Bredia esquirolii (H. Lév.) Lauener

Dai, Jin-Hong, Zhong, Zhe, Zhou, Ren-Chao & Liu, Ying, 2025, New taxa and nomenclatural changes in Bredia (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae), PhytoKeys 266, pp. 1-31 : 1-31

Bredia esquirolii (H. Lév.) Lauener , Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 31 (3): 398. 1972.

Figs 3 , 15 B

≡ Barthea esquirolii H. Lév. , Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11: 494. 1913 (Basionym). Type: China. Guizhou: Tchai-choui-ho , Jul 1909, Esquirol 1581 [ holotype: E! ( E 00090793 )] .

= Barthea cavaleriei H. Lév. , Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 8: 61. 1910, p. p., excl. specim. Esquirol 215. Type: China. Guizhou: near Mou-you-sé, J. Cavalerie 1552 [ lectotype, designated by Diels (1932): E! (E 00090789)]. ≡ Fordiophyton cavaleriei (H. Lév.) Guillaumin , Bull. Soc. Bot. France 60: 275. 1913, p. p., excl. pl. Yunnan. ≡ Bredia cavaleriei (H. Lév.) Diels , Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 65 (2–3): 110. 1932, hom. illeg., non H. Lév. & Vaniot (1906). ≡ Bredia longiradiosa C. Chen , Fl. Yunnan. 2: 105, 1979, nom. inval., p. p., quoad pl. Guizhou. Type: Based on Barthea cavaleriei H. Lév. ≡ Bredia longiradiosa (C. Chen) C. Chen ex Govaerts , World Checkl. Seed Pl. 2 (1–2): 13. 1996, p. p., quoad typum. ≡ Phyllagathis longiradiosa C. Chen , Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 4 (3): 51. 1984, p. p., quoad pl. Guizhou. syn. nov.

= Phyllagathis longearistata C. Chen , Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 4 (3): 52. 1984. Type: China. Guangxi: Hechi , prope rivulos in convallibus montanis, 19 May 1928, L. H. Chun 91861 [ holotype: IBK! ( IBK 00190677 ); isotype: IBK! ( IBK 00190678 )] . ≡ Bredia longearistata (C. Chen) R. Zhou & Ying Liu , PhytoKeys 127: 145. 2019 . syn. nov.

= Phyllagathis latisepala C. Chen , Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 4 (3): 53. 1984. Type: China. Hubei: Hefeng , ad pedes montis calcareo, 18 Sept 1958, H. J. Li 6451 [ holotype: IBSC! ( IBSC 0003996 ); isotypes: PE! ( PE 00025692 ), HIB ( HIB 0060155 )] . ≡ Bredia latisepala (C. Chen) R. Zhou & Ying Liu , PhytoKeys 127: 145. 2019 . syn. nov.

Description.

Herbs or shrubs, 20–40 cm tall. Stems prostrate in lower parts and ascending in the upper parts, terete, sparsely villous with spreading multiseriate hairs and puberulent with bent uniseriate hairs when young, sometimes glabrescent. Leaves opposite; petiole 2–8 cm long, indumentum same as branchlets; leaf blade ovate to oblong ovate, 3.5–9 × 1.5–6 cm, submembranous, secondary veins 2 on each side of midvein, adaxial surface green to purplish dark green, abaxial surface pale green to purplish-red, with bent uniseriate hairs and sparse multiseriate setas when young on both sides, with minute yellowish glandular hairs on the abaxial surface, base subcordate to obtuse, margin inconspicuously denticulate with each tooth having a terminal seta, apex acute or short acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, umbellate, rarely cymose paniculate, 3–11 - flowered; peduncle 1.5–5 cm long. Flowers bisexual, radial but androecium slightly bilateral, 4 - merous; pedicel 1–2 cm long; hypanthium yellowish-green, funnel-shaped, ca. 5 mm long, villous with multiseriate hairs with inflate bases or only puberulent; calyx lobes 4, broadly ovate to semiorbicular; petals 4, pink to purplish, ovate, ca. 6 × 7 mm, petal margin undulate, apex oblique; stamens 8 in two whorls, isomorphic, equal in length, filaments ca. 5 mm long, bent with the anthers to one side of the flower, anthers lanceolate, slightly curved, ca. 7 mm long, white, connectives forming 2 ventral lobes and a dorsal short spur, white or light purple; ovary ca. 3 mm long (crown excluded), half inferior, locules 4, apex with membranous crown, crown margin denticulate; style ca. 1 cm long, basally puberulous. Capsule funnel-shaped, with enlarged apical crown; placentation axial, placentas non-thready. Seeds numerous, cuneate.

