Cleoserrata speciosa and Tarenaya hassleriana- differences

[J.M. Garg]

Cleoserrata speciosa and Tarenaya hassleriana looks quite close in efi site.

I tried to find the difference between the two, but unable to get them.

As per efi thread:

The sepals are glabrous (Tarenaya hassleriana) or glandular hairy (Cleoserrata speciosa); 

But I find this character difficult to see clearly.

On further searching, I got both species in Flora of North America as per details below:

Cleoserrata speciosa (Rafinesque) H. H. Iltis:

Plants 50-150 cm. Stems unbranched or sparsely branched ; (fluted), glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent. Leaves: petiole 2-12 cm ,(glandular-pubescent); leaflets 5-9, blade narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, 6-15 × 1-5 cm, margins entire or serrulate, apex subobtuse, surfaces glabrate to glandular-pubescent. Racemes 15-50 cm (20-60 cm in fruit, glandular-pubescent); bracts unifoliate, ovate-cordate, 3-18 mm. Pedicels 10-50 mm, (glabrous). Flowers: sepals persistent, green, lanceolate, 4-7 × 0.8-1.2 mm, glandular-pubescent; petals usually brilliant pink to purple, fading to pink or white, rarely initially white, ovate, 15-42 × 8-11 mm, clawed; stamens green, 40-85 mm, (filaments adnate to gynophore 1/3-1/2 of length); anthers 6-10 mm; gynophore 30-85 mm in fruit (filament scars visible ca. 1/4 of length); ovary 6-10 mm; style 1-1.2 mm. Capsules (irregularly contracted between seeds) 60-150 × 3-5 mm. Seeds pale green to brown, 2.5-3.5 × 1-1.2 mm, tuberculate.

FoC illustration

Tarenaya hassleriana (Chodat) H. H. Iltis:

Plants (50-)100-200 cm. Stems sparsely branched; glandular-pubescent. Leaves: stipular spines 1-3 mm; petiole 2.5-7.5 cm, glandular-pubescent, with scattered spines 1-3 mm; leaflets 5 or 7, blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 2-6(-12) × 1-3 cm, margins serrulate-denticulate, apex acute, surfaces glandular-pubescent abaxially, glandular adaxially. Racemes 5-30 cm (10-80 cm in fruit); bracts unifoliate, ovate, 10-25 mm. Pedicels 20-45 mm, glandular-pubescent. Flowers: sepals (reflexed after anthesis), green, linear-lanceolate, 5-7 × 0.8-1.3 mm, glabrous; petals usually pink or purple, sometimes white (or fading to white by second day), oblong to ovate, 20-30(-45) × 8-12 mm; stamens purple, 30-50 mm; anthers 9-10 mm; gynophore 45-80 mm in fruit; ovary 6-10 mm, glabrous; style 0.1 mm. Capsules (25-)40-80 × 2.5-4 mm, glabrous (in straight alignment with gynophore and pedicel). Seeds 10-20, 1.9-2.1 × 1.9-2.1 mm, tuberculate.

FoNA illustration

 

I have highlighted the difference between the two, which can be observed in bold.
I shall be reviewing all our posts based on these differences. Hopefully we are able to sort our species.
--

With regards,
J.M.Garg

'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'

Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia. 

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[J.M. Garg]

Giving details from Flora of China:

Cleoserrata speciosa (Rafinesque) Iltis:

Herbs, annual, 0.5-1.5 m tall. Stems simple or sparsely branched, fluted, glabrous or sparsely glandular pubescent. Petiole 2-12 cm, glandular pubescent; leaflets (3 or)5-9; leaflet blades narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, 6-15 × 1-5 cm, both surfaces glabrate to glandular pubescent, base attenuate, margin entire or serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 15-50 cm but 20-60 cm in fruit, glandular pubescent; bracts narrowly ovate-cordate, 0.3-1.8 cm. Pedicel 1-5 cm, glabrous. Sepals green, lanceolate, 4-7 × 0.8-1.2 mm, equal, distinct, persistent, glandular pubescent, base cuneate, margin entire. Petals brilliant pink to purple but fading to pink or white by second day, rarely initially white, ovate, 1.5-4.2 × 0.8-1.1 cm, clawed. Androgynophore ca. 4 mm at anthesis; stamens 4-8.5 cm; anthers 6-10 mm. Pistil 6-10 mm; style 1-1.2 mm. Fruit gynophore 3-8.5 cm, with scars from filaments on ca. 1 cm of androgynophore and visible on ca. 1/4 of its length; capsule cylindric but irregularly contracted between seeds, 6-15 cm × 3-5 mm. Seeds 10-30 per capsule, pale green to brown, subspherical, 2.5-3.5 × 1-1.2 mm, tuberculate. Fl. Aug-Nov, fr. Sep-Dec.

