Lagerstroemia pterosepala Furtado & Srisuko

de Wilde, W. J. J. O. & Duyfjes, B. E. E., 2014, Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae) in Malesia, Blumea 59 (2), pp. 113-122 : 118-119

8. Lagerstroemia pterosepala Furtado & Srisuko

Lagerstroemia pterosepala Furtado & Srisuko (1969) 230, f. 16. — Type: Adduru FB 21959 (holo A photo seen), Philippines, Luzon.

Treelet (probably); young branches slightly winged along the edges; bark not recorded. Leaves: petiole 0.1–0.3 cm long; lamina glabrous on both surfaces, but lower midvein somewhat hairy, (obovate)elliptic, 5–8 cm long; lateral veins 5–7 on each side; intercostal venation reticulate. Inflorescences terminal, 3–6 cm long, 1–3-flowered, minutely grey-hairy. Flowers: bud clavate, c. 10 mm long; pseudopedicel indistinct, c. 1 mm long; calyx tube with 6(–7) double winged ridges, wings chartaceous, crispate-undulate, c. 2 mm out, continuing along the calyx lobe margins; calyx lobes (sepals) 6, slightly hairy within, 4–5 mm long; petals rhombic, c. 10 mm long (including 1–2 mm long claw); stamens radially dimorphic (6–7 outer stamens longer than numerous inner ones); ovary glabrous, subglobose. Capsules not known with certainty (see note 2): 1–3 per infructes- cence, brown, glabrous, shagreen, broadly ellipsoid, 15–20 by 17–18 mm, apex broadly rounded, 4(–5)-valved; fruiting calyx glabrescent from minute hairs, broadly obturbinate, c. 10 by 20 mm, sharply 6(–7)-ridged, with 6(–7) reflexed lobes, ridges (1–) 2 mm out, wings on ridges and calyx sutures not seen, presumably broken off; fruiting pseudopedicel absent.

Distribution — Philippines, northern Luzon, known from three collections: the type, Ridsdale 1889 (L), and Clemens 15815 (UC, not found).

Notes — 1. Lagerstroemia pterosepala is close to L. paniculata , the latter also from Luzon. Apart from differences in the flower, L. pterosepala is a shrub and possibly an ecologically (e.g. from poor soil) defined taxon. It may be related to L. paniculata in a similar way as L. noei Craib to L. cochinchinensis Pierre in Thailand.

2. The collection Ridsdale 1889 (Luzon, Bulacan, environs Sibul Springs, N15°10' E121°04', 450 m altitude) with large fruit, appeared difficult to identify. It clearly belongs to the group with the here variably conceived L. celebica , especially its most closely resembling species L. ovalifolia , but it cannot go with either of these. Lagerstroemia ovalifolia has 7–9 calyx lobes and 5–6 fruit valves, L. celebica usually has smaller fruits, usually with 6 valves and a distinct pseudopedicel. Provision- ally we assume that it represents the fruit of L. pterosepala of which the fruit to date was unknown.