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A new endemic species of Ridleyandra (Gesneriaceae), Ridleyandra iminii Siti-Munirah from Peninsular Malaysia is described and illustrated. Among Ridleyandra species, it is the only one with a dark red flower.
Gesneriaceae, Ridleyandra, Peninsular Malaysia, new species
During a botanical collecting trip in 2008 to Gunung Benom, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia, a new species of Ridleyandra was discovered: here described as Ridleyandra iminii Siti-Munirah. In Peninsular Malaysia, currently 12 species of Ridleyandra are known (
urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77123887-1
http://species-id.net/wiki/Ridleyandra_iminii
Figure 1Ridleyandra iminii is most similar to Ridleyandra morganii (Franch.) A.Weber in its dentate leaves with blunt teeth more than 5 mm long, but it differs in its shorter peduncles (not 7–10 cm long), the deep red colouration of the corolla (not deep purple with white lines in the throat) and longer capsules (5-6 cm long, not 4.5–5 cm long).
Peninsular Malaysia. Pahang, Gunung Benom, Krau Game Reserve. 8 January 2008 (fl & fr), Siti-Munirah FRI 55387 (holotype: KEP!).
Perennial herb, stem unbranched, woody, to 25 cm long, glabrous except for dense dark uniseriate, multicellular hairs, ca 0.5 mm long, on upper portion of petioles, on the lower surface of midrib and on peduncles. Leaves opposite, clustered in a rosette at the top of the stem; petioles 1–4 cm long; lamina lanceolate-oblong, 9–18.5 × 3–5.5 cm, glossy above, slightly paler beneath, base attenuate, margin undulate, very coarsely serrate, teeth to nearly 1 cm long, broad and blunt, apex acute; midrib and veins impressed above, prominent beneath, lateral veins (10–)12(–16) pairs. Inflorescence single-flowered, peduncle slender, pale green, 5–8 cm long; bract pair lanceolate, 2–3 × 1–2 mm; pedicels 2.5–3 cm; sepals light green, divided to base, lanceolate, 5–7 × ca. 1 mm, apex acute; corolla trumpet-shaped; tube white outside, dark red within, ca. 4 cm long, ca. 5 mm wide at base dilating to 10–15 mm wide at the mouth, outside finely pubescent, throat and lobes dark red, nectar guides raised and slightly darker, inner surface of throat finely velvety; lobes 5, upper two lobes reflexed, ca. 5 x 10 mm and lower three lobes extending beyond the upper, ca. 5 × 12 mm; stamens with filaments 2–2.5 cm long, anthers white, ca. 1 × 1 mm, connective small and horn-like, staminode vestigial; ovary and style ca. 3 cm long, stigma broadly triangular, white. Capsules curved downwards, glabrous, 5–6 cm long, ca. 3 mm thick, sepals not persisting.
Ridleyandra iminii. A, B habitat C–E habit F flower with mature stamens G flower with mature stigma H side view of flower I peduncle hairs J sepals K stamens and staminode L fruit. (Photos: A–C, F by K. Imin, D–E, G–L by M.Y. Siti-Munirah).
Ridleyandra iminii is known only from the type locality, Peninsular Malaysia. Pahang: Gunung Benom, Krau Game Reserve, 3°45'N, 102°19'E.
In upper hill dipterocarp forest on wet, sandy, moist soil on a shaded, steep slope and river bank at ca. 700 m altitude.
The species is named after Mr. Imin Kamin, research assistant and plant collector in the Kepong Herbarium (KEP), Forest Research Institute Malaysia, with whom I first collected the plant. Conservation status. Rare (RA). The Malaysian Rare category has the following definition: the taxon is not exposed to any known direct or plausible potential threat and does not qualify under the five IUCN criteria and it occurs in ≤ 2 sites or has an EOO (extent of occurrence) ≤ 100 km2 or AOO (area of occupancy) ≤ 10 km2 (
Peninsular Malaysia. Pahang: Benom, Krau Game Reserve, 15 November 2009 (fl), A.R. Ummul-Nazrah FRI 70717 (KEP).
This study is part of the taxonomic work for the Safeguarding the Forest Plant Diversity of Peninsular Malaysia: Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Project (01-04-01-0000 Khas2); and Documentation & Inventory Flora of Malaysia Project based at Forest Research Institute Malaysia and fully funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia (MOSTI) and 10th Malaysian Plan, respectively. I am thankful to the State Forestry Department of Pahang and the Wildlife and National Parks Department (PERHILITAN), Malaysia, for permission to make botanical collections; to the FRIM team, Imin Kamin, Mohd Nazri and Angan Atan for assistance in the field and A.R.Ummul-Nazrah for providing information on recent collections. Many thanks to R. Kiew for editing and confirming on the taxonomic status of this new species; and Dr Lillian Chua for helping me assessing the conservation status. I am grateful L.G. Saw, R.C.K. Chung, T.L. Yao, A.R Rafidah, S. Syahida-Emiza and M.T. Mohd-Faizal for their constructive advice and comments on the manuscript. Open access to this paper was supported by the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Open Access Support Project (EOASP).