Commelina bambusifolia Matuda

Commelina bambusifolia Matuda View in CoL

Figs 3–4 View Fig View Fig ; Table 2 View Table 2

Commelina bambusifolia Matuda View in CoL ( Matuda 1955: 62, fig. 1).

Etymology

The epithet derives from the New Latin ʻ bambusa ʼ (which derives from the Malay ʻbambuʼ) + Latin ʻ folia ʼ (meaning ʻleafʼ), in reference to its bamboo-like leaves.

Type material

MEXICO – México • Distrito de Valle de Bravo , La Junta; 9 Nov. 1954; fl., fr.; E. Matuda et al. 31671; lectotype: MEXU [ MEXU00075534 About MEXU ]!, designated by Espejo-Serna & López-Ferrari (1995); isolectotypes: MEXU [ MEXU00142028 About MEXU ]!, [ MEXU00142029 About MEXU ] !.

Selected material examined

MEXICO – México • Carretera entre Valle de Bravo y Colorín , ladera húmeda ; 31 Aug. 1952; fl., fr.; E. Matuda et al. 27005; MEXU 2ex.

Description

Herbs 40–60 cm tall, ascending, perennial, robust, terrestrial. Roots fibrous, thin. Rhizome short. Stems monomorphic, ascending, branched at base; internodes 1.9–10.2 cm long, distally shorter, green, sparsely hispid to hispid with acicular hairs, hairs hyaline, with a sparse line of acicular hairs opposite to the leaves, hairs light brown. Leaves distichously-alternate, congested in the upper part of the stem, sessile; sheaths 1.1–2.9 cm long, light green, hirsute to densely hirsute with a mixture of prickle- and acicular hairs, hairs hyaline, margin upright, hirsute, hairs acicular, dark red to atro-vinaceous; blades 1.7–21.4 × 0.8–4.8 cm, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, obliquely asymmetric, chartaceous, adaxially green to dark green, abaxially light green, adaxially hispid with a mixture of acicular and glandular hairs, hairs hyaline, abaxially hispid, hirsute along the midvein, hairs acicular, hyaline, base asymmetric, amplexicaulous to subamplexicaulous, margin flat, scabrid with prickle-hairs, apex acuminate to long-acuminate; midvein conspicuous, adaxially impressed, abaxially prominently obtuse, secondary veins 3–4 pairs, adaxially conspicuous, abaxially inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous on both sides when dry. Synflorescence composed of a solitary main florescence or main florescence plus 1–5 co-florescences, restricted to the apex of the stems. Inflorescences terminal or apparently so, peduncle 6.4–8.9 mm long, shorter than ½ length of the spathe, straight, hispid with acicular hairs, hairs hyaline; spathe 2.2–2.9 × 1.9–3 cm, widely depressed ovate-triangular to depressed ovate-triangular, patent to the peduncle, concolourous with the leaves, internally conspicuously mucilaginous, base connate up to the apex or almost so, truncate, externally hispid to hirsute, hairs hyaline or rusty, margin flat, apex obtuse to acute, straight, veins 3–4 pairs, inconspicuous, becoming conspicuous when dry; upper cincinnus vestigial, flowerless, peduncle 9.1–12.3 mm long, included, gently recurved at pre-anthesis, anthesis, post-anthesis and fruit, sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs, hairs hyaline; lower cincinnus 1–2-flowered, flowers mainly bisexual, rarely staminate, peduncle 4.5–9.2 mm long, thickened in fruit, glabrous to sparsely puberulous with minute hook-hairs towards the apex. Flowers chasmogamous, strongly zygomorphic, enantiostylous (style gently dislocated to the opposite side to the medial stamen); floral buds 2.9–5.7 × 4.6–5.1 mm, obovoid, light green or white to light blue to pale lilac, glabrous; pedicel 4.1–6.8 mm long, deflexed in bud and at anthesis, reflexed and elongating in fruit, light green, glabrous; sepals hyaline, persistent and accrescent in fruit, dorsal sepal 3.8–4.2 × 1.7–2.8 mm, elliptic to triangular, concave, glabrous, apex acute, lower sepals 4.3–5.4 × 3.1–4.5 mm, shortly-clawed, connate up to the upper third, oblique-obovate to widely oblique-obovate, concave, glabrous, apex round; paired petals 7.8–10.1 × 4.5–5.8 mm, clawed, claw 2.6–3.8 mm long, white to light blue to pale lilac, limb 5.2–6.9 × 4.5–5.8 mm, widely transversally rhombic to widely depressed obovate, light blue to pale lilac, base asymmetric, cuneate, apex obtuse, medial petal 3.7–4.2 × 1.2–2.3 mm, sessile, lanceolate to ovate, entire, apex involute, discolourous with the paired petals, white, hyaline, glabrous on both sides, apex acuminate; staminodes 3, medial staminode equal to the laterals, filaments 3.2– 3.1 mm long, straight to arcuate-recurved, white, base light green, apex yellowish-orange to cream-orange, antherodes 0.5–0.6 × 0.3–0.5 mm, X-shaped, yellow, minute pollen sacs between the upper and lower lobes present, non-polliniferous or producing very few grains, not apiculate between the upper lobes, upper lobes conspicuous, very widely obovate, larger than the lower, lower lobes widely oblong to subquadrangular; lateral filaments 3.8–4.5 mm long, almost straight to very gently sigmoid, white, base light green, apex yellowish-orange to cream-orange, anthers 1.8–2.2 × 1.2–1.5 mm, held with the medial anther, widely elliptic to widely ovate, orange-yellow to orange, pollen yellowish-orange to cream-orange, drying orange-yellow to apricot; medial filament 2.8–3.5 mm long, straight to arcuate-decurved, apex decurved, white, base light green, apex yellowish-orange to cream-orange, anther 1.9–2.7 × 0.6–0.8 mm, held with the lateral anthers, oblong to elliptic, slightly curved, orange-yellow to orange, connective oblong, orange, anther sacs not appressed to each other, pollen yellowish-orange to cream-orange, drying orange-yellow to apricot; ovary 0.9–1.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm, 3-carpellate, 5-ovulate, very widely fusiform to subglobose, green, smooth, puberulous with glandular microhairs, style 4.6–6.5 mm long, equalling or exceeding the stamens, very gently sigmoid, base tapering into the ovary, apex strongly involute, white, base light green, apex yellowish-orange to cream-orange, deciduous in fruit, stigma trilobate, tan-coloured. Capsules 1–2 per spathe, 8.2–9.8 × 6.1–7.5 mm, subglobose, sessile, fruit wall thin, apex round to 3-lobed, constricted between the seeds, off-white when mature, opaque, smooth, 3-locular, 3-valved, dorsal locule 0–1-seeded, dehiscent, ventral locules 0–1-seeded, dehiscent, valves splitting to base. Seeds monomorphic, 5.4–6.6 × 4.1–5.4 mm, all free from the capsule wall, widely ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed, ventrally flattened, slightly cleft towards the embryotega, brown to greyish-brown, testa smooth to inconspicuously foveolate, farinose, farinae white, embryotega semilateral, conspicuous, with a prominent apicule, hilum C-shaped, ca the same length as the seed.

