Leptopus australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark.

Martin, B. de Manuel & Welzen, P. C. van, 2022, Revision of the genera Leptopus and Notoleptopus (Phyllanthaceae) in Malesia, Blumea 67 (1), pp. 20-25 : 21-23

1. Leptopus australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark. — Fig. 1

Leptopus australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark. (1960) 270; Airy Shaw (1972 ‘1971’) 285; Whitmore (1973) 105; Airy Shaw (1982) 26, (1983) 33; Welzen (2007) 353,f. 14; Voronts.& Petra Hoffm.(2009) 629.— Andrachne australis Zoll. & Moritzi in Zoll.(1845) 17;Backer & Bakh.f.(1963) 470.— Arachne australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark. (1940) 342, nom. inval. — Lectotype (designated by Vorontsova & Hoffmann 2009): Zollinger 1399 (lecto W acqu. 1889 No. 24659*; isolecto A*, BM, L!, W*), Java, M. Gegger, Insula Madura (Vorontsova & Hoffmann indicate that the lectotype is Zollinger & Moritzi 1399, but Moritzi never collected in Malesia, only Zollinger: www. nationaalherbarium.nl/fmcollectors).

Andrachne tenera Miq. (1859) 365. — Agyneia tenera Zoll. & Moritzi ex Miq. (1859) 365, nom. inval., in syn. — Type: Anonymous (Zollinger) 2799 (holo U!), Java, bij Soember-waroe in Panaroekan.

Andrachne australis Zoll. & Moritzi var. angustifolia Müll.Arg. (1866) 235. — Lectotype (designated indirectly by Vorontsova & Hoffmann 2009): Cuming 1528 (lecto G-DC*; isolecto K 2 sheets*, L 3 sheets!), Philippines, Luzon , Prov. Batangao.

Andrachne polypetala Kuntze (1891) 592. — Arachne polypetala (Kuntze) Pojark. (1940) 342, nom. inval. — Leptopus polypetalus (Kuntze) Pojark. (1960) 271. — Type: Kuntze 3661 (holo NY*), Vietnam, Turong in Annam.

Andrachne hirta Ridl. (1923) 360. — Leptopus hirtus (Ridl.) Pojark. (1960) 271. — Type: Ridley 14883 (holo K*), Malaysia, Perlis, Tebing Tinggi, near Kanga .

Andrachne calcarea Ridl. (1923) 361. — Leptopus calcareus (Ridl.) Pojark. (1960) 271; Airy Shaw (1972 ‘1971’) 285. — Lectotype (designated by Vorontsova & Hoffmann 2009): Annandale 1835 (lecto K*), Thailand, Kau Koh Suwan near Lampan.

Thelypetalum pierrei Gagnep. (1925 ‘1924’) 876. — Type: Pierre 6257 (holo P*, photograph K!; iso A*), Vietnam, Prov. Bien-hoa, Gia-lo-me, vers Bao-chiang .

Andrachne lanceolata Pierre ex Beille (1927) 539. — Arachne lanceolata (Pierre ex Beille) Pojark. (1940) 342, nom. inval. — Leptopus lanceolatus (Pierre ex Beille) Pojark. (1960) 270. — Lectotype (designated by Vo- rontsova & Hoffmann 2009): Poilane 3316 (lecto P*; isolecto P*), Vietnam, Nhatrang, vallé du Sõng Mow.

Leptopus philippinensis Pojark. (1960) 270. — Type: BS (M. Ramos) 43333 (holo LE; iso US*), Philippines, Bohol.

Leptopus sanjappae Sumathi, Karthig., Jayanthi & Diwakar (2006) 155, f. 1. — Leptopus calcareus (Ridl.) Pojark. var. sanjappae (Sumathi, Karthig., Jayanthi & Diwakar) Chakrab. & N.P.Balakr. (2008) 604. — Type: Sumathi 17362 (holo CAL; iso K*, MCCH, PBL), Andaman Is., North Andaman , Tekkari, Saddle Peak National Park.

