Philippine Journal of Science 142: 89-93, Special Issue ISSN 0031 - 7683 Date Received: ?? ???????? 2013 Medinilla dallciana (Melastomataceae: Dissochaeteae), a New Species from Luzon Island, Philippines Edwino S. Fernando1,* and Danilo S. Balete2 1Department of Forest Biological Sciences College of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, 4031 Laguna, Philippines 2Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA A new species, Medinilla dallciana Fernando & Balete (Melastomataceae: Dissochaeteae), with cauliflorous, compact inflorescences, borne on long, pendulous, and persistent peduncles from Luzon Island, Philippines, is described and illustrated. Its similarity with other Philippine species of Medinilla is discussed. Key Words: Luzon Island, Medinilla, Medinilla dallciana, Melastomataceae, ornamental plants, Philippines INTRODUCTION In this paper we describe a unique and elegant new species of Medinilla from Luzon Island with pink flowers and The genus Medinilla Gaudich. ex DC. (Melastomataceae: bracts borne on cauliflorous, pendulous, compact and Dissochaeteae) includes about 375 species (Mabberley cone-like inflorescences with rather long and persistent 2008) of epiphytic and terrestrial shrubs and climbers peduncles and inflorescence axes reaching up to 77.5 occurring from Tropical Africa, Madagascar, to India, Sri cm long. Lanka, Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, throughout Southeast Asia, New Guinea, northern Australia, Micronesia, Solomons, and Vanuatu. In the Philippines, regarded as one of the centers of TAXONOMY diversity of the genus (Regalado 1995), Merrill (1913) early on accounted just 28 species, then later 125 species Medinilla dallciana Fernando & Balete, sp. nov. (Merrill 1923). In the most recent taxonomic revision Frutex epiphyticus scandens, ramis teretibus; foliis of the Philippine species of this genus, Regalado (1995) oppositis, petiolatis, ovatis ad ovato-ellipticis, basi recognized 80 species belonging to 12 species groups 3-plinervis; inflorescentiae cauliflorae e axillis defoliatis, with 90% endemicity. Many of these species have racemosae, pendulae, pedunculis gracilibus circiter ornamental features and some have long and widely been 17-26 cm longis, persistentibus in toto usque ad 77.5 in cultivation (Steiner 1960, Madulid 1995, Rosario & cm. Medinillae purpureae Elmer ex Merr. affinis in Mendoza 1998, Boo et al. 2006). inflorescentiis longe pedunculatis et densissime bracteatis, sed nodis non-setosis, foliis aequalibus et 3-plinervis, floribus 5-meris, et longius, persistentibus pedunculis et Corresponding Author: [email protected] axem inflorescentia differt (Plates 1-3). 89 Philippine Journal of Science Fernando & Balete: Medinilla dallciana from Philippines Vol. 142: Special Issue Plate 1. Medinilla dallciana Fernando & Balete. Growth habit at type locality, showing pendulous, compact inflorescences borne on long peduncles arising from leafless nodes or old stems. PHOTO BY D.S. BALETE Type: Philippines, Luzon Island, Camarines Sur Province, inflorescence axis proper (excluding peduncle) 2-5.5 cm Municipality of Lagonoy, Saddle Peak, 950 m elevation, long; new bracts and flowers develop as old ones fall off 29 February 2008, Balete, Sarmiento, & Buenviaje 06-09 and inflorescence axis elongates, that part devoid of old (holotype CAHUP; isotypes K, PNH). bracts and flowers up to 51 cm long, with prominent scars, irregularly stout and thickened to 8-14 mm wide; total Scandent, epiphytic shrub, 3-5 m tall. Branches terete, inflorescence length including peduncle reaching to 77.5 flowering branches up to ca. 1-1.5 cm in diameter, drying cm at senescence; bracts numerous, densely set, oblong striate or sometimes ribbed with swollen nodes; branchlets or obovate, rather spoon-shaped or cucculate in more generally smooth; nodes glabrous, not setose; internodes developed or older inflorescences, up to 8-10 mm long, in young leafy stems 1.2-2.5 cm long, in leafless stems 5-7 mm wide, pinkish, in older inflorescence sometimes 2-4 cm long. Leaves simple, opposite, petiolate, each becoming slightly more purplish, the first, proximal ones pair equal; petioles terete, reddish in young leaves, light green with pinkish margins. Flowers 5-merous; becoming light brownish then green, 5-15 mm long, up to opening few at a time, flowers up to 1 cm wide; petals 2 mm thick, slightly grooved on the adaxial side; lamina obovate, up to 5 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, pale pink, rather narrowly ovate-elliptic to elliptic, 8.6-14 cm long × 2.5-5.8 thin and membranous. Hypanthium campanulate, 2-3 mm cm wide, dark green on adaxial surface, paler on lower long, up to 4 mm wide, white in fruit. Stamens 10, equal, surface, succulent, chartaceous