Tarenaya hassleriana (Chodat) Iltis:

Herbs, annual, (0.5-)1-1.5 m tall. Stems branched, glandular pubescent. Stipular spines 1-3 mm. Petiole 2.5-7.5 cm, glandular pubescent, with scattered 1-3 mm spines; leaflets 5 or 7; leaflet blades elliptic to oblanceolate, 2-6(-12) × 1-3 cm, abaxially glandular pubescent, adaxially glandular, margin serrulate-denticulate, apex acute. Inflorescences 5-30 cm but 10-80 cm in fruit, pedunculate; bracts ovate, 1-2.5 cm. Pedicel 2-4.5 cm, glandular pubescent. Sepals green, equal, distinct, linear-lanceolate, 5-7 × 0.8-1.3 mm, reflexed after anthesis, persistent, glandular pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate. Petals pink to purple but infrequently white or fading to white by second day, oblong to ovate, 2-3(-4.5) × 0.8-1.2 cm, clawed. Stamens purple, 3-5 cm; anthers green, 9-10 mm. Pistil 6-10 mm; style ca. 0.1 mm. Fruit gynophore 4.5-8 cm; capsule (2.5-)4-8 cm × 2.5-4 mm, in straight alignment with gynophore and pedicel, glabrous. Seeds 10-20 per capsule, dark brown to black, triangular to subspherical, 1.9-2.1 × 1.9-2.1 mm, tuberculate. Fl. (Apr-)May-Dec, fr. Jun-Dec.

I find some difference between the two floras.

Flora of China gives the following keys

Androgynophore 5-10 mm; gynophore 2-6 cm; nodal spines absent- Cleoserrata

Androgynophore absent; gynophore 4.5-8 cm; nodal spines present - Tarenaya

(prickles often present on petiole and major leaf veins).

[dr.rakesh Singh]

Commendable job, Garg sir ! 

It happens with me ...whenever I see a beautiful flower/plant , I forget everything botanical . All I see and record is beauty , and miss all the details . Later on I regret missing all the botanically relevant data . Sometimes I get to pay a second visit , more often I cannot . 

I am sure it happens with others too . This is the reason inspite of having plenty of images we falter on decisively identifying at species level . With inadequate data and more not coming forth , at times I advise members to stop at Genus  and stop guessing species , on facebook . 

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks, Saroj ji,

On going through all the posts in efi site, I find that illustrations given in the above links can be misleading.

So what really is the simple thing which we can see in our flowers and that should be the key in photographs ?

After studying all details, I find stamen colour is quite convincing. Stamen colour purple in Tarenaya hassleriana & green in Cleoserrata speciosa

Due to genus keys at Flora of China, insertion of stamen becomes very important. Stamens are inserted together in a club like stub above the bottom in Tarenaya hassleriana, while these are inserted in the bottom in Cleoserrata speciosa.  

Now I will correct all the posts based on this.

[Shobha Halwe-Chavda]

Garg ji,

Great efforts to find the species !!!! For a non-botanist like me leave aside species, confirming Genus  itself is difficult.So then minute details of species is overlooked many a times.I keep forgetting the similarities and differences between the species and  land in confusion :-).

Thanks to all the stalwarts from this wonderful group giving guidance and tips to me all the time.

Regards,

Shobha

[ushadi]

we need to come to some distuinshing features for practical reasons

cant find papers thru bing

may be some taxonomist can help please

Regards

Ushadi

[J.M. Garg]

Hi, Ushadi,

I have no doubt about what I have stated after one day of research and these are based on very reliable documents like efloras and after studying more than 50 posts in efi site. 

[J.M. Garg]

I did this exercise as there were on keys or differences to be found on net and I found lot of confusion everywhere including those in efi and foi. 

[J.M. Garg]

And it is not only my one day, but also many days of observations (which are there in efi site) by different members.

It is just like collecting hundreds of specimens from different parts of the country at different times.

[J.M. Garg]

Correct wording will be:

I did this exercise as there were no keys or differences to be found in net and I found lot of confusion everywhere including those in efi and foi. 

 

[JM Garg]

I have earlier wrongly interpreted the keys.
It should be Stamens are inserted together in a club like stub above the bottom in Cleoserrata speciosa, while these are inserted in the bottom in Tarenaya hassleriana. - I think this should be the correct interpretation.