Botanical Studies (2006) 47: 199-205.

*

Corresponding author: E-mail: biofv017@ntnu.edu.tw;

Fax: 886-2-29312904.

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis (Gentianaceae), a new

species in Taiwan

Chih-Hsiung CHEN

1

, Jenn-Che WANG

2,

*, and Yung-Chan CHANG

3

1

Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural Science, 1, Guancian Road, Taichung, Taiwan

2

Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, 88 Ting-Chow Road, Sec 4, Taipei, Taiwan

3

Department of Life Science, National Chung-Hsing University, 250, Kuo Kuang Road, Taichung, Taiwan

(Received April 12, 2005; Accepted November 10, 2005)

ABSTRACT.

A new species Tripterospermum lilungshanensis C. H. Chen & J. C. Wang from Taiwan is

described. Line drawing, color photos, and SEM micrographs of pollen and seed are also provided to aid

in the identification. This species was found at the altitude of ca. 600-1,000 m from Mt. Lilungshan in the

southern part of the Central Mountain Range. The new species is most similar to T. alutaceifolium (T. S. Liu

& C. C. Kuo) J. Murata, which is mainly restricted to northern Taiwan, but differs from the latter by having

shorter leaf blades (2-5 cm vs. 4-9 cm), lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate and slightly spreading calyx-lobes (vs.

ensiform and straight), and an elongated gynophore which results in fruit exerting from the calyx-tube when

mature.

Keywords: Gentianaceae; New species; Taxonomy; Taiwan; Tripterospermum; Tripterospermum

lilungshanensis.

INTRODUCTION

Tripterospermum Blume (Gentianaceae) is a genus of

climbing perennials restricted to Asia (Murata, 1989).

Twenty-five species have been recognized by Murata

(1989) in his worldwide revision. Recently, Hul (2002)

described three new species from Vietnam. The genus is

the sister group of Crawfurdia and Gentiana based on

recent studies from morphology and molecular phylogeny

(Ho et al., 1996; Yuan and Kupfer, 1995). Most members

of the Taiwanese Tripterospermum have been published

by early Japanese taxonomists (Hayata, 1911; Yamamoto,

1929; Masamune, 1938). The first revision was made

by Satake (1951), who recognized four species. Liu and

Kuo (1970) treated Taiwanese Tripterospermum as three

species. Later, they added two infraspecific taxa (Liu and

Kuo, 1974) and subsequently gave it a similar treatment

in the Flora of Taiwan, First Edition (Liu and Kuo, 1978).

Murata (1989) made a comprehensive revision according

to the morphological survey in which six Taiwan species

were treated. Basically, later treatments of Taiwanese

Tripterospermum, e.g. Flora of China (Ho and Pringle,

1995) and Flora of Taiwan, Second Edition (Wang and

Chen, 1998), were the same as Murata¡¦s.

Recently, in our botanical exploration in southern

Taiwan, an unknown species of Tripterospermum was

found. After further field observations and comparisons

with the herbarium specimens in the HAST, NMNS, TAIF,

TAI, and TNU herbaria, we concluded that the taxon is a

new species.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials used in the present studies were collected

from field, pressed and dried for voucher specimens, and

deposited in the herbaria NMNS and TNU. Seeds and

pollen grains for scanning electron microscope (SEM)

study were collected from fresh capsules and flowers of

holotype (Y. C. Chang 21, NMNS).

Pollen grains were treated by the acetolysis method

(Erdtman, 1952) before being dried to the critical point.

Seed and pollen were coated with gold and examined

under Hitachi S3000N scanning electron microscope.

For the comparison of calyx-lobes, eight individuals

o f T. lilungshanensis in Lilungshan and twelve

individuals from four populations of T. alutaceifolium

in northern Taiwan were measured and plotted. The

voucher specimens with geographic information are as

follows: T. lilungshanensis: Pingtung, Lilungshan, Y. C.

