Commelinales and Zingiberales Week: Commelinaceae - Floscopa scandens Lour.

[Pankaj Kumar]

Floscopa scandens Lour. Fl. Cochinch. 1: 193. 1790.

Synonyms (Govaerts et al. 2011 - Kew Checklist):
Tradescantia paniculata Roxb., Pl. Coromandel 2: 6 (1799).
Aneilema hispidum D.Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal.: 45 (1825).
Commelina cymosa Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 4 (1827).
Commelina densiflora Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 4 (1827).
Commelina hispida Ham. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. 4(2): 25 (1827).
Commelina hamiltonii Spreng., Syst. Veg. 5: 186 (1828).
Tradescantia rufa C.Presl, Reliq. Haenk. 1: 138 (1828).
Aneilema asperum Buch.-Ham. ex Wall., Numer. List: 5204 (1831), nom. inval.
Tradescantia geniculata Blanco, Fl. Filip.: 232 (1837).
Aneilema cymosum (Blume) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 69 (1843).
Aneilema densiflorum (Blume) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 69 (1843).
Dithyrocarpus meyenianus Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 78 (1843).
Dithyrocarpus paniculatus (Roxb.) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 79 (1843).
Dithyrocarpus rufus (C.Presl) Kunth, Enum. Pl. 4: 79 (1843).
Floscopa paniculata (Roxb.) Hassk. in F.A.W.Miquel, Pl. Jungh.: 151 (1852).
Floscopa rufa (C.Presl) Hassk. in F.A.W.Miquel, Pl. Jungh.: 151 (1852).
Dithyrocarpus petiolatus Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 6: t. 2079 (1853).
Dithyrocarpus rothii Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 6: t. 2079 (1853).
Dithyrocarpus undulatus Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 6: t. 2079 (1853).
Lamprodithyros paniculatus (Roxb.) Hassk., Flora 46: 389 (1863).
Floscopa hamiltonii (Spreng.) Hassk., Commelin. Ind.: 166 (1870).
Floscopa meyeniana (Kunth) Hassk., Commelin. Ind.: 167 (1870).
Floscopa petiolata (Wight) Hassk., Commelin. Ind.: 167 (1870).
Floscopa undulata (Wight) Hassk., Commelin. Ind.: 166 (1870).
Floscopa scandens var. vaginivillosa R.H.Miau, Acta Sci. Nat. Univ.
Sunyatseni 1981(3): 116 (1981).

Location: Palode, Thiruvananthapuram
Date: 24.01.2011
Distribution: India, China, Nepal, Sr Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vientam, Bornea, JAawa, Malaysia, Phillipines, Queensland.
Camera: Nikon D300 + 60mm Nikor + Macro Ring Flash.

Attachments:
Three Images of plant and one image of protologue.

Regards
Pankaj

--
***********************************************
"TAXONOMISTS GETTING EXTINCT AND SPECIES DATA DEFICIENT !!"

Pankaj Kumar Ph.D. (Orchidaceae)
Research Associate
Greater Kailash Sacred Landscape Project
Department of Habitat Ecology
Wildlife Institute of India
Post Box # 18
Dehradun - 248001, India

[Balkar Arya]

Great Pankaj Ji

Full Detail

--
Regards

Dr Balkar Singh
Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
Arya P G College, Panipat
Haryana-132103
09416262964

[Mahadeswara]

Beautiful photographs and excellent info.

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[Mayur Nandikar]

Nice caption Pankaj ji

But Inflorescence is too whitish........

Floscopa scandens Lour. Lour., Fl. Cochinch. 192. 1790; Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 323. 1864; Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. 3: 265. 1881; Hook. f., Fl. Br. Ind. 6: 390.1892; Lakshminarshiman in Sharma et al., Fl. Maharashtra (Monocot.) 169, 1996. Tradescantia paniculata Roxb., Pl. Corom. 2: 6, t. 109. 1799; Moon. Cat. 24. 1824; Roxb., Fl. Ind. 2: 119. 1824. Type from India. Tradescantia paniculata Roth., Nov. Sp. Pl. 188. 1821, nom. illeg., non Roxb., 1799. Dithyrocarpus paniculatus (Roxb.)Kunth, Enum. 4: 79. 1843.Floscopa paniculata (Roxb.) Hassk. in Miq., Pl. Jungh. 151. 1852; Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 323. 1864. Dithyrocarpus petiolatus Wight, Ic. Pl. Ind. Or. 6: 32, t. 2079. 1853.  Type from India. Dithyrocarpus rothii Wight, Ic. Pl. Ind. Or. 6: 32, t. 2080. 1853. [Replacement name for Tradescantia paniculata Roth, non Roxb,] Type from India. Dithyrocarpus undulates Wight, Ic. Pl. Ind. Or. 6: 32, t. 2080. 1853. Type probably from India. 

            Perennial forming dense stands, with decumbent stems 30-60 cm tall much branched at the base. Leaves strongly reduced below the inflorescence, sheaths 0.3-1.2 cm long, glabrous to densely pubescent, long ciliate at the apex, lamina petiolate or at least strongly narrowed basally, lanceolate-elliptic, 3.5-12 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneata, petiole or narrow, basal portion ciliate on the margin and pillose above, expanded portion usually scabrous above (occasionally glabrous), glabrous below, margin scabrous. Inflorescence compound, dense to moderately dense, more or less sessile, composed of terminal thyrse and smaller, closely associated thyrses from the axils of the reduced, distal leaves, ovate or obovate, 2..5-6.5 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, densely glandular pubescent. Flowers 4-6 mm wide, pubescent; sepals 2-3.5 mm long, pink-purple, glandular-pubescent; petals pink to lilac, upper two elliptic, apex acute, lower one oblong, apex rounded; filaments of all but lower, medial stamen fused basally, upper 3 stamens with anthers with a broad connective and small distal anther sacs, yellow, lower 3 stamens with anthers with a narrow whitish connective and larger, blackish anther sacs; ovary stiptate, style long, slender pink, stigma small. Capsules dorsiventrally compressed, stiptate, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, rostrate. Seeds hemispherical, elliptic in outline, testa grey to brown, ribbed with 12-16 ribs, sometimes farinose, hilum on the edge of a deep ventral furrow, embryotega white or whitish.

Flowering and Fruiting: December to February.

Distribution: India and Sri Lanka to Australia.

Ecology: Forest, especially along streams.

--
Mr. Mayur D. Nandikar,
Research Student,
Department of Botany,
Shivaji University,
Kolhapur.

[Pankaj Kumar]

Frankly speaking it was of that color only and at once I thought that
its a different species all together. So I was even skeptic in sharing
with wrong id. But while reading the protologue I realised that it is
supposed to be very pale violet only (dilute violaceus) which to me is
same as the colours of the petals in the pic. May be you have seen
some more colour variants. Do share pics if possible.

Secondly, thanks a lot for the elaborate description.

Thirdly, you have mentioned "Type probably from India". You are
absolutely right because according to the protologue the type should
be from Cochin only.

Regards
Pankaj

[Prashant awale]

Dear Pankaj ji,
I had just now shared my photographs of this sp. from  Mizoram in a seperate link. Do have a look...
https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix/browse_thread/thread/c197ec22ac08e01a?hl=en

regards
Prashant

[Sid]

Dear Pankaj, 

Doesn't Cochinchinae refer to Vietnam  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochinchina) ? So I don't think the type must be from India (Cochin).

regards,

Sid.

[Pankaj Kumar]

Dear Sid,

That was really news for me.
I was really stupid of me because I never thought that way. I always
used to think that Cochinchinensis if for Cochin!!! :(
Thanks for information.
Pankaj