Chassalia kinabaluensis T. Y. Yu 2021, sp. nov.

Chassalia kinabaluensis T.Y.Yu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77215407-1

Figs 14–15

Similar to Chassalia atropurpurea sp. nov., differs in having green-brown, not dark purple stems, pedicels, midribs and inflorescence axes; in having a shorter peduncle, 3.5 cm long when flowering (not 3.5–6 cm long); differs also in having relatively long pedicels, 2–4 mm long (not subsessile or sessile).

The epithet alludes to Mount Kinabalu to which the new species is endemic.

MALAYSIA – Borneo, Sabah • Mount Kinabalu, head of Liawagu River Trail; alt. 1800–1900 m; 6°02′ N, 116°33′ E; 23 Mar. 1995; John H. Beaman 11299; holotype: K [K001129712]!; isotypes: UNIMAS, IBEC.

MALAYSIA – Borneo, Sabah • Tenompok, Mount Kinabalu; alt. 1500 m; Jun. 1932; J. & M. S. Clemens 28169; K! • Mesilau River; alt. 1500 m; 27 Jan.1964; RSNB 4157; K! • Ranau, Tenompok F. R., Lower Montane Forest; 30 Aug. 2001; JTP 825; K! • along the East Mesilau River between Mt Kinabalu golf course site and Mesilau Cave; 6°03′ N, 116°36′ W; alt. 1700–1900 m; 20 Dec. 1983; John H. Beaman 7977; K!, MSC, UKMS • Mt Kinabalu National Park, montane oak forest; alt. 1630 m; 27 May 1966; Ding Hou 227; K!, L.

Shrub to treelet, 0.5–0.9 m tall, glabrous, stems green-brown (also pedicels, midribs and inflorescence axes). Internodes from flowering branch (1–)2–5(–9.5) cm × 2–4 mm, lower internodes terete, upper internodes usually flattened, canaliculate, broadening at apex, base 2–4 mm wide, apex 3–5 mm wide. Leaf-blades narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, 13–21.5 × 3.5–5 cm, margin entire, apex acute, base cuneate; midrib slightly raised above, domatia absent; secondary nerves 8–12 on each side of the midrib, prominent above; tertiary nerves not visible. Petiole terete, sometimes canaliculate, usually slightly winged, 10–25 × 1–2 mm. Stipule not sheathing, broadly flabellate, 5–11 × 8–10 mm, apex usually broken. Inflorescence a compound cyme, 6–12 cm long; peduncle 3.5–6 cm long; bracts of first internode of rachis and first branches 2, triangular, flabellate or lanceolate, 3–12 × 1–3 mm, sometimes with 2–3 teeth on the margin; first internode of rachis and first branches 4.5–8.5 cm long; second internode of rachis and second branches 2.5–4.5 cm long; bracts of capitulum oblong-obovate, 3–5 × 2 mm, apex rounded. Pedicel short, 2–4 × 0.5 mm. Flowers subsessile, usually 5 in each capitulum, 10–12 mm long, hypanthium 1–3 × 0.6–0.8 mm, calyx tube 0.3–1 × 1–2.5 mm, lobes 0.3 × 0.4–0.5 mm. Corolla cream white or purplish white, tube base narrow, 0.6–1.2 mm wide, broadening from midway, apex 3.5–4.5 mm wide, corolla lobes triangular, 2.5 × 2 mm. Fruits iridescent blue, ellipsoid, 7–8 × 4–5.5 mm, with pedicels 2–4 mm long. Pyrenes plano-convex, dorsal surface convex, with two adjacent parallel longitudinal crests, each 0.3 mm wide, curved, 0.3 mm apart along their length, forming a longitudinal groove from apex to base between the two crests; ventral surface concave, central part slightly elevated, margin with an endocarpal outgrowth 0.6 mm wide, with a groove between the edge of endocarp and endocarpal outgrowth 0.2–0.3 mm wide. Raphal opening at base of the endocarpal outgrowth, narrowly ovoid, 0.5 × 0.2 mm, 0.2–0.3 mm from the edge of the pyrene wall, apex with a bony spine, spine triangular, erect, 0.5–0.7 × 0.2–0.3 mm. PGS not detected. Seed light brown, hemiellipsoid, slightly crested at central part of dorsal side, 0.3 × 4 mm, endosperm not detected.

Borneo: Sabah, Mount Kinabalu (Kinabalu National Park), Lower montane forest, alt. 1100–1500 m.