Boehmeria clidemioides Miq., Pl. Jungh.

A., Gupta, D., Adhikari, I. A., Hurrah & Wagh, V. V., 2023, Extended distribution, typification and modelling of potential areas of Boehmeria clidemioides (Urticaceae) in the Western Himalaya, India, Rheedea 33 (1), pp. 8-16 : 9-12

Boehmeria clidemioides Miq., Pl. Jungh. 1: 34. 1851. Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. clidemioides (Miq.) Wedd., Monographie de la famille des Urticacées, [Archives du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris 9:1–400. 1856. Lectotype (designated here): INDONESIA, Java, Mount Merapi, April 1851, F.W. Junghuhn, “No. 6” (L [ L1624156 digital image!]); isolecto F.W. Junghuhn s.n. (L [ L0836097 digital image!]); F.W. Junghuhn “ N0. 6 ” (GH [ GH0028623 digital image!]).

Boehmeria platyphylla D.Don var. cinerascens Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5: 579. 1888. FigS. 1–3

Evergreen, perennial, undershrubs, up to 3–4 feet; stems cylindrical, erect, branched, woody at base, sparsely pubescent, indumentum fine, ± adpressed, 0.2–0.65 mm; ultimate stem up to 1.5 cm across. Stipules interpetiolar in a pair on each side of the opposite petioles, ovate–deltoid, narrow, ± asymmetrical at apex, 1.3–6.5 × 0.7–2.35 mm, pubescent on outside at midrib (indumentum 0.12– 0.76 mm long), apex acuminate. Leaves opposite to sub-opposite. Petioles 2–6 cm long, densely 0.63 × 0.46–0.51 mm. Female floral axes 4–11 cm long, pubescent, 7–30 cluster on each floral axis; each clusters c. 50-flowered (some time clusters may be bisexual), lax or condensed. Female flowers sessile, up to 3 mm long, with flowering perianth persisting in fruit; ovary 0.52–0.76 × 0.29–0.61 mm; style up to 1.13 mm long, pilose. Fruiting perianth unwinged and hardening into small achenes with perianth and persisting style. Seeds oval to quadrangular, 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.52 mm.

Flowering & Fruiting: Flowering from August to September and fruiting from September to October.

Habitat: Found in open areas, at forest edges, on moist slopes, along roadsides, in ravines, along banks of streams, ponds and rivers, between 600– 2200 m elevation.

pubescent (hairs 0.2–0.45 mm long); lamina 6–10 × 4–7 cm, slightly asymmetrical, trinerved, base slightly cordate to rounded, nearly oblique, margins serrate, apex acuminate or caudate with single long tooth with 1–2 smaller lateral ones, abaxial surface densely pubescent with short adpressed and fine long hairs, adaxial surface glabrescent, cystoliths dense, round, rough to touch; basal lateral veins extent up to more than half of lamina (1/3 of distal half), upper lateral veins 2–3 either side, arising from mid or below half of lamina or nearly from lamina base. Inflorescences on modified flower-bearing axes, mostly with a tuft of small leaves at its apex; flower-bearing axis unisexual and/or bisexual, floral clusters above on the axes mainly female, unbranched or rarely branched at base. Male floral axes 2–7 cm long, pubescent, with 14–25 floral clusters, 1–2 mm in diam., 8– 15 male flowers to a cluster, loosely arranged, distance between clusters 2–3 cm. Bracts deltoid to ovate, 1.44–3.09 × 0.87–1.82 mm, pubescent on midrib dorsally; bracteoles membranous, c. 1 mm long. Male flowers tetramerous c. 1 mm across, pubescent (hairs 0.25 mm long) near apex of perianth, sessile to pedicellate (1–1.4 mm long), with a rudimentary ovary; perianth lobes elliptic, up to 1.5 × 0.83 mm, fused, valvate. Stamens 4, free, filaments flattened, up to 2 mm long; anthers bilobed, basifixed, 0.57– Distribution: SE Asia ( Indonesia, Java, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sumatra, Thailand, Vietnam) Nepal, Bhutan, China, India (Wilmot-Dear & Friis, 2013) .

Modelling of potential distribution areas: In India Boehmeria clidemioides occurs widely in Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh (Northeast India). In the present study, we used a Maxent model to predict suitable areas for the species in Western Himalaya. The purpose of this modeling was to predict whether suitable areas for the species exist in the Western Himalayas. The new collection record was used as an independent validation data point in the study, which proves that the species does occur in the predicted suitable areas. The Maxent model yielded a mean AUC value of 0.931 showing good fitness and predictive capacity. Annual mean diurnal temperature range (Bio 2) and precipitation of wettest quarter (Bio 16) were identified as the most influential variables that had most effect on the modeled distribution of the species the distribution of the species. The model predicted the occurrence of highly suitable areas in the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir .

Through ground truthing, we could locate the species in one of these suitable areas near the Bharari village of Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand at an altitude of 2109 m (N 30˚03’32” E 79˚53’08”) ( Fig. 3 ). Nonetheless, we expect that future visits in other predicted suitable areas would result in the discovery of new populations of the species.

