Recircumscription of Bredia and resurrection of Tashiroea (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) with description of a new species T. villosa

Qiu-Jie Zhou,Tetsuo Denda,Ying Liu,Ren-Chao Zhou,Jin-Hong Dai,Che-Wei Lin

doi:10.3897/phytokeys.127.36608

Qiu-Jie Zhou, Tetsuo Denda + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.127.36608

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Abstract

Bredia (Melastomataceae) is an Asian genus that extends from central and southern mainland China to Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands. Molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal that the type of Bredia is nested in a clade of 20 species, while Tashiroea, a genus previously synonymized in Bredia, falls in another distantly related clade of 10 species. Our morphological survey shows that the two clades can be distinguished by several diagnostic features including leaf indumentum, texture, leaf surface sculpture under SEM, presence/absence of yellowish uniseriate trichomes, and capsule morphology. Based on molecular and morphological evidence, Bredia is recircumscribed and Tashiroea is resurrected. Description and a list of species are provided for the two genera with the description of a new species, T.villosa.

Highlights

Bredia Blume (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) was originally described based on B. hirsuta Blume (Blume 1849), a species in Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands
With additional descriptions of new species and transfers of other species (Hooker 1871; Cogniaux 1891; Diels 1924, 1932; Ohwi 1936; Li 1944, 1945; Lauener 1972; Chen 1984a; Yeh et al 2008; Zhao et al 2017; Zhou et al 2018), Bredia as currently circumscribed comprises 18–22 species according to different species delimitations (e.g. Chen 1984b; Chen and Renner 2007), and occurs from northern Vietnam and southern mainland China to Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands
It is quite understandable that Li (1944) considered Tashiroea to be congeneric with Bredia, where he placed it in synonymy

Summary

Introduction

Bredia Blume (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) was originally described based on B. hirsuta Blume (Blume 1849), a species in Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands. Diels (1924, 1932) recognized both genera He added one Chinese species to Tashiroea and expanded Bredia by describing new species and transferring species from Blastus Lour., Otanthera Blume and Fordiophyton Stapf into Bredia. Li (1944) followed Diels’s concept of Bredia but considered Tashiroea to be included within the limits of Bredia. He synonymized Tashiroea, accommodating its three species within Bredia section Tashiroea (Li 1944). With additional descriptions of new species and transfers of other species (Hooker 1871; Cogniaux 1891; Diels 1924, 1932; Ohwi 1936; Li 1944, 1945; Lauener 1972; Chen 1984a; Yeh et al 2008; Zhao et al 2017; Zhou et al 2018), Bredia as currently circumscribed comprises 18–22 species according to different species delimitations (e.g. Chen 1984b; Chen and Renner 2007), and occurs from northern Vietnam and southern mainland China to Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands

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