Boehmeria japonica var. tenera (Blume, 1857) Friis & Wilmot-Dear., 2013

Wilmot-Dear, C. M. & Friis, I., 2013, The Old World species of Boehmeria (Urticaceae, tribus Boehmerieae). A taxonomic revision, Blumea 58 (2), pp. 85-216 : 189-191

2. Leaf apex acute or acuminate in outline with long terminal tooth; leaves relatively narrower, length 1.5–2.7 × width. — North, central & south-western China; South Korea; Japan................................... c. var. tenera a. var. japonica — Fig. 34a–f ; Map 35

Urtica macrophylla Thunb. (1784) 69. ― Boehmeria macrophylla (Thunb.) Siebold & Zucc.(1846) 215, nom.illeg., non Hornem.(1815) 890. ― Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. japonica Wedd. (1856) 365. ― Boehmeria grandifolia Wedd. (1854) 199, nom. illeg., based on Urtica macrophylla Thunb.(1784) . ― Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. macrophylla (Thunb.) Wedd. (1869) 213, nom illeg. superfl., based on Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. japonica Wedd. (1856) 365. ― Boehmeria miqueliana Tanaka (1925) 198,208,nom.illeg. superfl.,based on Urtica macrophylla Thunb. ― Type: Thunberg 22160 (holo UPS-THUNB, seen on microfiche), Japan.

Boehmeria longispica Steud. (1850) 260. ― Boehmeria japonica (L.f.) Miq. var. longispica (Steud.) Yahara (1984b) 320. ― Type: Fortune “A85” (lecto P, selected by Yahara 1984a:135; isolecto K), China,Ning Po. – See Note 1.

Boehmeria longispica Steud.var. appendiculata Blume (1857) 221. ― Boehmeria japonica (L.f.) Miq. var. appendiculata (Blume) Yahara (1984a) 134, f. 3 right hand. ― Type: Blume s.n. [L 908.185-1662] (lecto L, selected by Yahara 1984a: 134), Japan. – See Note 1.

Boehmeria longispica Steud. var. heterodonta Blume (1857) 221. ― Type: Unknown collector s.n. (lecto L 908.185-1675, selected here), Japan.

Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. tricuspis Hance (1874) 261. ― Boehmeria japonica (L.f.) Miq. var. tricuspis (Hance) Maxim. (1876) 642; (1877) 252. ― Boehmeria longispica Steud.var. tricuspis (Hance) Franch.& Sav.(1878) 497. ― Boehmeria tricuspis (Hance) Makino (1912) 387. ― Boehmeria platanifolia Franch. & Sav. var. tricuspis (Hance) Matsum. (1912) 42. ― Type: Otto van Moellendorff s.n. (holo BM), China, Zhejiang,Kiukiang, 2–3 Aug. 1873.

Boehmeria spicata (Thunb.) Thunb.var. duploserrata C.H.Wright (1899) 488. ― Type: Hicken s.n. (holo K), China, Zhejiang (rec. 11-1896).

Boehmeria tricuspis (Hance) Makino forma viridipes Satake (1936) 481. ― Type: Satake s.n. (type not traced; identity clear from description), Japan, Honshu , Awa Prov., Mt Kiyozumi, 5 Nov. 1935.

Boehmeria minor Satake (1936) 506. ― Type: K. Hisauchi s.n. (holo TI), Japan, Honsyu, Sagami, 24 Sept. 1928. – See Note 2.

Boehmeria tiliifolia Satake (1936) 507. ― Type: Satake 3533 (holo TI), Japan, Honsyu, Izu, 5 Sept. 1935.

Boehmeria tikusiensis Satake (1936) 510. ― Type: Nakasimia 6 (holo TI), Japan, Kyusyu , Tikuzen, Minamihata-mura, 26 Sept. 1937. – See Note 3.

Boehmeria pachystachya Satake (1936) 524. ― Type: Satake & Jotani 3577 (holo TI), Japan, Honsyu, Awa, 5 Nov. 1935.

Boehmeria taiwaniana Nakai & Satake in Satake (1936) 526. ― Type: Matsuda 14 (holo TI), Taiwan, Nanto, 11 Aug. 1919.

Boehmeria robusta Nakai & Satake in Satake (1936) 528. ― Type: Hisauchi s.n. (holo TI), Japan, Honsyu, Sagami, 4 Oct. 1931.

Boehmeria hatusimae Satake (1938a) 203. ― Type: Hatusima s.n. (holo TI), Japan, Kyusyu, Tikuzen, 8 Nov. 1936.

Boehmeria pilushanensis Y.C.Liu & F.Y.Lu in Lu (1978) 102 & photo 5. ― Boehmeria taiwaniana Nakai & Satake var. pilushanensis (Y.C.Liu & F.Y.Lu) S.S.Ying (1988) 466. ― Type: Lu & Ou 3552 (holo TCF, seen as digital image), Taiwan, Taichung, Pilushan.

Boehmeria allophylla W.T. Wang (1981b) 412, syn. nov. ― Type: L.Q. Chen 92643 (holo IBK, seen as digital image), China, Guangxi, Liang yun, 17 Aug. 1928.

Boehmeria chingshuishaniana S.S.Ying (1988) 468. ― Type: Ying s.n. (holo NTUF), Taiwan, Hualien Co., 26 June 1988.

