The Identity of Sphaerotylos C. J. Chen (Urticaceae) with an Amended Description of the Genus Sarcochlamys Gaudich

Abstract

Abstract:

In 1985, the present author described a new genus, Sphaerotylos C. J. Chen, and

its type species, S medogensis C. J. Chen, from Xizang (Tibet). A new subtribe, Sphaeroty-

linae was also established under the Trib. Boehmerieae on the basis of the new genus as the

type of the subtribe. The author was aware that Sphaerotylos was closely allied to Sarcochla-

mys Gaudich. from Assam of India to Sumatra of Indonesia, but differed from it by the ring-

shaped stigma, the female perianth 5-partite (connected only at the base), submembranous in

fruit and the ball-like connective; Sarcochlamys had a female flower with a brush-like stig-

ma, the perianth ovoid-tubular, 4-dentate, and an oblique achene enclosed by enlarged fleshy

perianth. The characteristics attributed to the genus Sarcochlamys, however, were known only

from the literature.

Recently, the author again examined the specimens linked with the original description

of the new monotypic genus Sphaerotylos, and first examined the type and many authentic

specimens of an allied monotypic genus, Sarcochlamys, from the Eastern Himalaya, the. He-

ngduan Mountains (N. W. Yunnan) as well as Indo-China. It is found that the female flow-

ers of the genera are characterized by a ring-shaped stigma, a perianth 4-5-lobed, unequal,

membranous, and connected often at base, but in fruit the achens enclosed by enlarged fleshy

perianth in which the lower 1-2-lobes smaller, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, connected only

at base, the rest (2-)3(-4)-lobes connected up to the upper part and dilated at one side as

jar-shaped, and their male flowers have ordinary connectives.

Because the specimens linked with the original description of Sphaerotylos medogensis C.

J. Chen are in the flowering period for the female and at the initial developmental stage of fl-

owering for the male, the description is imperfect. Chen's Sphaerotylos medogensis does not

differ significantly from Sarcochlamys pulcherrima Gaudich. So the newly described genus

Sphaerotylos C. J. Chen should be reduced to Sarcochlamys Caudicn. anl treated as a synon-

ym of it. The subtribe Sphaerotylinae C. J. Chen established on the basis of the type genus Sp-

haerotylos should also be reduced to the subtribe Sarcochlamydinae Wedd. In the meantime,

the original description of the genus Sarcochlamys Gaudich. is amended in this paper. I also

would like to restate that “the ring-shaped stigma is the first discovery in the family Urticace-

ae”, which was reported in my paper in 1985, is true and reliable.

* Sincere thanks are due to Director of the Kew Herbarium for the loan of the type and

authentic material of Sarcochlamys pulcherrim Gaudich.

Key words: Subtrib. Sphaerotylinae, Sphaerotylos, S. medogensis, Sarcochlamys, S. pulcherrima, revision

Chen Chia-Jui. The Identity of Sphaerotylos C. J. Chen (Urticaceae) with an Amended Description of the Genus Sarcochlamys Gaudich[J]. .

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The Identity of Sphaerotylos C. J. Chen (Urticaceae) with an Amended Description of the Genus Sarcochlamys Gaudich

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