochroleuca , hence O. recurvipetala is treated here as a synonym of O. ochroleuca .

TYPIFICATION

Hooker (1880) published the species name Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca Hook. f. and based it on the collections from Sikkim and Khasia mountains (Meghalaya). The protologue shows the type collection information as: “ Ophiorrhiza , 5 Herb. Ind. Or. H.f. & T.” and “Sikkim and Bhotan Himalaya, alt. 1-5000 ft., common. Khasia Mts. alt. 0-4000 ft Cachar, Keenen ”. It is evident that Hooker based his species description on syntypes and the species name needs typification. And in our search, we located 14 specimens housed in different herbaria (three sheets in W, two sheets each in CAL, K, L, P and single in E, M, NY), and all the labels of these specimens show the same collection info given within the protologue.

In 1993, John R.I. Wood annotated one of the two K sheets (K000031179) as the lectotype; the preceding specimen was collected by J.D. Hooker from Sikkim. However, Wood’s intended lectotypification was not effectively published and does not constitute as an act of typification. Furthermore, he did not annotate the specimens at CAL (CAL0000010928), K (K000031178), P (P04004375), W (W0074652) and L (L0281127); these specimens most likely belong to the same gathering. However, Schanzer annotated L (L0281127) specimens as isolectotype referred from Wood’s annotation in the K (K000031179) specimen. Subsequently, Deb & Mondal (1997) mentioned that the “holotype” is housed at K and the CAL specimens are “isotypes”; they did not specify the relevant holotype specimen at K or comment on Wood’s annotation of the K specimen as the lectotype. In addition, they did not mention the specimens of P (P04004375), W (W0074652) and L (L0281127). Nevertheless, Deb & Mondal’s citation of “holotype” is construed here as an inadvertent act of lectotypification, and their usage of the term “holotype” is correctable (vide ICNafp Art. 9. 10; Turland et al. 2018).

Since the K has two specimens and since Deb and Mondal did not specify one of them as the “holotype”, their citation is treated as the lectotype [first-step].

We herewith narrow the typification by designating the K specimen (K000031179) as the lectotype [second-step] (vide Art. 9.17). Our choice agrees with Wood’s earlier annotation of the same specimen as the lectotype. Consequently, the second K specimen (K000031178), P specimen (P04004375), W specimen (W0074652) and L specimen (L0281127) are designated here as isolectotypes.

Of the remaining original specimens from Khasia Mts. alt. 0-4000 ft collected by J.D. Hooker and Thomson in E (E00327639) is annotated as syntype. M. Wetter annotated NY (NY00132371) specimen as Type of Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca on 1983. Schanzer annotated the two specimens in W (W0074651, W18083) as isotypes and P02273392 & L2940737 as isosyntypes. The remaining two specimens (CAL0000010927, M0198352) did not have any annotation. Hence we considered all the above mentioned specimens from Khasia Mts. collected by J.D. Hooker and Thomson as syntypes. The altitude ranges 1-5000 ft of Sikkim specimen in the protologue is a typographical error of 2-5000 ft.

NOTES

Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca was so far treated in a homostylous species or unknown in the floral morphology ( Lo 1990; Deb & Mondal 1997; Chen &Taylor 2011). Living collections from different localities of northeastern India revealed that the plant possess both long-styled and short-styled flowers ( Fig. 3 ). The amended floral description along with colour photographs is provided for better understanding. Flowers are yellow or yellow-orange or greenish to pale yellow or rarely yellowish white. Corolla lobes prominently keeled or spurred dorsally. Long-styled flowers: internally glabrous with a villous ring in the throat of the corolla tube, followed by papillose towards the corolla lobes; stamens inserted just above the base of the corolla tube; filaments c. 0.5 mm long; anthers oblong-linear 2.25-2.5 mm long, white to pale yellow; style filiform, 6.5- 7 mm long, ciliate; stigma 1.5-2 × c. 1.5 mm, globose, white, papillose. Short-styled flowers: internally with a villous ring just below the middle of the corolla tube, followed by sparse long villous towards the throat and glabrous below, papillose towards the corolla lobes; stamens inserted just below the middle of corolla tube; filaments 3-3.5 mm long; anthers oblong-linear 2.25-2.5 mm long, white to pale yellow; style filiform, c. 1.5 mm long, glabrous; stigma c. 2 mm long, oblong, off-white, glabrous to papillose.

Figures

FIG. 3. — Ophiorrhiza ochroleuca Hook.f.: A, habit; B, inflorescence (long-styled); C, inflorescence (short-styled) showing immature fruits; D, E, floral parts of long-styled flower: D, split-opened corolla showing stamens; E, calyx with style and stigma; F, G, floral parts of short-styled flower: F, corolla showing stamens; G, calyx with style and stigma. Scale bars: 5 mm. Photos by V.S. Hareesh.

FIG. 1. — Ophiorrhiza medogensis H.Li var.shiyomiense Hareesh & M.Sabu, var.nov.:A, habit; B, a twig with inflorescence;C, inflorescence side view;D, inflorescence (short-styled);E, inflorescence (long-styled);F, G, floral parts of short-styled flower:F, split-opened corolla showing stamens;G, calyx with style and stigma; H, I, floral parts of long-styled flower: H, corolla showing stamens; I, calyx with style and stigma; J, infructescence. Scale bars: 5 mm. Photos by V.S. Hareesh.