Thunbergia laevis & Thunbergia fragrans and its varieties

[J.M. Garg]

We have been mostly considering our posts as Thunbergia fragrans Roxb. so far, based on references herein.

However, Catalogue of Life gives following with distribution in India:

Thunbergia laevis Wall. ex Nees var. laevis (India (E- N- & peninsular India), Sri Lanka, Mauritius (I), La Runion (I), Rodrigues (I), Sierra Leone (I))

Thunbergia laevis var. parviflora (Trimen) L. H. Cramer (Sri Lanka)

Thunbergia laevis var. vestita (Kees) L. H. Cramer (Sri Lanka)

Thunbergia fragrans subsp. fragrans ()

Thunbergia fragrans var. hispida Gamble (India (Andhra Pradesh))

Thunbergia fragrans var. vestita Nees (India (S-India))

I tried to find out the differences between these and found one source at A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon -, Volume 12 By M. D. Dassanayake (1998)

Keys are as below:

Leaves with a pair of basal lobes on either side, flowers usually solitary in leaf axils- Thunbergia fragrans

Leaves with a single basal lobes on either side or entire, flowers 2-4 in leaf axils- Thunbergia laevis

Thunbergia laevis var. laevis - stem strigulose or glabrescent on angles. Flowers 2-3 in leaf axils. Corola limb 10-11 mm across lateral lobes.

Thunbergia laevis var. vestita - stem and leaves distinctly scabrid, hispid or hirsute. Flowers often solitary. Capsule tomentose.

Thunbergia laevis var. laevis - stem and leaves glabrous or sparsely puberulous. Leaves 2.2-5.6 * 1.5-3.3 cm, generally with one basal lobe on either side. Flowers 1-3 in leaf axils; pedicels slender, to 2 cm long; corola less than 2.5 cm across lateral lobes.

Right now I am not sure weather to follow them or not.

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

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[J.M. Garg]

Distribution of Thunbergia fragrans subsp. fragrans is as below:

Myanmar [Burma] (Mandalay, Yangon), Bangladesh, China (Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan), Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines (throughout), Sulawesi, Sumatra, Moluccas, Lesser Sunda Isl., Sumatra, Java, India (throughout), Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan (I), Singapore (I), Society Isl. (I) (Tahiti (I), Raiatea (I), Huahine (I), Maupiti (I)), Tonga (I) (Vava'u (I)), Austral Isl. (I) (Tubuai (I)), Niue (I), Fiji (I), New Caledonia (I), Hawaii (I) (Kauai (I), Oahu (I), Maui (I), Hawaii Isl. (I), Molokai (I), Lanai (I)), Rotuma Isl. (I), Seychelles (I), USA (I) (Florida (I)), Costa Rica (I), Peru (I), Cuba (I), Peru (I), Panama (I), Belize (I), Jamaica (I), Nicaragua (I), Guatemala (I), Puerto Rico (I), Surinam (I), Ecuador (I), Brazil (I), Haiti (I), Dominican Republic (I), Mexico (I), Venezuela (I), Lesser Antilles (I) (Anguilla (I), Antigua (I), Saba (I), St. Kitts (I), Nevis (I), Montserrat (I), Guadeloupe (I), Dominica (I), Martinique (I), St. Lucia (I), St. Vincent (I), Grenadines (I), Grenada (I), Barbados (I)), Trinidad (I), Bahamas (I), Virgin Isl. (I) (St. Croix (I), St. John (I), St. Thomas (I), Tortola (I)), Colombia (I) (Antioquia (I), Bolvar (I), Boyac (I), Cauca (I), Choc (I), Cundinamarca (I), Nario (I), Quindo (I), San Andrs (I), Providencia y Santa Catalina (I), Santander (I), Valle (I)), Bolivia (I), Honduras (I)

[J.M. Garg]

I checked all our observations in efi site.

I think keys above are not proper and there is no clear cut demarcation between the two species as pointed out by keys above.

Lobes are quite variable with a single post showing one, one and a half lobes. Some are showing more than two lobes and I think it depends on the age of the leaf also.

Immature leaves are showing more lobes compared to mature leaves.

I think flora by Dr. Almeida gives Thunbergia fragrans var. laevis as a syn. of Thunbergia fragrans as per thread: Please identify this climber - 080311NS-8

Different sources available online, show both the species with contradicting descriptions, as below:

An Excursion Flora of Central Tamilnadu, India By K. M. Matthew (1995)

Flora of Davanagere District, Karnataka, India By B. K. Manjunatha (2004) 

Gardening in India By George Marshall Woodrow, G Marshall (1999)

In view, I feel let us have only one species as Thunbergia fragrans.

On Sat, 12 Oct 2019 at 12:37, J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Saroj Kasaju]

That would be a good decision.

Thank you Mr. Garg.

Saoj Kasaju

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Thank you.

Saroj Kasaju

[ushadi]

yes

until some grad student collects

lots and lots of specimen from different states and ecosystems

and does thorough exam and writes a detailed paper

Regards

Ushadi

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