Subshrubs, 9 – 50 cm high, stem generally branched only at base; flowering branches 1 – 1.5 mm thick, often tinged red, densely hairy when young, glabrescent. Hairs sericeous-hirsute (base upright, upper part bent horizontally), to c. 0.5(–0.8) mm long. Stipules triangular to subulate, 0.8–2.8 by 0.2–0.6 mm, apex acute, densely hairy. Leaves: petiole 0.3–3.4 cm long, hairy; blade elliptic to somewhat obovate, 1–8(–10) by 0.5– 4 cm; (1–)2–3.5 times longer than wide, papery, symmetric, drying brownish or greyish green, base cuneate to attenuate, margin flat, apex rounded and mucronate to shortly acuminate, upper surface glabrous to (completely) hairy on midrib and margin, dark green when fresh, lower surface subglabrous to hairy on venation, light green when fresh, margin subglabrous to hairy; nerves 4–6, flat above, slightly raised below, distinct. Flowers green. Staminate flowers 2–3.8 mm diam; pedicel terete, 2.7–7 mm long, slightly hairy, green to maroonish; se- pals 5, obovate, 0.8–2.3 by 0.7–1 mm, hairy outside, glabrous inside, green, veined when dry; petals 5, oblong to obovate, 0.5–1.2 by 0.2–0.3 mm, glabrous, whitish; disc of 5 bilobed glands (to seemingly 10 separate glands), strap-like, 0.7–1.2 by 0.1–0.2 mm, glabrous, whitish; stamens 5, glabrous, filaments 0.5–1.3 mm long, whitish, anthers c. 0.2–0.3 mm long, light yellow, 2-thecate, each theca bilobed; pistillode of 3 free lobes, to 0.8 mm long, glabrous, top slightly split. Pistillate flowers 5–6 mm diam, disc-shaped; pedicel terete, 1.2–5(– 9 in fruit) mm long, pilose, green; sepals 5, ovate to obovate, 1.5–3.2 (– 5.5 in fruit) by 1.5–2(– 3.5 in fruit) mm, margin and outside pilose, shortly hirsute inside, green, clearly veined when dry; petals 5, minute and sticking to back of disk lobes, oblong to obovate, 0.1–0.4 by 0.1–0.2 mm, glabrous, single vein generally visible; disc lobes 5, almost completely split and V-shaped, 0.6–0.8 mm long, apically often somewhat erose; ovary 0.5–0.6 by 0.7–0.9 mm, densely pilose, yellowish to light greenish; style c. 0.2 mm long, white to light greenish, pilose; stigmas 0.7–0.8 mm long, glabrous except sometimes for some hairs on clavate lobe apices, white to greenish. Fruits triangular in transverse section, c. 5 by 2.5 mm, yellow-green to white when ripe, shortly pilose, reticulately veined, white to light greenish when young; columella 1–1.5 mm long. Seeds 1.2–2 by 1–1.5 by 1–1.5 mm, sides ribbed, back convex and smooth, brown when dry.

Distribution — China (Hainan), Thailand, Andaman Islands, Vietnam; Malesia: Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java (including Madura), Borneo (Sabah), Philippines, Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali, Timor), Moluccas (Tanimbar Islands, Wetar).

Habitat & Ecology — Locally common in primary to disturbed tropical to evergreen forest, deciduous forest, dry Eucalypt savannah; in the shade to open spots, often on steep slopes, often between rocks or even lithophytic; soil: in shallow or deep soils on limestone or loam. Altitude: 15–1100 m. Presumably flowering and fruiting at least twice during the whole year except for January. According to Vorontsova & Hoffmann (2009) the IUCN Red List category is Least Concern (LC), as the extent of occurrence far exceeds 20 000 km 2.

Note — The young branchlets are often very hairy, but they are glabrescent. The difference with Notoleptopus decaisnei is then mainly in the subglabrous older branchlets, which are hairy in N. decaisnei .

Figures

Fig. 1 Leptopus australis (Zoll. & Moritzi) Pojark. a. Habit;b. staminate flower outside; c. staminate flower with part of sepals,petals and disc glands removed; d. pistillate flower; e. fruit; f. seed (plant material used unknown, from L). — Drawing by Jan van Os, 2003.