Osbeckia chinensis

P., Prashob & Thomas, Sibichen M., 2019, The genus Osbeckia (Melastomataceae) in India, Rheedea 29 (4), pp. 236-305 : 300-304

Osbeckia chinensis L. var. pusilla (Zoll.) Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc., London 28: 53. 1872. O. pusilla Zoll. & Moritzi, Natuur. Geneesk. Arch. Ned.- Indie 2: 586. 1845, non De Wild. 1921. Lectotype (designated by Hansen, 1977): INDONESIA, Java, Zollinger 2225 (P02441165 digital image!).

O. truncata D.Don ex Wight & Arn. var. strigosa Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 1: 248. 1891. Type: INDIA, s.loc., s.d., Kuntze 6219 (holo NY229590 digital image!).

O. boissieuana Guillaumin, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 2: 302. 1912; & in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 365. 402.1913. Lectotype (designated here): VIETNAM, Cochinchine , 1862, Thorel 914 ( BM000944330 digital image!).

O. parva E.T.Geddes, Bull. Misc. Inform., Kew 2: 70. 1928. Type: THAILAND, 3000 ft, 06.10.1912, Kerr 2719 (holo K000867932 image!).

Perennial, erect, branched herbs c. 70 cm tall. Stems branched, branches clothed with appressed hairs. Petioles 0.5–2.5 mm long, Lamina lanceolate, usually more than 3 times as long as broad, 2–6 × 1–2.5 cm, 3–5-nerved, apex acute, base acute to rounded, both sides thinly clothed with short to long, ascending to patent hairs. Inflorescence a dense terminal cluster of 5–10 flowers subtended by 1–2 pairs of leaves. Flowers tetramerous; bracts minute, ovate, 1–3 × 3–4 mm, margins ciliate and appressed-hairy along the midline dorsally, sometimes glabrous; pedicels c. 3 mm long. Hypanthium campanulate, 4–6 × 3–4 mm mm, with a few emergences, simple hairs, intersepalar emergences not stalked, flat, 0.3–1 × 0.3–11.5 mm, margins ciliate, persistent; other emergences, appressed, but smaller, sometimes much reduced in size. Sepals 4, triangular, 1–4 mm long, apex acute, base obtuse, margins ciliate, with a few appressed hairs dorsally, caducous, or very rarely persistent. Petals 4, pink, ovate, 7–10 × 5–7 mm, ciliate at apex. Stamens 8; filaments 2–4 mm long; anthers 2–4.5 mm long beak narrowed, 2–2.5 mm, connective prolonged into a small collar. Ovary united with hypanthium for about half its length, anther pockets extending to base of ovary; free part glabrous or very rarely with a few bristles, crown very distinct; style 5–12 mm long. Capsules campanulate, 4–6 × 3–4 mm; seeds 0.1–0.2 mm long, minute, curved.

Flowering & fruiting: September–May.

Chromosome number: n = 10 ( Meenakumari & Kuriachan, 1990).

Habitat: Species thrives in massive population at elevation varying from 300–1500 m., commonly seen in borders of evergreen forests as well as grasslands.

Distribution: Burma, Cambodia, Java, India, Laos, Lesser Sunda Islands, South Vietnam and Thailand.

Specimen examined: INDIA, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, North Andaman , 01.12.1976, N.P. Balakrishnan & N.G. Nair 4772 ( PBL) .

Notes: Osbeckia chinensis var. pusilla often grows in grasslands. It has been collected at elevation up to 1570 m.

Osbeckia zeylanica L.f., Suppl. Sp. Pl. 215. 1782; C.B.Clarke in Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 2: 516. 1879; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1: 494. 1919; C.Hansen, Ginkgoana 4: 43. 1977; J.L.Ellis, Fl. Nallamalais 186. 1987; Ramach. & V.J.Nair, Fl. Cannanore district 188. 1988; Antony, Syst. Stud. Fl. Kottayam district 168. 1989; Sasidh., Fl. Periyar Tiger Reserve 145. 1998; Sasidh., Fl. Chinnar W.L.S. 132. 1999; B.D.Sharma, Karthik. & N.P.Singh, Fl. Maharashtra, Dicot. 28. 2000; J.M.Pallithanam & K.M.Matthew, Fl. Sirumalai Hills, South India 107. 2001; Mohanan & Sivad., Fl. Agasthyamala 281. 2002; Pull., D.M. Rao & K.S.Ramamurthy, Fl. Eastern Ghats 60. 2002. Type: s.loc., s.d., s.coll. (holo LINN S09-32833 digital image!).