when dry, young leaves twice as many as the petals. Immature fruits subglobose, light purplish-red, apices acuminate to long-acuminate, green, 4 mm long × 4 mm wide; ripe fruits not known. acumen up to 1 cm long; base obtuse; very distinctly 3-plinerved; nerves impressed adaxially, raised abaxially, Ecology. This species occurs in upper montane forest transverse veins not distinct. Inflorescences cauline, formation (Fernando et al. 2008), up to ca. 950 m arising from leafless nodes or old stems, pendulous, elevation. The canopy in the area is about 5 m with densely bracteate and compact, pine cone-like racemes some emergent trees reaching to 7 m tall. The common to 6 cm long, 2-3 cm wide; peduncle to 17-26 cm long, trees include various species of Syzygium, Lithocarpus, thickening to 5 mm wide near the base, rather persistent; Litsea, and Elaeocarpus. Medinilla dallciana was found 90 Philippine Journal of Science Fernando & Balete: Medinilla dallciana from Philippines Vol. 142: Special Issue Plate 2. Medinilla dallciana Fernando & Balete. A, Early stage of a young inflorescence with one open flower at anthesis and first proximal bracts that are greenish with pinkish margins; B, Mid-stage of development showing cone-shaped inflorescence; C, Later stage of inflorescence development; D, Final stage of inflorescence development at senescence. A, B, C Scale bars = 1 cm; D Scale bar = 2 cm. PHOTOS BY D.S. BALETE 91 Philippine Journal of Science Fernando & Balete: Medinilla dallciana from Philippines Vol. 142: Special Issue Plate 3. Medinilla dallciana Fernando & Balete. A, Close up of flower, showing pistil and claw-like, appendaged anthers; B, Young fruits showing persistent, cup-shaped hypanthium. A, B Scale bars = 2 mm. PHOTOS BY D.S. BALETE Table 1. Morphological comparison of Medinilla dallciana, Medinilla purpurea, and Medinilla cephalophora. Medinilla dallciana Medinilla purpurea Medinilla cephalophora Nodes non-setose setose setose Petiole length 5-15 mm 10-15 mm 20-30 mm Leaf size equal very unequal equal Leaf venation 3-plinerved 7-plinerved 5-plinerved Peduncle length 17-26 cm 12-20 (23) cm 1 cm Flowers 5-merous 4-merous 5-merous epiphytic on a tree 5 m tall and with 15 cm stem diameter, November 2010 within just a little more than a day of each leaning on a steep edge of a slope. other. The specific epithet is based on their overlapping and combined name initials. Distribution. Philippines, Luzon Island, Camarines Sur Province, Municipality of Lagonoy, Saddle Peak. Notes. Medinilla dallciana belongs in Species Group 5 Endemic. This new species is, thus far, known only of Regalado (1995) that includes five species, viz., M. from the type locality. The Saddle Peak area is part of purpurea Elmer ex Merr., M. cephalophora Merr., M. the Caramoan Peninsula, an Important Bird Area (IBA) pinnatinervia Merr., M. polillensis C.B.Rob., and M. (Mallari et al. 2001) and Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) aurantiflora Elmer. This group is characterized by their (CI-DENR PAWB-HF 2006) recognized as a priority site dense, many-flowered, pedunculate inflorescences arising for biodiversity conservation in the Philippines. from leafless nodes or old stems. The last three of these species have recently been reviewed by Cámara-Leret & Etymology. This beautiful new species is named in Veldkamp (2011) in describing Medinilla tapete-magicum honor of our two colleagues and friends, Filipino Cámara-Leret & Veldk., a terrestrial species from Sulawesi botanists, Daniel A. Lagunzad (DAL) and Leonardo L. with apparently similar cauline flowering habit. Co (LLC), both of the Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines at Diliman, in recognition of their Medinilla dallciana is most similar to Medinilla purpurea contributions to our knowledge of the native flora of in the pendulous, dense, compact inflorescence, and the Philippines. Dan and Leonard both passed away in numerous bracts, but it is readily distinguished from this 92 Philippine Journal of Science Fernando & Balete: Medinilla dallciana from Philippines Vol. 142: Special Issue species in its non-setose nodes, equal and 3-plinerved Press. 1021 p. leaves, and the 5-merous flowers. It is also similar to MADULID DM. 1995. A Pictorial Cyclopedia of Medinilla cephalophora in the equal leaves and 5-merous Philippine Ornamental Plants. Makati, Philippines: flowers, but again the nodes are non-setose, the leaves are Bookmark Inc. 388 p. 3-plinerved, and the peduncles much longer (Table 1). The non-setose stem nodes, prominently 3-plinerved leaves, MALLARI NAD, TABARANZA BR, CROSBY MJ. and the very long, persistent inflorescence axis reaching 2001. Key Conservation Sites in the Philippines. up to more than 75 cm long of Medinilla dallciana Makati, Philippines: