Gynochthodes cochinchinensis (DC.) Razafim. & B. Bremer (Morindeae: Rubioideae: Rubiaceae): an addition to the woody climbers of India

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The family Rubiaceae, with 611 genera and approximately 13,143 species, is distributed in the tropical, subtropical, temperate, and arctic regions (Davis et al. 2009). The subfamily classification based on morphological characters divided Rubiaceae into four subfamilies, viz., Cinchonoideae, Ixoroideae, Antirheoideae, and Rubioideae (Robbrecht 1988), though recent molecular phylogenetic studies recognize three subfamilies such as: Cinchonoideae, Ixoroideae, and Rubioideae (Bremer 2009 Muell., and Siphonandrium Schum. (Razafimandimbison et al. 2008). Blume (1827) described the genus Gynochthodes by putting together the species having similar morphological features such as presence of 8-9 flowers per umbel on the inflorescence, flowers being villous inside the tube; 4-5 stamens, one style, bifid verrucous stigma, globose stipule, umbilicate drupe, 4-locular ovary and erect albuminous embryo. Gynochthodes can be segregated from other genera of the tribe Morindeae by having inflorescences that are never paniculate, small flowers (corolla tubes 0.7-5.5 mm long and corolla lobes 1.5-11.0 mm long) and partly exserted anthers (Razafimandimbison et al. 2009;Suratman 2018). Razafimandimbison et al. (2009) also discussed the circumscription of Gynochthodes in a wider sense to accommodate all lianescent species of Morinda with small flowers in order to make Morinda monophyletic based on molecular phylogeny. The majority of lianescent species of Morinda having multiple fruits have been transferred to Gynochthodes and necessary nomenclatural changes made (Razafimandimbison & Bremer 2011). According to Johansson (1987), the genus can be distinguished from Morinda by its lianescent habit, stipules and bracts with marginal hairs, terminal umbellate inflorescences, flowers with recurved calyx tubes, corollas with long hairs within the tubes and on the adaxial side of the lobes. As per the present J TT circumscription, the genus Gynochthodes is comprised of 93 species distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical Madagascar, Asia, and Australasia (Mabberley 2017).
During the population inventory of threatened plants of Odisha, we collected some interesting specimens of Rubiaceae from Nuagaon and Jenabil forest areas of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Mayurbhanj District, Odisha, India at an altitude of 800-900 m. On critical examination of their morphological characters and consultation of relevant literature (Loureiro 1790; de Candolle 1830), we identified the species as Gynochthodes cochinchinensis (DC.) Razafim. & B. Bremer. Perusal of relevant literature revealed that this species has not yet been reported from within the geographical boundary of India and thus, turned out to be a new distribution record for India. A detailed botanical description along with notes on nomenclature, ecology, phenology, distribution, and color photographs of different plant parts are provided to facilitate easy identification of the species in the field. The herbarium specimens have been deposited in the Herbarium of Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Lianas; branches woody and at base with persistent leafless stipules, when young densely ferruginous or yellow villosulous, terete to weakly quadrangular. Leaves opposite, mature leaf 12.0 × 6.5 cm, apex acuminate, base obtuse, veins 14 pairs, petiolate, petiole up to 1.0cm in length, young leaf 8 × 3 cm, apex acuminate to terete, base obtuse, 15 pairs of secondary veins, petiole 0.5mm, elliptic to ovate and sometimes oblanceolate, margin entire, adaxially sparsely strigose to strigillose, abaxially densely ferruginous or yellow hirtellous to villosulous with pubescence denser along veins. Stipules fused into the tube or spathe, 1cm in length, densely hispidulous to hispid on each side with two bristles, usually quickly deciduous. Inflorescence terminal, peduncles 8─15, umbellate, 4─5 cm long, densely ferruginous or yellow hirtellous, as a group subtended by two to several bracts of 1─3 mm long, two to several lobed. Each peduncle J TT Table 1
Scarbulous, rough and hard, when young densely ferruginous or yellow villosulous, quadrangular, dark brown to greyishbrown.
Use: Fruits are occasionally consumed by the tribals of Similipal Biosphere Reserve for its medicinal properties and assumed to reduce body weight. The birds and other frugivorous animals also feed on ripe fruits.
Taxonomic affinity: Gynochthodes cochinchinensis has morphological similarities with its closely related species Gynochthodes umbellata but both can be distinguished from each other by some distinct vegetative and floral characters. A comparative morphological differences between the two species is presented in Table 1.