Dinetus malabaricus

Nomenclature

Accepted name/Authority/Place of publication: 

Dinetus malabaricus (C.B. Clarke) Staples, Blumea 51: 441. 2006. 

Synonyms: 

Porana malabarica C.B. Clarke in J. D. Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 4: 223. 1883.  TYPE: India. [Karnataka:] Malabar and Concan, “Bababoodim hills”, s.d., Stocks & Law s.n. distributed as ‘# 3 Porana’ (lectotype: K!; isolectotypes: BM!, C!, CAL!, E!, FI!, G!, GH!, GOET! [mixed with Evolvulus alsinoides], L!, LE!, M!, MEL!, MO!, NY!, P!, S!, W!).

Misapplied name: Porana racemosa sensu authors not Roxb. (1824): Dalzell & A. Gibson, Bombay fl. 162. 1861.   

Description

Habit: 
Subglabrous twiner several meters long. Stems terete, stout, striate or verruculose, stramineous to purplish-brown. Indumentum on axial parts velutinous or tomentose, hairs simple; laminar structures strigose, hairs simple, rarely some 2- or 3-armed, erect hairs.
Leaves: 
Leaf petiole terete, 2.4–7 cm long, subglabrous; blade broadly cordate, 6.8–12 by 4.2–7.4 cm, base cordate, sinus deep, broad, apex abruptly acuminate to apiculate, adaxially darker brown, glabrous or sparsely strigose, abaxially paler tan, hairs especially dense along margins and on veins.
Inflorescences: 
Inflorescence lax, 12–20 cm long, slightly longer in fruit, axis stout, subglabrous; lower bracts sessile and amplexicaule, or petiolate, petiole 2–18 mm long, blade ovate to cordate, 3–5.5 by 1.7–3.7 cm, base cordate, apex apiculate to acuminate, persisting in fruit; upper bracts sessile, attenuate-ovate to lanceolate, 5–10 by 2–5 mm, deciduous; uppermost bracts linear, 2–4 mm long, deciduous; bracteoles 2, minute, immediately subtending calyx, sparsely sericeous or glabrous, deciduous or persisting, enlarged to 1–3 mm long; pedicels filiform, 2–3 mm, elongating to 6–12 mm in fruit, velutinous to sericeous.
Flowers: 
Flowers small; buds slenderly fusiform, attenuate at both ends, 5–6.5 mm long, apex acute. Sepals equal, lanceolate, 2–3 by 1 mm, base truncate, margins entire, apex attenuate, chartaceous, sparsely golden sericeous. Corolla slenderly funnelform, diaphanous, white, 7–9(–10) by 5–9(–11) mm, tube widening gradually, limb spreading abruptly, deeply 5-lobed, lobes broadly elliptic to ovate, apically obtuse to acute, tufted with tawny hairs, corolla otherwise glabrous. Stamens unequal, 1–2.5 mm long, included; filaments glabrous or bases sparsely pilose; anthers ovoid-sagittate, < 0.5 mm long; pollen 3-colpate, spheroidal, ca. 15 micrometer diam., surface psilate. Pistil ca. 2 mm long, included; disc annular, tan; ovary attenuate-ovoid, < 1 mm tall, tapering into style; style ca. 1 mm long; stigma clavate, apically emarginate to slightly bilobed, grayish.
Pollen: 
Pollen 3-colpate, spheroidal, ca. 15 micrometer diam., surface psilate.
Fruits: 
Fruiting calyx loosely clasping utricle (reflexed at maturity?), sepals all enlarged ± equally, inner 2 narrower than outer 3, elliptic to narrowly obovate-spatulate, occasionally ovate to lanceolate, 17–23.5 by 7–12.5 mm, base truncate, margins entire, flat, apex obtuse, rounded, or retuse and mucronulate, chartaceous, stramineous to brownish or purplish, glabrous (rarely sparsely sericeous). Utricle ellipsoid, widest near middle, (8–)10–13(–14) by 4– 5.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse, apiculate with persistent style base, chartaceous, stramineous to brownish-tan, glabrous.
Seeds: 
Seed ellipsoid to obovoid, 6–8 by 3–4 mm, brown to reddish brown, smooth, glabrous.
Author: 
G. Staples
References: 

Staples, G.W. 2006. Blumea 51: 403–491.

Biogeography, Ecology and Natural History

Distribution Map: 
Distribution: 

India (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) (Map).

Ecology: 

Rare to abundant
in dry fields, Carissa scrub, forest margins and along roadsides, at
1000–1500 m elevation.

Phenology: 

Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Flowering specimens

6

2

1

Fruiting specimens

1

1

4

3
Author: 
G. Staples
References: 

Staples, G.W. 2006. Blumea 51: 403–491.

Other information

Common names and uses: 
Bowri, gariya (Marathi).
General comments: 

Dinetus malabaricus is similar to D. racemosus, but overall has a more robust aspect, with stouter stems, thicker leaf blades, noticeably larger fruiting sepals and utricles. The shape of the fruiting sepals and utricle also serves to differentiate D. malabaricus from D. racemosus, D. rhombicarpus and D. truncatus. 

The distribution of D. malabaricus in southern peninsular India is entirely disjunct from that of D. rhombicarpus (northeastern India and upper Myanmar) and of D. truncatus (northeastern India across to eastern China). The range of D. racemosus marginally overlaps that of D. malabaricus but they are mostly allopatric. Based on the distinctive fruiting characters and the almost completely allopatric distribution of these 4 taxa I recognize them at species rank. Further study is needed to verify this placement. In particular, cytological study of D. malabaricus might prove instructive. 

Authorship for webpage

Editor: 
George Staples, Esmond Er
Contributors: 
Classification: 
Dinetus malabaricus
Fri, 2011-09-23 02:58 -- Esmond
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