Boehmeria beyeri

Wilmot-Dear, C. M. & Friis, I., 2013, The Old World species of Boehmeria (Urticaceae, tribus Boehmerieae). A taxonomic revision, Blumea 58 (2), pp. 85-216 : 107-109

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3767/000651913X674116
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D987B7-FFD0-5107-FD70-595BDB1AFD7F
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Boehmeria beyeri
status

Treatment

4. Boehmeria beyeri View in CoL C.B.Rob. — Fig. 4a–d View Fig ; Map 6 View Map 6

Boehmeria beyeri C.B.Rob. (1911) 309. ― Type: Beyer BS 13540 (iso K, NY), Philippines, Luzon, Ifugao, Bila .

Shrub (habit and height not clear from the scarce material); ultimate stems 1.5–2 mm diam, with sparse or abundant short adpressed and distinctly longer (0.5–1 mm) spreading hairs. Stipules narrowly ovate, 7–8 by 1.5–2 mm, ± membranous, pubescent outside. Leaves alternate, markedly dimorphic only in petiole, ‘larger’ leaves with lamina length only up to 2.5 × that of ‘smaller’ but with petiole up to 10 × as long, ‘larger’ leaves not markedly asymmetrical, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, medium, c. 9 by 3 cm; margin serrate with 30–40 large teeth either side, up-curved (their upper margin slightly or markedly concave), 1 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad with width 1.5–2 × length; leaf apex short-acuminate only slightly sideways-curved; base asymmetrically cuneate to rounded; basal veins extending into distal third or half of lamina, upper lateral veins 2–3(–4) but hardly distinct from coarser tertiary veins, all arising in distal half or distal third of lamina, finely impressed adaxially, finely prominent abaxially; finer reticulation inconspicuous; texture thinly coriaceous and leaves distinctly shallow-bullate, both surfaces with abundant hairs, these long and spreading like on the stem; petiole very short relative to lamina, up to 1.2 cm long, c. 0.1 × length of lamina; ‘smaller’ leaves relatively broader, subsessile. Flowerclusters axillary, male clusters large, 6–7 mm diam, with over 30 flowers, these fairly loosely arranged, female clusters small, 2–3 mm diam, with less than 10 flowers; bracteoles very conspicuous often almost enveloping flower buds, 1–1.5 mm long, with long hairs like on the stem. Male flowers 4-merous, subsessile, mature buds globose, 1–1.5 mm diam, lobes with slight dorsal thickening and fine adpressed pubescence. Female flowers 1–1.5 mm long; stigma c. 1.5 mm long. Fruiting perianth relatively large, 2 by 0.8 mm, narrowly ellipsoid tapering gradually into beak and with abundant long hairs. Achene appears to be symmetrical, but more material is needed to ascertain this.

Distribution ― Philippines (restricted to Luzon).

Habitat & Ecology ― Roadside banks; no natural habitats indicated, probably forest edges or scrub. Altitudinal range not known.

Conservation status ― Critically Endangered (CR). Only known from 4 collections from two localities in northwest Luzon (Benguet, Bangue). Since the natural vegetation throughout Luzon is seriously degraded, and indeed the entire Philippine Islands have lost more than 2/3 of their old-growth rainforest since the early 1900s, much of this in the last 20 years, and since the AOO is calculated as only 8 km 2 we propose the IUCN category CR B2ab (severely fragmented species in a region suffering severe and continuing habitat decline).

Note ― This species is very similar to B. heterophylla var. blumei in bullate leaves and indumentum, and might have been considered merely a variant of B. heterophylla with unusually symmetrical leaves but for the female clusters which are only few-flowered and the markedly different ellipsoid fruiting perianth which tapers gradually into a beak rather than being either apically inflated or flattened with an abrupt beak. Although only 4 collections have been seen, we consider that these three correlated characters make it worthy of recognition at specific level. From the appearance of the fruiting perianth the achene is probably also symmetrical with a central rather than eccentric style, which would be a significant difference.