&lt;I&gt;Herpetospermum operculatum&lt;/I&gt; (&lt;I&gt;Schizopeponeae&lt;/I&gt;, &lt;I&gt;Cucurbitaceae&lt;/I&gt;), a new species from India, Myanmar and China

K Pradheep,E.R Nayar,A Pandey,K.C Bhatt

doi:10.3767/000651914x681117

Abstract

A new species of Herpetospermum (Schizopeponeae, Cucurbitaceae) is described from north-eastern India, northern Myanmar and southwest China (Xizang and Yunnan). Herpetospermum operculatum was previously confused with Herpetospermum (= Biswarea) tonglense, but differs primarily in having smooth yellow-striped fruit with operculum at stylar end, ascendent seed arrangement in fruit and prominent probracts and bracts. At least a part of the collections of Herpetospermum tonglense in Myanmar and China represent misidentification of this species.

Highlights

Of the two genera of the tribe Schizopeponeae Jeffrey adopted by Schaefer & Renner (2011a), Herpetospermum Wall. ex Benth. & Hook.f. s.l. is a small genus with three species found among thickets and along riverbanks at altitudes of (1200 –) 1500–3000 m in the Himalayas, north-eastern India, Myanmar and south-western China
Difference of opinion exists over the merger of these genera into one, as is evident from the recently published Flora of China (Lu et al 2011) which considered them to be distinct
Clarke (1877), who described Edgaria and Warea C.B.Clarke (= Biswarea), acknowledged the overall resemblance of these taxa with respect to e.g., habitat, habit, proportion of male to female flowers, fruit size, shape and markings, and the resemblance has lead to frequent misidentifications (Chakravarty 1982)

Summary

Introduction

Of the two genera of the tribe Schizopeponeae Jeffrey adopted by Schaefer & Renner (2011a), Herpetospermum Wall. ex Benth. & Hook.f. s.l. (including unispecific Edgaria C.B.Clarke and Biswarea Cogn.) is a small genus with three species found among thickets and along riverbanks at altitudes of (1200 –) 1500–3000 m in the Himalayas, north-eastern India, Myanmar and south-western China. They are dioecious herbaceous climbers with solitary female flowers, male flowers in racemes, three stamens with conduplicate or straight anther thecae, pendent or horizontal ovules, and fibrous fusiform fruits dehiscing apically and longitudinally by three valves (Schaefer & Renner 2011b).

Results

Conclusion