Boehmeria virgata var. macrostachya, 2013

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 : 162-164

g. var. macrostachya (Wight) Friis & Wilmot-Dear , comb. nov. — Fig. 24a–i ; Map 25

Basionym: Splitgerbera macrostachya Wight,Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis,vol. 6 (1853) 10, pl.1977.― Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. macrostachya (Wight) Wedd. (1856) 367. ― Boehmeria wightiana Blume (1857) 217, nom. superfl. illeg. ― Boehmeria macrostachya (Wight) F.M. Bailey (1888) 55. ― Type: Wight s.n. (not found), India. – See Note 1.

Boehmeria platyphylla D. Don (1825) 60. ― Type: Hamilton s.n. (holo BM), Nepal, Narainhetty, 3 Sept. 1802.

Boehmeria macrophylla Hornem. var. dongtouensis W.T. Wang (1996) 248. ― Type: ZH Chen 910339 (holo PE), China, Zhejiang, Dongtou Island , 27 July 1991.

Woody-based herb, subshrub or shrub, up to 2 m tall. Stems with fine inconspicuous straight closely-adpressed short hairs 0.2–0.4 mm long. Stipules 4–9(–11) mm long. Leaves widely varying in shape, proportions and number of teeth, ovate to rhombic-ovate or elliptic, medium or large, (4–)10–20(–26) by (2.5–)7–16(–24) cm, usually relatively broad, length 1.5–2 (–2.25) × width; marginal teeth (22–)25–50(–60) either side, slightly or distinctly up-curved (especially towards apex or in larger leaves), fairly short and wide, 1.5–2 by (2–) 4–7 mm, width (1.3–)2.5–3.5 × length, on individual specimens usually greater in width rather than in number on larger leaves; leaf apex with acumen either short and broad with many-toothed margin or made up mainly of a single long terminal tooth to 0.7 × total acumen length; base only slightly asymmetrical, narrowly or broadly cuneate or rounded; texture relatively thin-chartaceous, but leaves often slightly bullate; hairs on adaxial surface like those on the stem, sparse or abundant soft (rarely stiff) often rather inconspicuous, on abaxial surface either similar or ± spreading usually restricted to veins; petiole widely varying relative to lamina, 0.25–0.5(–0.7) × lamina length. Inflorescence-bearing axes (5–) 10–50 cm long, pendulous, unbranched or with a few long branches close to base or sometimes male with lateral branches throughout length and ± erect with pendent apex; axes unisexual or sometimes mostly female with a few short lateral male branches near base, clusters usually relatively well-spaced, 2 – 5 mm apart, sometimes almost contiguous along parts of axis; female clusters 2–5 mm diam, with c. 20– more than 50 often densely crowded flowers. Fruiting perianth 0.7–1(–1.5) by 0.3–0.5(–1) mm, widely varying in shape but mostly markedly laterally flattened with distinct marginal rim or wing, broadly or narrowly ovoid or obovoid sometimes with an indistinct beak (in Indian subcontinent sometimes ± spindle-shaped, ± pedicellate), length 1.5–3 × width, less often broadly obovoid, with width equalling length and slightly inflated at apex, moderately laterally flattened but without distinct marginal rim or wing and with relatively large achene; indumentum widely varying from sparse long conspicuous white hairs throughout or restricted to apex, or hairs shorter and more inconspicuous or fruiting perianth glabrescent.

Distribution ― India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka.

Habitat & Ecology ― Very varied: forests and forest margins, streams, scrub, roadsides and open stony areas; 100–2600 m altitude.

Conservation status ― Least Concern (LC). Over a hundred collections have been seen clearly referable to this variety and it is widespread in a wide range of habitats.

Notes ― 1. Wight (1843: 10) cites the localities “Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Courtallum, etc” for his species Splitgerbera macrostachya . The taxonomical identity of the name can be established with certainty from the plate in the Icones ( Wight 1843: pl. 1977). We do not propose a formal lectotypification, in case an original specimen is later found. Wight does not mention the manuscript name U. macrostachya Wall. for this taxon, but he states that his species belongs to the same genus as U. scabrella Roxb. Weddell (1854: 199) cites B. macrostachya as a nomen nudum, referring to the specimen Wallich 4582B. The first to take up the combination B. macrostachya is therefore Bailey (1888: 55), and this combination is not illegitimate as was suggested by Chew (1989: 85).

2. This variety appears to be common in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent (many collections seen) but rare in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It exhibits a wide range of partly geographically-correlated variations, intergrading in parts of its geographical range with other varieties ( Map 29 ) and is frequently confused with other species. Its relationship to other varieties within the species is discussed above under the species as a whole (Notes 2, 3, 5), and its confusion with B. clidemioides , B. conica , B. holosericea , B. japonica , B. ternifolia and B. zollingeriana is discussed above under the subspecies (Notes 4–6, 9–11).

Figures

Map 25 Distribution of Boehmeria virgata (G.Forst.) Guillem.subsp.macrophylla (Hornem.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear var. macrostachya (Wight) Friis & Wilmot-Dear (●) and B. virgata (G.Forst.) Guillem.subsp.macrophylla (Hor- nem.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear var.longissima (Hook.f.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear (ä).

Map 29 Distribution of Boehmeria virgata (G.Forst.) Guillem.subsp.macro­ phylla (Hornem.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear var.scaberrima (Roxb.) Friis & Wilmot- Dear (●), B. virgata (G.Forst.) Guillem. subsp.macrophylla (Hornem.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear var.sumatrana (Miq.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear (▲) and intermediates between B. virgata subsp. macrophylla var.scaberrima and B. virgata subsp. macrophylla var. macrostachya (ä).

Fig. 24 a–i: Boehmeria virgata subsp. macrophylla var. macrostachya (Wight) Friis & Wilmot-Dear. a. Habit of stem with inflorescence-bearing axes; b. leaf, detail of adaxial surface;c. leaf, detail of abaxial surface;d. detail of stem and stipules;e. detail of male inflorescence-bearing axis and flower-clusters (inflorescences); f. male bud; g. detail of female inflorescence-bearing axis and flower-cluster (inflorescence); h, i. fruiting perianths of different form (from different plants). — j–o: Boehmeria virgata subsp. macrophylla var. scabrella (Roxb.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear. j. Habit of stem with branched inflorescence-bearing axes; k. leaf; l. leaf,detail of adaxial surface; m. leaf, detail of abaxial surface;n. detail of stem and stipules; o. fruiting perianth. — p: Boehmeria virgata subsp. macrophylla var. canescens (Wedd.) Friis & Wilmot-Dear. Leaf, detail of adaxial surface (a–c, h: Gamble 9034; d, i: Haines 5068; e, f: Haines 2309; g: Clarke 34129; j: Schiffner 1900; k, n: Hooker & Thompson s.n.; l, m, o: Ford 173; p: Wallich 4582; all K). — Scale bars: a, j, k = 2 cm; b-d, l-n = 2 mm; e-h, i, o = 1 mm.