February 2015 TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 90 No. 1 61

J. Jpn. Bot. 90: 61–65 (2015)

Anupam Das Talukdarb, Durgesh Vermaa, Dilip Kumar Roya,*, Manabendra Dutta Choudhuryb and Bipin Kumar Sinhac: A New Variety of Molineria prainiana (Hypoxidaceae) from Northeast India

aBotanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong, Meghalaya, 793 003 INDIA;bDepartment of Life Science & Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar, 788 011, Assam, INDIA;cIndustrial Section, Indian Museum, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 700016 INDIA*Corresponding author: dilipbsierc@gmail.com

Summary: A new variety of Molineria prainiana Deb from Northeast India, Molineria prainiana var. josephii D. K. Roy, D. Verma & A. D. Talukdar, is described and illustrated. The characteristics of fruits are described for the first time for Molineria prainiana Deb.

Hypoxidaceae, a family of herbaceous perennial monocotyledons with approximately 200 species under nine genera that are mainly found in the Southern Hemisphere of the Old World and in North America (Sánchez-Ken 2010). The genus Molineria Colla comprises seven species and one variety (World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2014). In India the genus is represented by all the seven species namely Molineria capitulata (Lour.) Herb., M. crassifolia Baker, M. gracilis Kurz, M. latifolia (Dryand. ex W. T. Aiton) Herb. ex Kurz, M. oligantha C. E. C. Fisch., M. prainiana Deb and M. trichocarpa (Wight) N. P. Balakr. of which M. oligantha is endemic (Hooker 1894, Fischer 1932, Deb 1964).

Molineria prainiana was described by D. B. Deb (1964) based on a collection made by I. H. Burkill in 1912 from Janakmukh during the Abor Expedition. The species epithet was named after D. Prain, who first named this taxon as Curculigo grandis Prain MSS. Burkill (1925) published the taxon in Records of the Botanical Survey of India without any description, so the name was invalid. Later N. L. Bor collected a specimen of the same taxon from Aka Hills, Arunachal Pradesh in 1934, which was published

by Biswas (1940) in Indian Forest Records as Curculigo grandis Baker, here the authorship of Baker is a printing mistake for Burkill as thus the name is invalid (Deb 1964). Mitra (1958) made a new combination Molineria grandis (Prain) J. N. Mitra that stands illegitimate being based on an invalid name. Later on, Mitra (1965) again published the same taxon as a new species based on the collection of J. L. Lister made in 1875 from Duphla hills, Arunachal Pradesh where also the herbarium sheet was marked as Curculigo grandis Prain. So, based on the priority of publication, Molineria prainiana Deb is now an accepted name and Molineria grandis J. N. Mitra stands a heterotypic synonym for it.

While working on genus Molineria of Northeast India, the authors (DKR and DV) came across some interesting collections of J. Joseph made in 1964 from Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh, housed in ASSAM. These were marked as M. crassifolia Baker. After critical observations on the specimens and literature survey, authors are convinced that the taxon is closely related to M. prainiana but differs in having larger lamina, much elongated raceme, long pedicelled sparsely arranged flowers and bigger berries (Figs. 1, 2). Therefore, the taxon is described here as a new variety of it.

Molineria prainiana Deb in Bull. Bot. Suv. India 51: 77 (1965).

var. josephii D. K. Roy, D. Verma & A. D. Talukdar, var. nov. [Figs. 1, 2D]

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Fig. 1. Molineria prainiana var. josephii. A. Leaf. B. Inflorescence. C. Flower (front view). D. Flower (lateral view). E, F. Bract. G. Perianth. H. Anthers. I. Stigma and style. J. Pedicellate ovary with style. K. Fruit (dried). L. Fruit (soaked in liquid Ammonia and hot water). M. Seed.

Similar to Molineria prainiana Deb, distinguished from it by larger leaf lamina, more than 60-flowered, much elongated raceme, long-pedicelled sparsely arranged flowers and bigger berries (Table 1).

Type : INDIA . Arunachal Pradesh: Namdapha, alt. 475 m, 17 October 1983, J. Joseph 83196 (ASSAM 57076–holotype, Fig. 2D; ASSAM 57073, 57074, 57075–isotypes).

Rhizomatous herbs. Leaves large, up

to 150 cm long, elliptic-lanceolate, plicate, membranous; lamina glabrous, up to 115 cm long and 15.5 cm broad, chartaceous, entire, acuminate. Scape flattened, pubescent. Raceme elongated, more than 60-flowered, up to 30 cm long. Flowers bracteate, bisexual, trimerous, 1.5 cm across. Bracts lanceolate, glabrous, ciliate at margin, 1.3–3.5 × 0.4–0.8 cm, veined. Pedicel stellate hairy, 1.3–2.7 cm long. Perianth segments six, in two alternative whorls (three

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Fig. 2. A. Molineria grandis J. N. Mitra (adopted from Mitra 1965). B. Molineria prainiana Deb (adopted from Deb 1964). C. Paratype of Molineria prainiana Deb. D. Molineria prainiana var. josephii (Inflorescence).