Chang 21 (NMNS), C. H. Chen 6267 (NMNS), Lu & Li

1663 (TNU); T. alutaceifolium: Taipei, Chihsingshan,

TAXONOMY

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Figure 1. Tripterospermum lilungshanensis C. H. Chen & J. C. Wang. 1, Habit; 2, Calyx; 3, Corolla and stamens; 4, Stamens; 5,

Pistil; 6, Berry with gynophore and dissected calyx; 7, Cross section of berry; 8, Seeds. (C. H. Chen 6267).

CHEN

et al. ¡X

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis

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201

Figure 2. A-C, Tripterospermum lilungshanensis. A, Outside view of flower, showing white corolla tinged with purple near apex; B,

Calyx remains fresh after corolla withered, compare the slightly spreading calyx-lobes with T. alutaceifolium (Figure D); C, Fruit and

partially dissected calyx. Notice the gynophore of fruit is longer than calyx-tube; D, Mature fruit of T. alutaceifolium, showing the

base of fruit included in calyx-tube. Scale bars 1 cm.

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Figure 3. SEM-micrographs of Tripterospermum lilungshanensis. A: seed; B: polar view of pollen grain; C, D, E: equatorial view of

pollen grain. Scale bars 1 mm (A), 10 £gm (B, C, D), 5 £gm (E).

CHEN

et al. ¡X

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis

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203

name "Crawfurdia") using LM and also reported

little interspecific difference. SEM study of pollen

morphology for the Taiwan taxa has been known for

T. lanceolatum only (Chen and Wang, 1999b). Our

palynological observation revealed some similarities with

T. lanceolatum. However, the latter is characterized by the

subprolate to prolate pollen grains with constricted colpi.

Sexine sculpture seems also to display minute differences

between them when compared with the photographs of

Chen and Wang (1999b). However, their description

indicated a wide range of sexine sculpture. Therefore, its

implications for the systematics of this genus call for an

extensively comparative study.

Notes. Based on Murata¡¦s system (Murata, 1989),

the new species belongs to the Tripterospermum sect.

Tripterospermum because of the baccate fruits. The

characters of elongated gynophore and fruit exerted from

calyx-tube occurred also in T. championii Gardner of

SE Asia (Hul, 2003) and T. japonicum (Sieb. & Zucc.)

Maxim. of NE Asia (Murata, 1989), suggesting that they

are allied taxa.

Morphologically, T. lilungshanensis is most similar

to T. alutaceifolium (T. S. Liu & C. C. Kuo) J. Murata.

Y. C. Chang 19 (NMNS); Taipei, Shihting, Ergeshan,

C. C. Chen 892 (TNU); Taipei, Hsiaoyi, Z. W. Lee 38

(TNU); Taipei, Wulai, Y. K. Chen, 280 (HAST); Taipei,

Yangmingshan National Park, C. H. Liu 201 (HAST).

SYSTEMATIC TREATMENT

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis C. H. Chen & J. C.

Wang sp. nov.¡ÐTYPE: TAIWAN. Pingtung Hsien: Shi-

htzu Hsiang, Lilungshan Y. C. Chang 21, 20 Nov 2004

(holotype: NMNS; isotype: NMNS, TNU).

¨½Às¤sªÍ§Î¯ó (Figures 1, 2)

Species T. alutaceifolio affinis sed foliis lamina

ovatolanceolata vel cordata minus quam 5 cm longa et

calycibus lobis lanceolatis vel ovatolanceolatis circa 6-10

mm longis differens.

Perennial herbs. Stems usually spirally twining. Petiole

2-3 cm; leaf blade ovate-lanceolate, ovate to cordate, 2-5

cm long, 1-3 cm wide, base rounded to cordate, margin

entire, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences 1-flowered

or cymous; bracts 1-3 pairs. Calyx campanulate; tube

7-9 mm, winged; lobes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate,

6-10 mm long, 2-3 mm wide; apex acute to acuminate.