O. debilis Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 3, 14: 65. 1850. Type: s.loc, s.d., s.coll. s.n. (holo P02441158 digital image!).

O. serialis Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 3, 14: 67. 1850. Type: INDIA, Tamil Nadu, Courtallum, Vendalore, 1836, Wight 1143 (holo P02441159 digital image!).

O. zeylanica L.f. var . non-rostrata Haines, Bot. Bihar & Orissa 369. 1922. Lectotype (designated here): s.loc., s. d., Haines 4787 (K000890017 digital image!).

Echinophora maderaspatana Pluk. ex Bakh.f., Meded. Bot. Mus. Herb. Rijks Univ. Utrecht 91: 48. 1943, pro syn. Fig. 26

Annual, erect herbs, 4–45 cm tall. Stems quadrangular, hispid, sparsely appressed-hairy, branched or unbranched. Petioles 1–4 mm long; lamina ovate, 1.5–4 × 0.6–1.5 cm, cuneate at base, acute at apex, densely hairy on both sides, hairs ascending, thin. Inflorescence a terminal cluster of 5–7 flowers or solitary, subtended by a pair of leaves. Flowers tetramerous; pedicels c. 3 mm long; bracts triangular, green, 1.5–3 × 1–2 mm, margins ciliate. Hypanthium campanulate, 3–5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, thinly clothed with patent emergences and hairs; intersepalar emergences 1–2 mm long, stalk terete, with patent hairs, head with stellate hairs (1– 2 mm long), persistent; other emergences similar, decreasing in size towards base of hypanthium. Sepals 4, triangular, 2.5–5.5 × 1–2 mm, prominently one nerved, margins ciliate, stellate hairs at apex, few patent hairs on nerves dorsally, persistent in fruit. Petals 4,obovate, pink to purple, 8–12 × 3–10 mm, ciliate at apex. Stamens 8; filaments 3–5 mm long; anthers twisted, 2.5–6 mm long, yellow, attenuate into a narrow twisted beak of c. 1 mm, connective prolonged into a widened collar. Ovary united with hypanthium for about half its length; anther pockets extending to the base of the ovary; crown absent; style 7–12 mm long; stigma slightly widened. Capsules campanulate, 3– 5 × 2–3 mm, ribbed, exceeds ovary; seeds minute 0.1–0.2 mm long, numerous, curved.

Flowering & fruiting: November–March.

Chromosome number: n = 10 ( Meenakumari & Kuriachan, 1990)

Habitat: Occurs abundantly in rock crevices in deciduous forests at an elevation above 500 m.