Phenology.

Flowering April to July, fruiting May to August.

Distribution.

Bredia esquirolii is known from Guangxi, southern Guizhou, Hunan, Chongqing, and Hubei, China, growing in karst or non-karst habitats in forest or along forest margin at 250–1,200 m.

Additional specimen examined.

China. Chongqing Municipality: • Wulun County, Z. Y. Liu 181907 ( PE) . Guangxi Province: • Bama County, W. B. Xu and Y. Liu 09344 ( IBK) ; • Debao County, Debao Exped. 451024170219012 LY ( IBK) ; • Fengshan County, Y. D. Peng et al. 451223121026092 LY ( GXMG) ; • Hechi City, Mulun Exped. M 0220 ( PE) , L. H. Chun 92034 ( IBK) , Huanjiang Exped. 451226130314019 LY ( GXMG, IBK), 451226130723003 LY ( GXMG, IBK) , Hechi Exped. 4-4 - 465 ( GXMI) , W. B. Xu and B. Pan 09527 ( IBK) , W. B. Xu 091711 ( IBK) , Y. Liu 496 ( SYS), 498 ( SYS), 859 ( SYS) ; • Lipu County, Lipu Exped. 450331180823035 LY ( IBK), 450331170710033 LY ( IBK), 450331180520007 LY ( IBK) ; • Liujiang County, Liujiang Exped. 450221200728017 LY ( IBK), 450221200730042 LY ( IBK), 450221200731016 LY ( IBK), 450221190718010 LY ( IBK), 450221190403042 LY ( IBK), 450221180810019 LY ( IBK) ; • Nandan County, Nandan Exped. 4-5 - 1005 ( GXMI) , Nandan Exped. 451221180526064 LY ( GXMG), 451221180525032 LY ( GXMG), 451221190705036 LY ( GXMG) ; Tian’e County, Beijing Team 891333 ( PE), 891340 ( PE) , D. Y. Liu 58480 ( GXMI) . Guizhou Province: • Without precise location, Cavalerie 3638 ( P) , Cavalerie 2015 ( P) , Esquirol 3148 ( P) ; • Libo County, Q. R. Liu 2018080412 ( BNU) , Y. Liu 744 ( SYS), 875 ( SYS) ; • Xingyi County, Cavalerie 1917 ( P) , Esquirol 4571 ( P) , C. Y. Deng 2021051961 ( XIN) ; • Wangmo County, Y. Liu 912 ( SYS) . Hunan Province: • Baojing County, D. G. Zhang 0905626 ( JIU) , X. J. Su and H. B. Liu 433125 D 00031114003 ( JIU) ; • Sangzhi County, Sangzhi Forestry Institute 1150 ( KUN) , Anonymous 614 ( PE) , Beijing Team 4043 ( PE), 2931 ( PE), 2999 ( PE) , Y. Liu 557 ( SYS) ; • Shimen County, Hupingshan Exped. 0880 ( PE) .

Figures

Figure 3. Bredia esquirolii var. esquirolii. A. Habitat; B. Habit; C, D. Indumentum on the branchlets; E. Leaf morphology; F. Yellowish glandular hairs on the leaf abaxial surface; G. Microscopic characters of the glandular hair; H. An inflorescence; I. Longitudinal section of a flower; J. Top view of the young capsules. Scale bars: 1 mm (F); 0.05 mm (G); 5 mm (I).

Figure 15. Distribution of the species discussed. A. B. cordata; B. B. esquirolii and B. macrophylla; C. B. fordii, B. micrantha, and B. jiuwanshanensis; D. B. pingshanensis, B. yunnanensis, and B. tuberculata.