A taxonomic account of Amischotolype ( Commelinaceae ) and notes on the occurrence of Porandra in India

Acknowledgements: We thank Dr. Helena Duistermaat, NCB Naturalis, National Herbarium Netherlands, Leiden for reviewing the manuscript, Prof. S.R. Yadav, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Prof. M.K. Janarthanam, Goa University, Goa for providing laboratory facilities, the authorities and curators of the herbaria at the Central National Herbarium, Howrah (CAL), at the Madras Herbarium, Coimbatore (MH) and Eastern Circle Herbarium, BSI, Shillong (ASSAM) who have kindly allowed us to examine the specimens and literature. While working on a revision of Commelinaceae in India the genus Amischotolype Hassk. was studied. The genus is paleotropic and comprises c. 26 species distributed mainly in South, East and Southeast Asia (excluding Sri Lanka) of which four species are strictly found in tropical Africa. In India, the genus is represented by three species (modified after Karthikeyan et al. 1989). Hooker (1894) in his treatment of Flora of British India reported five species, viz., Forrestia mollis Hassk. (=Amischotolype mollissima (Blume) Hassk.), F. griffithii Clarke (=A. griffithii (C.B. Clarke) I.M. Turner), F. marginata Hassk. (=A. marginata (Blume) Hassk.), F. hookeri Hassk. (=A. hookeri (Hassk.) H. Hara) and F. glabrata Hassk. (=A. glabrata Hassk.), of which the first three are known to occur in Java and Malaysia, and are excluded from the present treatment. Recently, Duistermaat (2012) revised the genus Amischotolype for Asia and provided a detailed taxonomic account of the genus. She has described eight new species and one of it (A. dolichandra Duist.) is from India. In the present treatment the detailed description and widened distribution of Amischotolype for India are given. African Amischotolype tenuis (C.B. Clarke) R.S. Rao as enumerated by Karthikeyan et al. (1989) in India is mistaken. The species is strictly restricted to tropical Africa. In addition, the authors studied Indian specimens in various herbaria that had been identified as A. mollisima. However, A. mollissima (Blume) Hassk., is limited in its distribution to Java and Sumatra. In Java it is not known above 600m elevation, whereas in Sumatra it occurs up to 1420m (Duistermaat 2012). The majority of Indian specimens turned out to be either A. hookeri or A. glabrata, while a few were identified as a recently described species Amischotolype dolichandra Duist. Amischotolype dolichandra is closely related to Amischotolype glabrata, and can easily be recognized by short pseudopetioles, glabrous stamen filaments and narrowed, long anthers. In addition, within India, A. dolichandra is restricted to the northeastern parts whereas A. glabrata is much more widespread from the northeastern to the peninsular region. However, herbarium specimens, in which the diagnostic floral characters were lacking, were not readily distinguishable Abstract: An annotated enumeration of Amischotolype (Commelinaceae) in India including one endemic species is given with description, illustrations and key. In addition, notes on the occurrence of genus Porandra in India is provided.

While working on a revision of Commelinaceae in India the genus Amischotolype Hassk.was studied.The genus is paleotropic and comprises c. 26 species distributed mainly in South, East and Southeast Asia (excluding Sri Lanka) of which four species are strictly found in tropical Africa.In India, the genus is represented by three species (modified after Karthikeyan et al. 1989).Hooker (1894) in his treatment of Flora of British India reported five species, viz., African Amischotolype tenuis (C.B.Clarke) R.S. Rao as enumerated by Karthikeyan et al. (1989) in India is mistaken.The species is strictly restricted to tropical Africa.In addition, the authors studied Indian specimens in various herbaria that had been identified as A. mollisima.However, A. mollissima (Blume) Hassk., is limited in its distribution to Java and Sumatra.In Java it is not known above 600m elevation, whereas in Sumatra it occurs up to 1420m (Duistermaat 2012).The majority of Indian specimens turned out to be either A. hookeri or A. glabrata, while a few were identified as a recently described species Amischotolype dolichandra Duist.
Amischotolype dolichandra is closely related to Amischotolype glabrata, and can easily be recognized by short pseudopetioles, glabrous stamen filaments and narrowed, long anthers.In addition, within India, A. dolichandra is restricted to the northeastern parts whereas A. glabrata is much more widespread from the northeastern to the peninsular region.However, herbarium specimens, in which the diagnostic floral characters were lacking, were not readily distinguishable from A. glabrata.The specimens labeled with A. mollisima and A. glabrata were screened to determine the distribution of A. dolichandra in India, since unfortunately many of which were without flowers or fruits, certain identification could not be made.A mere handful of collections from Sikkim Himalaya and the northeastern states of India turned out to be A. dolichandra.
In addition to Amischotolype tenuis, Rao (1971) made two new combinations, namely, A. mollissima var.marginata and A. mollissima var.glabrata.But, Rao neither gives descriptions, nor does he cite material for his varieties.Therefore, his new combinations were nomina confusa (for detailed notes please see Duistermaat 2012: 125).We have treated one of his combinations A. mollissima var.glabrata as a valid one and a synonym of A. glabrata, because Rao (1971: 53) has written: "recent collection of this variety from Andhra Pradesh…new record for the Peninsular India" and it is based on the collection of G.V. Subba Rao 82049 (MH).A screening of the herbarium specimens placed at MH turned out to be only A. glabrata.
Hong described the genus Porandra in 1974.It consists of three species and all are known to occur in East Asia (China and Thailand).The identity of the genus from Amischotolype is questionable (Faden 1998), but it is different and separated from Amischotolype by its climbing habit and anther cells opening by apical pores (Thitimetharoch et al. 2003).Duistermaat (2012) stated that P. ramosa has teardrop-shaped anthers and after screening the collection of Griffith 5486 (K) from Mishmi Hills, India she has confirmed the occurrence of Porandra in India.The specimen was cited by Clarke (1881: 237) and Hooker (1894: 384) in their treatment of the family Commelinaceae as Forrestia marginata var.rostrata.We have seen only two specimens [A.S. Rao 48050 and J.Joseph 48538 (ASSAM)] from Arunachal Pradesh which allowed us to confirm the climbing habit character (Fig. 3, Image 2).However, it was difficult to examine the opening of the anther from pressed flowers.The straggling or trailing branched habit resembles Porandra ramosa, but more flowering specimens need to be studied to draw any conclusion.

Material and Methods
Herbarium specimens of all species have been studied from the collections situated at Central National Herbarium, Kolkata (CAL), Madras Herbarium, Coimbatore (MH), and Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Circle, Shillong (ASSAM).The photographs of herbarium sheets (types and other herbarium specimens) were examined digitally through JSTOR Global Plants (http:// plants.jstor.org/)and herbaria webpages of K, L and P.
Perennial, small to gigantic herbs; roots fibrous, rather succulent.Stem solid, nodes very short and usually thickened.Leaf sheath tubular, closed, tightly covering the internode, the lower withering and deciduous as the plant matures, generally green, longitudinally veined, glabrous or variously hirsute; leaves distichous, oblong to linear-lanceolate, surface glabrous or variously pubescent, base attenuate, apex acuminate to caudate, submarginal hairs present or absent.Inflorescence very compact and globose or more lax, composed of two to several cincinni.Flowers sessile to subsessile or shortly pedicellate; sepals subequal, succulent; petals free, equal, not clawed; stamens six, equal or subequal, filaments bearded or partially glabrous, anthers dehiscing longitudinally.Capsule dehiscent, white, pink, red, lilac, brown-purple or green, trilocular, valves apically free to fused up to 4/5 of length, ciliate or glabrous.Seeds (1-)