Herb or subshrub, up to 2(–5) m tall. Stem hairs abundant, ± spreading. Length of ‘larger’ leaves 1–1.4(–2) × ‘smaller’ ones, shape very variable ranging from broadly ovate-rhombic or ovate with truncate base to very broadly elliptic or deltate (rarely obovate-obdeltate), 6–21 by 5.5–18 cm, length 0.9–1.7(–2) × width; marginal teeth either 5–10 either side (broad-laciniate forms) or 10–15(–17) (ovate acuminate forms), large, even those at extreme base at least 1–2.5 mm long, often much broader than long, usually larger rather than more numerous on larger leaves and the most distal teeth with length 3 –10 × that of proximal ones; leaf apex varying from acuminate with a single long tooth several times longer than most marginal teeth, to rounded-truncate in outline but 3 –5-toothed or 3-lobed, with 1–2 subapical teeth either side of terminal tooth, these long in-curved or broad outward-pointing (often secondarily toothed); texture usually fairly thick-chartaceous; hairs on adaxial surface adpressed or ± spreading, often bulbous-based giving rough feel; hairs on abaxial surface spreading, denser but softer (not bulbous-based). Inflorescence-bearing axes (5–) 10–25 cm long, hairy like the stem; fruiting clusters large, 4–6 mm diam, well-spaced or often a continuous densely congested mass along axis; male flowers rarely present, tepals with or without dorsal appendage. Fruiting perianth very variable in shape, ovoid, ellipsoid or obovoid abruptly or gradually tapering to base and with or without beak, 1–2 by 0.5–1 mm long, with a distinct marginal rim or (especially Japanese material) markedly flattened into a wing around achene.

Distribution ― Throughout the range of the species (excl. northern China), South Korea, Japan, China (including Taiwan).

Habitat & Ecology ― Very varied; swamps in sandy soil; open or shady damp ravines; thin evergreen forest; scrub in valleys; barren dry hillsides; walls and roadsides; 70–1500 m altitude.

Notes ― 1. The lectotypes of both var. appendiculata and var. longispica fall well within the range of variation of var. japonica as here defined (as discussed above under the species, see Note 4). It is not known why Yahara (1984b: 320) made his new combination B. japonica var. longispica when he had earlier (1984a: 135) published the combination B. japonica var. appendiculata , citing the epithet longispica in synonymy.

2. Ohba (2006: 107) considers B. minor as the correct name for a natural hybrid involving B. splitgerbera and B. tenera .

3. Ohba (2006: 107) considers B. tikusiensis as the correct name for a natural hybrid involving B. sieboldiana and B. japonica .

4. Var. japonica is characterised by hairs (except on adaxial surface of leaf) always spreading often abundant and leaves medium or large with an extremely wide range of size, shape and proportions. Okabe and Yahara showed this entity to be polyploid and apomictic, only occasionally producing fertile male flowers.

5. Relationships with other varieties and species, apomixis and possible hybridisation are discussed in detail under the species as a whole.

6. Material intermediate with var. silvestrii includes the following types:

Boehmeria platanifolia Franch. & Sav. (1875 ‘1873’) 440, nom. nud., however with Savatier 1117 cited. ― Boehmeria japonica (L.f.) Miq. var. platanifolia Maxim. (1876) 643. ― Boehmeria longispica var. platanifolia (Maxim.) Franch & Sav. (1878 ‘1879’) 497. ― Boehmeria platanifolia (Maxim.) C.H.Wright (1899) 486. ― Type: Savatier 1117 (holo P, on two sheets), Japan, Hakone Pass, August: year unknown.

Yahara (1984a: 141) considers this entity to be a hybrid between var. japonica and var. silvestrii .

Boehmeria maximowiczii Nakai & Satake (in Satake 1936: 522), nom. illeg. superfl.

Although Nakai & Satake (in Satake 1936: 522) indicate Nakai 2970 (TI), collected in Japan at Honsyu, Nagato as the type of this name, they also cite B. japonica var. platanifolia Maxim .

7. Material intermediate (possibly hybrid) with B. sieboldiana includes the following types and names based on them: Boehmeria kiusiana Satake (1936: 508) . ― Type: Hatusima s.n. (holo TI), Japan, Kyusyu, Tikuzen, 26 Sept. 1932 .

Boehmeria sieboldiana Blume var. ovata Satake (1938b) 263. ― Type: Suzuki s.n. (holo TI), Japan, Honshu , Uzen, Mt Tide-san, 8 Aug. 1937.

8. Material intermediate (possibly hybrid) with B. holosericea includes the types of B. nakashimae , B. praestabilis , B. quelpartensis , B. villigera . See discussion and citations under B. holosericea (Note 7).

Figures

Fig. 34 a–f: Boehmeria japonica (L.f.) Miq. var. japonica. a. Habit of stem with female inflorescence-bearing axes; b, c. leaves from different plants; d. leaf, detail of adaxial surface; e. leaf, detail of abaxial surface; f. detail of female inflorescence-bearing axis with crowded flower-clusters (inflorescences). — g–i: Boehmeria japonica var. silvestrii (Pamp.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear. g. Leaf; h. leaf, detail of adaxial surface and large tooth near apex; i. leaf, detail of abaxial surface. — j, k: Intermediate between var. japonica and var. silvestrii. j. Leaf; k. leaf, detail of abaxial surface (a, f: Hicken s.n.; b: Suzuki s.n.; c-e: Fortune s.n.; g-i: Liou 4571; j, k: Furuse 21652; all K). — Scale bars: a-c, g, j = 2 cm; d–f, h, i, k = 2 mm.