Ceropegia angustifolia Wight, Contr. Bot.

S. S., Kambale & Abstract, S. R. Yadav, 2019, Taxonomic revision of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae: Ceropegieae) in India, Rheedea 29 (1), pp. 1-115 : 15-17

Ceropegia angustifolia Wight, Contr. Bot. India 31. 1834; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 72.1883; P. C. Kanjilal et al., Fl. Assam 3: 308. 1939; Ansari, Fasc .

Fl. India 16: 8. 1984; M.P. Nayar & Sastry, Red Data Book Indian Pl. 2: 39. 1988; A.P. Jagtap & N.P. Singh, Fasc. Fl. India 24: 215. 1999; Karthik. et al., Fl. Pl. India 1: 160. 2009. Lectotype (designated by Kambale & Yadav, 2014): BANGLADESH, Silhet, s.d., N. Wallich Wall. Asclep. n. 13 [K000894290 image!; syntype E00179555, K000894289 image!].

C. longifolia auct . H. Huber, Mem. Soc. Brot. 12: 41. 1957; F. Albers & Meve, Ill. Handb. Succ. Pl. Asclepiadaceae 63. 2001; G.S. Giri et al., Mat. Fl. Arunachal Pradesh 2: 164. 2008, non Wallich, 1830. Fig. 8

Perennial, twining to creeping herbs. Stem c. 1 m long. Lamina 3.5–15 × 1–2.9 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, acute at apex, narrow at base, minutely hairy above, glabrous beneath; petioles 1–1.3 cm long, slender. Cymes umbellate, 5–6-flowered, extra-axillary; flowers dark green to yellowish-brown, brownish at apex; peduncles 1–5.5 cm long, hairy in a row; pedicels 5–15 mm long, terete, glabrous. Sepals 5–6 mm long, linear, glabrous. Corolla 1.7– 4 cm long; tube 1–2.9 cm long, dilated in lower 1/2–1/3 rd part, sub-cylindrical, funnel-shaped at hairy throat; lobes 0.7–1.1 cm long, broadly or elliptic-oblong, connate at tip, glabrous, blotched with green. Corona bi-seriate; outer and inner equal; outer of 5 shortly bifid lobes, ciliate along margins and within; inner of 5 erect lobes, linear sub-spathulate lobes. Follicles c. 13.5 cm long.

Flowering: July–September.

Habitat: Grows amidst grasses.

Distribution: Northeast India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Tirap F.D., NEFA, Laju to Raho , 25.08.1958, G. Panigrahi 14748 (ASSAM!) . Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills, Bholaganj, 21.08.1935, G. K. Deka 13195; Jarain, 17.08.1968, N. P. Balakrishnan 46162; Khasia Hills, 26.08.1885, C. B. Clarke 400200 B ( CAL!); Mawrloo forest , 13.09.1931, P. C. Kanjilal 9351; Khasi & Jaintia Hills, 09.08.1944, G. K. Deka 21882; Ibid., s.d., Gustav Mann 107; Pongtung, 22.08.1938, G. K. Deka 18741; Shillong, Kencha track, 25.08.1966, s.d., Sangama 36898 (ASSAM!) . Mizoram, Lushai Hills district, Mizo hills, 13.08.1965, R. Dutta 34015; Ibid., s.d., S. L. Abbar 102648 (ASSAM!) . Nagaland, Kohima, Naga Hills , 27.08.1937, G. K. Deka 16164 (ASSAM!). Conservation status: This species was reported from four different states in NE India. However no recent collection is available in any Indian herbaria we consulted. Hence, we treat the status as Data Deficient ( DD) due to inadequate information .

Notes: Huber (1957) considered C. angustifolia and C. longifolia Wall. as conspecific. While Ansari (1984) treated them as distinct species. After thorough scrutiny of the type specimens and live materials of both the taxa, authors prefer to keep them as distinct. Ceropegia angustifolia can be distinguished from the latter by its white, glabrous corolla. It is also similar to C. rollae Hemadri but differs from its climbing habit and deeply bifid outer corona.

Ceropegia hookeri C.B. Clarke ex Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India. 4: 73. 1883; H. Huber, Mem. Soc. Broter. 12: 47. 1957; Ansari, Fasc. Fl. India 16: 17. 1984; M.P. Nayar & Sastry, Red Data Book Indian Pl. 2: 42. 1988; A.P. Jagtap & N.P. Singh, Fasc. Fl. India 24: 224. 1999; F. Albers & Meve, Ill. Handb. Succ. Pl. Asclepiadaceae 82. 2002; Chettri et al., Check List 5(3): 695. 2009. C. hookeri C.B. Clarke ex Hook.f. var. hookeri Karthik. et al. , Fl. Pl. India 1: 162. 2009. Lectotype (Step I designated by Huber, 1957; Step II designated here): INDIA, Sikkim, Lachen, J.D. Hooker Ceropegia 23 (K000857824 image!). Fig. 9

Perennial twining herbs. Rootstock with globose tuber. Stem slender, hirsute. Lamina 4–5.7 × 1–2 cm, ovate-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, acute at apex, rounded at base, hirsute above, ciliate along margins and nerves beneath, glabrous otherwise; petioles 3–8 mm long, slender, glabrous; Cymes 1–3-flowered, extra-axillary; peduncles 5–7 mm long, pilose; pedicels 3–5 mm long, terete, glabrous. Sepals 3–4.5 × 0.6–1 mm, linear-lanceolate, glabrous. Corolla c. 2.2 cm long, dark purple-faint green with purple tinge; tube c. 1.5 cm long, gradually dilated at base, cylindrical at middle, hairy within; lobes 7–8 mm long, linear, glabrous, connate at the tip forming an ovoid cage. Corona bi-seriate; outer of 5 entire, ciliate lobes; inner of 5 erect, linear lobes. Follicles c. 5 cm long.

Flowering & fruiting: June–September.

Habitat: Found growing in grasslands, along slopes.

Distribution: India (Sikkim), Nepal and Tibet.

Conservation status: Nayar and Satry (1987) assessed it as Endangered. However we could not come across any live specimens or herbarium specimens during this study. The information given is based on few previous reports.

Notes: Hooker (1883) published C. hookeri based on the collections from Lachen, in Sikkim. Huber (1957) cited specimen at K as the holotype, which can be considered as first step lectotypification. But at K, three specimens (K000857823, K000857824 and K000857825) are available. Sheet K000857824 is selected here as second step lectotype following Art. 9.17 of Shenzhen Code (Turland et al., 2018).

Figures

Fig. 8. Ceropegia angustifolia Wight:a. Habit; b. Inflorecence;c. Corolla lobes–top view;d. Flower L.S.; e. Corona–lateral view (Photos Dr.K. Prasad).

Fig. 9. Ceropegia hookeri C.B. Clarke ex Hook.f.: a. Habit; b. Flower (Photos Dr. D. Maity).