Distribution

Commelina bambusifolia is endemic to central Mexico ( Fig. 4 View Fig ).

Ecology

It grows in the understory of conserved patches of dry forests.

Phenology

It was found in bloom from July to November and with fruits in August and September.

Vernacular name

Hierba del pollo (central Mexico).

Conservation

Commelina bambusifolia has very narrow EOO ( 5472 km 2) and AOO (ca 64 km 2), being known from less than 20 collections from only five localities. Most of these collections were made between 1950 and 1999, with only six of them having been made between 2003 and 2019. There is no information on its populational trends or its current threats. Thus, we suggest C. bambusifolia should be considered Endangered [EN, B2ab(i, ii, iv)], following the IUCN (2012) criteria and the IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee (2024) recommendations.

Remarks

Similar to C. scabrata due to their hirsute leaf-sheaths, blades narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, obliquely asymmetric, abaxially hirsute along the midvein, margin smooth, apex acuminate to long-acuminate, upper cincinnus vestigial and included, lower cincinnus glabrous, paired petals limb base cuneate, medial anther lacking a vinaceous to dark purple spot on the connective, fruits opaque off-white when mature, and all locules 1-seeded ( Table 2 View Table 2 ). However, it can be differentiated by its leaf-blades adaxially glandular-pubescent with hyaline hairs (vs hispid on both sides with rusty or hyaline hairs in C. scabrata ), base amplexicaulous to subamplexicaulous (vs cuneate), paired petals limb light blue to pale lilac (vs sky blue), fruits subglobose, smooth, apex round to 3-lobed and 3-valved with valves splitting to base (vs prismatic, sparsely verrucose, apex aristate, consistently parasitised by weevil larvae, unequally 2-valved, ventral valves splitting only up to mid-length), and seeds monomorphic and free from the fruit wall (vs dimorphic, dorsal seed adnate to the fruit wall and septa, and ventral seeds free from the fruit wall) ( Table 2 View Table 2 ).