Distribution: India and Sri Lanka.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor district, Chandragiri , 22.02.1914, s.coll. 9979 ( MH) ; Chrudregira fort, 04.02.1089, Ranga 2267 ( MH) ; Gyanayagundlu , 28.12.1975, G.V. Subbarao 46818( CAL, MH) ; Mamandar , 11.03.1918, C.E.C. Fischer 171873 ( CAL) ; Sunnipenta Nallamd, J.L. Ellis 23774 ( CAL) ; Cuddapah district, Balapalle , 23.02.1963, J.L. Ellis 15765 ( CAL, MH) ; East Godavari district, Addateegala , 26.09.1980, G.V. Subbarao 68590 ( MH) ; Karimnagar district, Aklaspur , 30.12.1964, G.V. Subbarao 22485 ( CAL, MH) ; Nellore district, Tada , 03.03.1913, s.coll. 21242 ( MH) ; Tada lake vicinity, 26.02.1971, Sastry 9748 ( CAL) . Karnataka, Chickmagalur district, Kadur , 14.01.1979, K.R. Keshava Murthy, B.R. Ramesh & P. Prakesh 5685 ( CAL) . Kerala, Kannur district, Iritty , 11.11.1978, V.S. Ramachandran 58660 ( CAL, MH) ; Idukki district, Erattayar , 13.10.1982, V.S. Ramachandran & Mohanan 74611 ( MH) ; Kozhikanam , 11.11.1975, Vivekananthan 46629 ( MH) ; Travancore , 27.11.1913, M. Rama Rao 171872 ( CAL) . Madhya Pradesh, Ganjam , 01.1890, J.S. Gamble 21607 ( CAL) ; Indravati Tiger reserve-Bijapur Ghati , 11.10.1987, Anand Kumar 16150 ( CAL) ; s.loc., s.d., s.coll. 21235 (MH). Orissa, Puri district, Puri coast, 02.12.1965, T.A. Rao 5698 ( CAL) ; Orissa coast, 09.03.1909, H.H. Haines 171725 ( CAL) ; Orissa-Konark coast, 04.12.1965, T.A. Rao 5953( CAL) . Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, Atakathi, Anaimali hills, 26.12.1911, C.E.C. Fischer 771881 ( CAL) ; Dharmapuri district, Harur, Chitteri hills, 12.01.1979, Venugopal 20851 ( RHT) ; Kalachipodi Chitteri , 27.12.1990, Ravishankar 95555 ( MH) ; Dindigul district, Kodaikanal , 20.02.1986, K.M. Matthew 44218 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 02.05.1988, K.M. Matthew 5 2873 ( RHT) ; Madras , 02.1889, J.S. Gamble 20390 ( CAL) ; Situmalai , 09.10.1959, Pallithanam 5172 ( RHT) ; Kanchipuram district , Chingleput, M.C.C. campus, 05.02.1986, Narasimhan 954 ( MH) ; Chingleput, Tirupporur , 01.02.1976, A.N Henry 47145 ( CAL) ; Puzhuthivakkam , 31.01.2000, K.M. Matthew & Jayanthi 70982 ( RHT) ; Tambaram , M.C.C Campus, 05.01.2001, Livingston 72077 ( RHT) ; Thenpattinam , 06.03.2000, Augustine 61955 ( RHT) ; Krishnagiri district, Denkanikottai , 14.11.1979, K.M. Matthew 24576 ( RHT) ; Pudukkottai district, Kulathur, Bommadimalai , 09,03.1984, K.M. Matthew & Britto 29676 ( RHT) ; Kulathur, Narathamalai, Ibid. , 09,01.1969, K.M. Matthew 8268 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 20,10.1970, K.M. Matthew 12857 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 15,11.1975, K.M. Matthew 15073 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , s.d., Arulappan. s.n. ( MH) ; Ibid. , 10.01.1971, K.M. Matthew 12981 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 07.02.1980, Diraviam 26354 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 16.12.1982, K.M. Matthew & Rani 29336 ( RHT) ; Sathyamangalam , 23.12.1978, s.coll., 16092 ( RHT) ; Tirunelveli district, Agasthiyar falls , 12.02.2015, Prashob & Sibichen 5596 ( DEV) ; Ambasamudram, Kannikketti , 02.01.1978, K.M. Matthew 15826( RHT) ; Kalakkad , 22.01.1979, K.M. Matthew 16232 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 12.02.2015, Prashob & Sibichen 5594 ( DEV) ; Kannikketti , 20.02.1913, Ramaswami 39396 ( CAL) ; Mundanthurai , 19.02.1913, M.S Ramaswami, 39340 ( CAL) ; Ibid. , 22.02.1960, K.M. Sebastine 9909 ( CAL) ; Papanasam , 12.02.2015, Prashob & Sibichen 5595 ( DEV) ; Sivanapuri , 09.02.1916, C.E.C. Fischer 3876 ( CAL) ; Tanimapatam , 02.1889, J.S. Gamble 20390 ( CAL) ; Viluppuram district, Kallakurichi , 15.01.1979, Venugopal 21045 ( RHT) ; Viluppuram, Tonnadu malai, 10.01.1999, K.M. Matthew & Augustine 71081 ( RHT) ; Ulundurpet, South Arcot , 30.12.1981, K.M. Matthew, Britto & Rani 28741 ( RHT) ; Ibid. , 01.02.1980, K.M. Matthew, Britto & Rani 26264 ( RHT) .

Notes: Osbeckia zeylanica is a distinct species differing from all other annual species by the twisted anthers, which gradually narrowing into a beak with a small bend near the tip pointing the pore towards the back.

The consistent,but unfounded confusion of O. zeylanica with O. chinensis has been solved by Hansen (1972).

Figures

Fig. 26. OSbeCkia zeylaNiCa L.F.:aa.. Habit;bb.. INFlOReSCeNCe; CC.. FlOweR;d. HypaNthiUM; e. BRaCt;F. CalyX lObe & iNteRSepalaR eMeRgeNCeS; g. INteRSepalaR eMeRgeNCe; h. StaMeNS; ii i. SeedS.