Specimens examined: BHUTAN, Jashigong Hills , 10.03.1965, Balakrishnan 41251 ( ASSAM) . INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Changlang district, Jairampur, 1193 m., 11.10.1956, Rolla S. Rao 19994 (ASSAM); East Siang district , Pasighat , 02.12.1952, G . K . Deka 23320 (ASSAM); Subansiri, New headquarters, 2220 m, D. B . Deb 19552 (ASSAM); Tirap district, Khonsa to Kaju , 23.06.1961, D. B . Deb 25994 (ASSAM); Tinchha , 1753 m, 24.08.1958, Panigrahi 14641 (ASSAM) . Assam, Kamrup district, Chandmari , 15.09.1950, B . B . Shyam 22990 (ASSAM); Khasi and Jaintia Hills , 11.11.1930, U . Kanjilal 7626 (ASSAM); ibid., 14.09.1942, G . K. Deb 21532 (ASSAM) . Meghalaya, East Khasi Hills district, Shillong, Barapani , 14.09.1930, P . C . Kanjilal 8461 (ASSAM); Bidan & Bishop fall, 24.12.1962, R . H . 25503 (ASSAM); Khasi Hills, 09.07.1954, s.coll. 8145 (ASSAM); Mahadev Khola forest , 21.11.1963, S . Chowdhary 25147 (ASSAM); Nongthymai , 11.09.1956, G . Panigrahi 3222 (ASSAM); Woodland campus, September 1960, G . K. Deb 21779 (ASSAM); Jaintia Hills district, Mynsngat to Nartiang , 1000 m, 27.08.1965, Balakrishnan 47143 (ASSAM) ; ibid., 27.08.1965, Balakrishnan 47149 (ASSAM); West Jaintia Hills district, Jawai road, 20.09.1930, P . C. Kanjilal 8509 (ASSAM) . Mizoram, Dampa forest reserve, Teirei , 700 m, 21.09.2006, B . K. Sinha 112725 (ASSAM) . Sikkim, Thomson T . 747 (ASSAM); Tripura, Sekhan, Sermon , 800 m, 03.02.1962, D. B . Deb 27444 (ASSAM) . Uttarakhand, Bageshwar, Bharari 2109 m, 18.08.2019, Amit Gupta & Imtiyaz A . Hurrah 326529 ( LWG) . INDONESIA, Java, Omgeving Tjibodas Ooatrand van het dal, 07.05.1950, S . J . Van 952 ( L); G keloet, tuss chen bovenkampen benedenkamp, lang den weg 10.04.1938, Coert 1775 ( L); Soerakarta, sekardjinggo boven tawangmangoe, 1300 m, 27.07.1936, R . Brinknaan s.n. ( L); Eiland resid 06.05.1929, 1500 m, Backer 37221 ( L) . Sumatra, W . Kust Koerintji bt. Tibakar 850 m, 06.02.1920, Bunnemeijer 7947 ( L) . MYANMAR, Moulmein , 18.10.1975, Kuntze 6273 ( NY) . THAILAND, Chiang Mai, Mae Dtang, Doi sahmg Liang , 1050 m, 07.01.1998, Maxwell 98–22 ( L); Maung, Doi Suthep Pui National Park , 03.12.1999, Maxwell 99–313 ( NHN); Payao, muang Doi Luang National Park , 600 m, 09.05.1997, Maxwell 97- 511 ( L); Chiang Dao district , Doi Chiang Dao Animal Sanctuary, 700 m, 30.03.1995, Maxwell 95–286 ( L) . Chiang Mai Wieng, near Huay Miang , 925m, 19.04.1995, Maxwell 95–345 ( L) . Chiang Mai Sahngahmpang, Mae awn mae Gahm : Bawng village , 1100 m, 17.05.1995, Maxwell 95–394 ( L) . Lampang, Muang Bahn, Jae sawn National Park , 575 m, 25.08.1995, Maxwell 95–587 ( L) . Nan, ban nan dun: Doi Phu Kha , 1050 m, 11.09.1996, Larsen s.n. ( NHN) . Nan, near Doi Phu Kha , 1600 m, 02.09.1999, D. J . Middleton 142 ( GH). Siam, Auerjmai , 20.09.1938, 1200 m, Garrett 1091 ( L); Mai Hong Son: Huany Yuak village Khoonyauan 13.10.1983, Hiroshige 32440 ( NHN) . VIETNAM, Da Nang, Ba Na Nui Chua 22.10.2008, Du NV 3271 ( L) .

Figures

Fig. 1. Boehmeria clidemioides Miq. habit (from Amit Gupta & Imtiyaz A. Hurrah 326529;drawn by Amit Gupta).

Fig.2.Boehmeriaclidemioides Miq.:a.Indumentum onstem;b.Leaf-abaxialsurface;c. Leafmargin;d. Abaxialleafsurface;e.Stipules;f. Femaleglomerulus; g. Male glomerulus;h. Female flower;i. Male flower;j. Anthers;k. Achene;l. Seed (from Amit Gupta &Imtiyaz A.Hurrah 326529;photos by Amit Gupta).

Fig. 3. Observed record in Uttarakhand and predicted potential distribution area of Boehmeria clidemioides Mig. in the Western Himalaya using Himalaya based on occurrence points of the species in Northeast India.