Corolla narrowly campanulate, 2.5-3.5 cm long; lobes

triangular, 3-4 mm long, apex acuminate; plicae obliquely

triangular, 1-2 mm long. Filaments linear, 1-2 cm long;

anthers ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm long. Disc 1-1.5 mm long;

ovary narrowly ellipsoid, 7-10 mm long; gynophore 2-3

mm long; style linear, ca. 2 cm long. Berries red-purple,

subglobose to long-ovoid, 8-12 mm long, 4-6 mm across;

fruit gynophore 8-12 mm long (including disc). Seeds dark

purple, ellipsoid to ovoid, triquetrous, ca. 1.5 mm long,

wingless or somewhat winged (Figure 3: A).

Flowering and fruiting Sep.-Feb.

Paratypes. PINGTUNG HSIEN: Shihtzu Hsiang,

Lilungshan, 600-1,000 m, Lu & Li 1663 (TNU, TAI);

same loc., 1,062 m, Huang et al. 16247 (TAI); same loc.,

650-950 m, C. H. Chen 6267 (NMNS).

Distribution. Endemic to Taiwan, presently known

from 700 to 1,000 m in the southern part of the Central

Mountain Range. Found on forest floor or semi-shady

grasslands.

Palynology. Pollen grain (Figure 3: B-E) tricolporate,

isopolar, spheroidal to prolate spheroidal in equatorial

view, 23-28 ¡Ñ 21-28 £gm (P ¡Ñ E); semiangular in polar

view. Colpi long, crassimarginate, ends acuminate, colpus

membranes finely granulate. Ora circular. Sexine striate;

striae meridinally distributed, forking or anastomosing,

0.5-0.7 £gm wide.

The pollen morphology of Gentianaceae has been

studied extensively by Nilsson (1967), in which only

one species of Tripterospermum, T. microphylla, w as

from Taiwan. He concisely pointed out the interspecific

differences in the sexine sculpture of this genus. Huang

(1972)

observed three Taiwan species (under the genus

Figure 4. Leaf-blades of Tripterospermum lilungshanensis

(A-D) and T. alutaceifolium (E-H). A-D and E-H are traced from

mature leaves of different specimens and show the infraspecific

variation of both species respectively. Scale bars 5 cm.

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Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

The new species has smaller and shorter leaf blades than

the latter (2-5¡Ñ1-3 cm vs. 4-9 ¡Ñ 1.5-3.5 cm) (Figure 4).

The flowers look very much alike. Both species have

white corollas sometimes tinged with purple abaxially

near the apex (Figure 2A). However, they are easily

distinguishable in calyx morphology. Calyx morphology

is an important character in discriminating species within

the genus Tripterospermum (Murata, 1989) and also in the

closely related genus Gentiana (Chen and Wang, 1999a).

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis and T. alutaceifolium

share relatively broad calyx-lobes that retain their fresh

condition even when the corolla is withered or the fruits

have matured and dropped (Figure 2, B-D). However, the

slightly spreading calyx-lobes in the new species (Figure

2B) differ from the erect form in T. alutaceifolium (Figure

2D). The scatter diagram of calyx lobes length and width

(Figure 5) also clearly shows that T. lilungshanensis has

shorter and wider calyx-lobes than T. alutaceifolium. In

addition, the gynophore of T. lilungshanensis is usually

elongated and becomes longer than the calyx-tube.

Consequently, the fruit is exerted from the calyx-tube

when mature (Figure 2C), in contrast to T. alutaceifolium,

in which the gynophore is slightly shorter than the calyx-

tube, and the base of fruit is included within the calyx-tube

(Figure 2D). Their distribution is allopatric, respectively

being restricted to the southern and northern parts of

Taiwan.

Acknowledgments. Thanks are given to three reviewers

for their critical review of this manuscript, and also to

the curators of HAST, NMNS, TAIF, and TAI for the

examination of specimens and kind help. This work was

supported by NSC93-2311-B-178-002 from the National

Science Council, ROC

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Figure 5. Scatter plotting of calyx lobes length (X axis) and

width (Y axis) of Tripterospermum lilungshanensis (star) and T.

alutaceifolium (triangle).

CHEN

et al. ¡X

Tripterospermum lilungshanensis

new species in Taiwan

205