Lasianthus obscurus (Blume ex DC.) Miq.

89. Lasianthus obscurus (Blume ex DC.) Miq. View in CoL — Map 3 View Map 3

Lasianthus obscurus (Blume ex DC.) Miq. (1857) 317; (1869) 245, p.p. excl. specimen Zollinger 621; Hook.f. (1880) 183; Bakh.f. (1965) 341; H.Zhu (2002) 80. — Mephitidia obscura Blume ex DC.(1830) 453. — Type: Blume s.n. (holo L, barcode L0057529 ), Java.

Lasianthus kurzii Hook.f. var. sylvicola H.S. Lo (1993) View in CoL 3; H. Zhu (1998) 153; H.S. Lo (1999) 90. — Type: E. Hainan Expedit. 530 (holo SCBI), China, Hainan.

Lasianthus kurzii Hook.f.var. fulvus C.Y.Wu & H.Zhu View in CoL (in Zhu 1994) 60.— Type: Yunnan­expedit. 59­13346 (holo KUN), China, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna .

Shrubs, to 3 m high; branchlets terete, robust, c. 3 mm diam, densely spreading tomentose. Leaves: blades elliptic-oblong to oblong, 12– 20 by 3 – 5 cm, membranaceous, or thinly coriaceous, glabrous above except sometimes tomentose hairs on midrib, tomentose beneath, apex acuminate to cuspidate-acute, base cuneate to subrounded, midrib and nerves slightly prominent above, prominent beneath, nerves 7–10 pairs, ascending at an angle of 50–60°, curved to the margin, nervules distinct on both surfaces, parallel; petioles 5 –10 mm long, spreading tomentose. Stipules triangular or oblong-lanceolate, up to 8 mm long, tomentose. Cymes sessile; bracts persistent, outer bracts ovate, inner bracts lanceolate, all not more than 5 mm long, densely tomentose. Flowers sessile or subsessile, numerous; calyx campanulate, 2– 3 mm long, tomentose, lobes triangular, 4–6, c. 1–1.5 mm long; corolla 5–6 mm long, puberulous out- side in the upper half, pubescent inside at the throat. Drupes subglobose, 4–6 mm diam, tomentose, crowned by persistent calyx lobes; pyrenes 5 – 6. Distribution — China (Yunnan, Hainan), Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi).

Notes — Lasianthus obscurus is very close to L. chrysoneurus . Lasianthus obscurus has densely spreading tomentose hairs on branches, leaf undersides, stipules, bracts, and calyx, while L. chrysoneurus has appressed pubescence on branches, leaf undersides, stipules, bracts, and calyx. They are separated only by different indumentum. Considering that there are relatively few diagnostic characters in the genus and the clear distinction between the two taxa by different types of indumentum, it seems better to treat them as two separate species.

Lasianthus kurzii var. sylvicola and var. fulvus from mainland SE Asia are conspecific with L. obscurus , and L. kurzii var. kurzii from India and mainland SE Asia is conspecific with L. chrysoneurus .