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in each), elliptic-lanceolate, free, imbricate, ventrally glabrous, 5-veined, midvein prominent and clothed with hairs dorsally, 0.8–0.9 × 0.3–0.35 cm, persistent. Stamens 6; filament very short, ca. 2 mm long; anther erect, dorsifixed, lanceolate, dithecous, sagittate at base, 5–6 mm. Ovary inferior, 3-carpelled, villous with stellate hairs, 4–5 × 1.8–2.2 mm; style subulate, 7–9 mm; stigma capitate, 0.8–1.0 mm across. Berry pyriform, villous, 1.4–1.8 × 0.7–0.9 cm. Seeds oblong, black, testa grooved deeply, ca. 1.5 × 1.2 mm.

Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh). Endemic to India.

Habitat: In damp places of Tropical evergreen forest at ca. 475 m.

Etymology: The varietal epithet is named after J. Joseph, collector of the specimens.

Notes: In the original publication of Molineria prainiana Deb characters of fruit were not described. So, here the characters of fruits of this species are also provided. Berry pyriform, densely tomentose, 0.8–0.9 cm × 0.4–0.5 cm. Seeds oblong, blackish brown; testa grooved ca. 1.3 × 1.1 mm.

Key to Molineria prainiana and its closely related taxa

1a. Inflorescence dense capitate raceme .......... 21b. Inflorescence lax elongated raceme ........... 32a. Lamina hirsute on nerves beneath; ovary turbinate, villous; berry globose ... M. capitulata2b. Lamina white- dense tomentose beneath; ovary oblong, top silky; berry oblong ................. ........................................................ M. crassifolia 3a. Lamina up to 70 cm long; scape densely

tomentose or woolly; raceme up to 15 cm long; pedicel densely tomentose, 0.5–1.5 cm long; berries 4–5 mm in diam., densely tomentose ..... ................................ M. prainiana var. prainiana3b. Lamina up to 115 cm long; scape pubescent; raceme up to 30 cm long; pedicel sparsely pubescent, 1.3–2.7 cm long; berries 7–9 mm in diam., sparsely pubescent ..................................... .................................... M. prainiana var. josephii

Authors are grateful to P. Singh, Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata and to A. A. Mao, Scientist-E and HOO, Eastern Regional Centre, Botanical Survey of India, Shillong, for facilities and encouragement.

ReferencesBiswas K. 1941. The flora of the Aka hills. Indian Forest

Rec. 3(1): 53–54.Burkill I. H. 1925. The Botany of the Abor Expedition.

Rec. Bot. Surv. India. 10: 386–387. Deb D. B. 1964. An undescribed species of Hypoxidaceae.

Bull. Bot. Surv. India. 6(1): 77–79.Fischer C. E. C. 1932. Plants new to Assam: V. Bull. Misc.

Inform., Royal Bot. Gard. 1932(7): 348–349.Hooker J. D. 1894. Amaryllideae. In: Hooker J. D. (ed.),

The Flora of British India. 6: 277–286. L. Reeve & Co., London.

Mitra J. N. 1958. Flowering Plants of Eastern India: Monocotyledons. 1: 50. The World Press, Calcutta.

Mitra J. N. 1965. A new species of Molineria from Assam. J. Indian Bot. Soc. 43(3): 487–489.

Sánchez-Ken J. G. 2010. Hypoxis coll iculata (Hypoxidaceae), a new species from Mexico and a key to the American species with black seeds. Acta Bot. Mex. 92: 1–9.

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. 2014. Royal botanic Gardens, Kew [online]. Available from http://apps.kew.org/wcsp [accessed 18 August 2014].

Table 1. Differences between Molineria prainiana var. prainiana and var. josephiivar. prainiana var. josephii

Leaf lamina up to 70 cm long up to 115 cm longInflorescence up to 15 cm long,

up to 40-floweredup to 30 cm long,

more than 60-floweredPedicel densely tomentose, 0.5–1.5 cm long sparsely pubescent, 1.3–2.7 cm longBerry 0.8–0.9 × 0.4–0.5 cm, densely tomentose 1.4–1.8 × 0.7–0.9 cm, villous

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A. D. Talukdarb，D. Vermaa，D. K. Roya，M. D. Choudhuryb， B. K. Sinhac: Molineria prainiana（キンバイザサ科）のインド北東産 1新変種　インド北東部から， Molineria prainiana Deb（キンバイザサ科）の 1新変種，Molineria prainiana var. josephii D. K. Roy, D. Verma & A. D. Talukdarを記載した．この新変種は基本変種から，葉身が大型であること，よく伸長した総状花序に花が 60個以上つくこと，花は花柄が長く，花序に疎らにつくこと，漿果がより大型であることで区別される (Table 1)．Molineria prainianaの漿果についてはこれまで知られていなかったが，ここで初めて記載を行った．すなわち，var.

prainianaの漿果は柔毛が密生し，長さ 0.8–0.9 cm，幅 0.4–0.5 cmであるのに対して，新変種である var. josephiiは長毛が生え，長さ 1.4–1.8 cm，幅 0.7–0.9 cmとより大きい．本文では，Molineria prainianaとその近縁種の検索表を示した．

（aインド・植物調査所 Eastern Regional Centre，bインド・Assam University,

Department of Life Science & Bioinformatics，cインド・植物調査所インド博物館 Industrial Section）