ARPHA Preprints, doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e148020
Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka
Amila Perera‡,
Himesh Jayasinghe§,
Bhathiya Gopallawa|,
Isuru Madawala¶,
Nimal Gunatilleke#,
Nalaka Geekiyanage¤‡ Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC, Colombo, Sri Lanka§ National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka| Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka¶ Agriculture Publication Unit, Department of Agriculture, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka# Department of Botany, Faulty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka¤ Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Corresponding author:
Amila Perera
(
sperera.amila@gmail.com
)
© Amila Perera, Himesh Jayasinghe, Bhathiya Gopallawa, Isuru Madawala, Nimal Gunatilleke, Nalaka Geekiyanage. This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Perera A, Jayasinghe H, Gopallawa B, Madawala I, Gunatilleke N, Geekiyanage N (2025) Reinstatement of Memecylon elegantulum (Melastomataceae) and recircumscription of Memecylon rostratum, two species endemic to Sri Lanka. ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e148020 |  |
AbstractMemecylon elegantulum Thwaites, a heterotypic synonym of M. rostratum Thwaites, is re-instated based on recent collections and field observations. The two species differ mainly in their habit, inflorescence structure, floral morphology and lamina morphology. A lectotype and an epitype are designated for Memecylon elegantulum, and a lectotype designated for M. rostratum. Both species are confined to the mixed dipterocarp rainforests of Sri Lanka’s perhumid south-western ‘wet zone’. Memecylon elegantulum appears to be restricted to a relatively small range in Ratnapura district, while M. rostratum has a wider distribution in wet zone.
Keywordsendemic, low land wet zone, Sri Lanka, typification