Bredia macrophylla J. H. Dai & Ying Liu, 2025

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 macrophylla J. H. Dai & Ying Liu sp. nov.

Figs 10 , 11 , 15 B

= Bredia longiradiosa C. Chen , Fl. Yunnan. 2: 105, 1979, nom. inval., p. p., excl. pl. Guizhou.

= Phyllagathis longiradiosa C. Chen , Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 4 (3): 51. 1984, p. p., excl. pl. Guizhou.

Type.

China • Guangxi: Napo County, Baidu Town, Nonghua Village , ca. 1,000 m, 10 Jun 1982, D. Fang et al. 25314 [ holotype: GXMI! ( GXMI 052006 ); isotype: GXMI! ( GXMI 052007 )] .

Diagnosis.

Most closely resembles B. esquirolii in habitat preference, leaf shape, umbellate inflorescence, villous hypanthium, broadly ovate to semiorbicular calyx lobes, and isomorphic stamens, but is readily distinguished by larger plant size ( 30–100 cm vs. 20–40 cm tall), larger leaves (7–23 × 5.5–13 cm vs. 3.5–9 × 1.5–6 cm), the lack of yellow glandular hairs on the abaxial leaf surface, geniculate anthers (vs. slightly curved), and yellow connectives (vs. white to light purple).

Description.

Herbs or shrubs, 30–100 cm tall. Stems erect, sometimes prostrate in lower parts, terete or 4 - sided; branchlets near succulent, sparsely villous with multiseriate hairs or glabrescent, sparsely puberulent with bent uniseriate hairs. Leaves opposite; petiole 3–12 cm long, indumentum same as branchlets; leaf blade broadly ovate to subelliptic, 7–23 × 5.5–13 cm, submembranous to papery, secondary veins 3 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, base cordate to obtuse, margin denticulate to subentire and ciliate, apex short acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, umbellate, rarely cymose paniculate, 3–20 - flowered; peduncle 2–5 cm long. Flowers bisexual, radial but androecium slightly bilateral, 4 - merous; pedicel 0.5–1.2 cm long; hypanthium yellowish-green, funnel-shaped, ca. 1 cm long, villous with multiseriate hairs with inflate bases; calyx lobes 4, broadly ovate to semiorbicular; petals 4, purplish-red, ovate, ca. 7 × 9 mm, petal margin undulate, apex oblique; stamens 8 in two whorls, isomorphic, equal in length, filaments ca. 7 mm long, bent with the anthers to one side of the flower, anthers lanceolate, geniculate, ca. 10 mm long, purplish-pink, connective forming 2 yellow ventral lobes and a dorsal short spur of the same color; ovary ca. 5 mm long (crown excluded), half inferior, locules 4, apex with membranous crown, crown margin denticulate; style ca. 1.5 cm long, basally puberulous. Capsule funnel-shaped, with enlarged apical crown; placentation axial, placentas non-thready. Seeds numerous, cuneate.

Phenology.

Flowering April to June, fruiting July to August.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the large leaves of the species.

Distribution.

Bredia macrophylla is known from limestone areas in southwestern Guangxi and southeastern Yunnan, China, occupying moist habitats in forest or at forest margin at 180–1,200 m.

Additional specimen examined.

China. Guangxi Province: • Chongzuo City , Y. D. Peng et al. 451402150915003 LY ( GXMG) ; • Daxin County, B. Y. Huang and R. C. Wei 451424150411033 LY ( GXMG) ; • Jingxi County, H. Z. Lv et al. 451025130315051 LY ( GXMG) ; • Longzhou County, CHN Herb. Guangxi Exped. 2760 ( PE) , P. X. Tan 57403 ( IBSC) , H. C. Li 40280 ( IBK, IBSC) , S. C. Chen 13294 ( KUN) , Deng et al. GXIBDT 011 B 03 ( KUN), Y. Liu 484 ( SYS) ; • Napo County, CHN Herb. Guangxi Exped. 1615 ( PE), 4148 ( PE) , D. Fang et al. 25032 ( PE) , S. P. Ko 55878 ( IBSC, PE) , D. X. Nong et al. 451026141012030 LY ( GXMG), 451026150528015 LY ( GXMG) . Yunnan Province: • Hekou County, Y. M. Sui et al. 20907 ( KUN) , Y. Liu 730 ( SYS) ; • Maguan County, C. J. Zhao 307 ( HITB) ; • Malipo County, C. W. Wang 86169 ( PE) .

Figures

Figure 10. Holotype of Bredia macrophylla, D. Fang et al. 25314 (GXMI 052006). Scale bar: 5 cm.

Figure 11. Bredia macrophylla var. macrophylla (A – G) and B. macrophylla var. pulchella (H – J). A, B, H. Habit; C, I. Branchlets; D. Leaf morphology; E, J. Inflorescences; F. Top view (left) and longitudinal section (right) of a flower; G. Young capsules. Photographs H and J by Hua-Fei Cen. Scale bar: 1 cm (F).

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.