Nomenclatural notes and report of Boehmeria penduliflora Wedd. ex D.G. Long from the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India

: Boehmeria penduliflora Wedd. ex D.G.Long (Urticaceae) is rediscovered after 81 years in Barahi range of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Pilibhit district, Uttar Pradesh, India. In the present article, detailed description, digital photographs, illustration, nomenclature update and relevant notes are provided to facilitate easy identification.


OPEN ACCESS
The family Urticaceae is commonly known as the nettle family, comprising ca. 54 genera and 2,600 species spread throughout the world in tropics, subtropics, and temperate regions (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). This family is represented by 29 genera and 153 species in India (Karthikeyan 2000). The apomictic genus Boehmeria (Yahara 1990) is the largest genus in tribe Boehmerieae. After revisionary study 47 species were reported from both new world and old world (Wilmot-Dear & Friis 1996, 2013, of which 15-20 species are known from Indian territory, distributed mostly in tropical regions (Gaur 1999). Boehmeria penduliflora Wedd ex D.G.Long mostly occurs in eastern India, with maximum concentration in the Naga and Khasi hills of Assam and Meghalaya (Wilmot-Dear et al. 2013).
During field exploration in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, a few specimens belonging to the genus Boehmeria were collected by the last author (VVW). Based on critical microscopic examination and review of literature (Weddell 1854;Lindsat et al. 1874;Hooker 1885;Duthei 1915;Kanjilal 1933Kanjilal , 1940Wilmot-Dear & Friis 2013) the specimens were identified as Boehmeria penduliflora Wedd. ex D.G.Long. From Uttar Pradesh this species was first reported by Kanjilal (1933) in "Forest flora of Pilibhit, Oudh, Gorakhpur, and Bundelkhand", from Kanjilal onwards; there has been no collection of this species in Uttar Pradesh. Present study reports B. penduliflora from Uttar Pradesh after 81 years, and provides detailed description, updated nomenclature, J TT phenology, photographs, illustration, and relevant notes to facilitate easy identification.

Material and Methods
Fresh plant materials of Boehmeria were collected during field surveys conducted in Barahi forest range of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh, in 2014 ( Figure  1). The habit, habitat features and the geo-coordinates (latitude/longitude/elevation) of each specimen were recorded. Macro and micro-morphological characters were examined critically in freshly collected and herbarium specimens. Plant parts were carefully studied under a stereomicroscope (Leica S8APO). Comparative studies were made by examining the relevant taxonomic literature (Yahara 1981;Friss 1993;Wilmot-Dear & Friis 1996, 2013Acharya et al. 2002). Specimens housed in ASSAM, BSD, BSHC, CAL, DD, and LWG were studied and digital specimen images were accessed from virtual herbaria of BM, E, G, K, NHNM, and NYBG. The Shenzhen Code (Turland et al. 2018) was followed for nomenclature updates and lectotypification of the plant names. = Boehmeria macrophylla D.Don (1825)  Notes: Boehemria penduliflora is distinct having flower clusters sparse, from B. densiflora with dense flower clusters. In addition, the upper surface of the leaf bears distinct punctate cystoliths. Young leaves and petiole are more pubescent than the older ones.

Nomenclatural Updates
Boehemria macrophylla D.Don was described by Don (1825) citing the type of Buchanan-Hamilton collection, mentioning type locality Narainhetty, Nepal. Exactly 10 year before, Hornemann in 1815 had described a new species with same name, i.e., Boehmeria macrophylla Hornem., and interestingly the two different specimens cited by D.Don and Hornemann individually, were collected by Buchanan Hamilton from same locality. As such D. Don's (1825) assigned name became the later homonym for Hornemann (1815) species and according to ICN later homonyms are illegitimates (Art. 53).
After that Wallich listed Urtica penduliflora Wall. (1831) in his numerical list publication, citing the specimen with collection number 4595a. As per www. plantlist.com database, and the current taxonomic status of U. penduliflora is considered as an unresolved name. Weddell (1854) gave a manuscript name Boehmeria penduliflora Wedd., without any description and was the first to cite Urtica penduliflora Wall. as a synonym In the revisionary study of Boehmeria Jacq. in southeastern Asia, Acharya followed Wang's view (1995) and recognised B. densiflora as an accepted name and treated B. penduliflora as a variety of the former (Acharya et al. 2002). Acharya therefore proposed two varieties of B. densiflora, viz., B. densiflora var. penduliflora and B. densiflora var. intermidia which failed to get recognition and later rendered as synonyms of B. peduliflora as it gets the priority over Boehmeria densiflora.
The detailed critical study of Urtica penduliflora, based on the literature and virtual specimens, we were able to locate Wallich's collection of Urtica penduliflora from three different herbaria with same collection number 4595a, housed in K, G, and M herbarium (with barcodes K000741291, G00354049, and M0244322, respectively). As per ICN (Art. 9.6) the specimens deposited in K, G, and M becomes syntypes (Turland et al. 2018) and it is required to select one specimen as a lectotype amongst the three (Art 9.3, Note 2). Here we are designating the specimen housed at Geneva herbarium [G00354049] (Image 4) as lectotype and the one with barcode K000741291 as an isolectotype (Turland et al. 2018). Habitat

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