Wentsaiboea

Full name and orig. publication: Wentsaiboea D.Fang & D.H.Qin, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 42(6): 533 (2004).

Etymology: Composed of the forename of Prof. Wang Wen-Tsai (1926-), a renowned Chinese botanist and expert on Chinese Gesneriaceae, and the generic name Boea.

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "Advanced Asiatic and Malesian genera" (Weber 2004).

Description: Perennial, rock-dwelling, stemless, rhizomatous herbs. Leaves in a basal rosette, petiolate; lamina reniform, palmately nerved. Cymes axillary, pedunculate, 2-bracteate. Calyx actinomorphic, 5-sect; segments equal. Corolla zygomorphic, obliquely campanulate, abaxially swollen, bilabiate; tube subequalling limb; adaxial lip 2-parted, shorter than abaxial one, lobes subsemiorbicular; abaxial lip 3-lobed, lobes suborbicular. Fertile stamens 2, adnate to abaxial side of corolla tube near base, included; filaments arcuate; anthers dorsifixed, adaxially coherent; thecae divaricate, apex confluent, dehiscing longitudinally, connective not projecting; staminodes 2, adnate to adaxial side of corolla tube near base. Disc ring-like. Pistil included; ovary unilocular; placentae 2, parietal, 2-cleft; stigma undivided, obliquely hippocrepiform.

Chromosome number: Unknown

Type and only species: Wentsaiboea renifolia D. Fang & D.H. Qin

Distribution: SE China (Guangxi: Du´an, Xiao).

Ecology: Growing in limestone caves, c. 280 m alt.

Notes: The genus is similar to Dolicholoma in the shape of stigma, but differs by having leaves reniform, palmately nerved and base cordate, corolla obliquely campanulate, corolla lobes rounded, and both stamens and staminodes adnate to corolla tube near base. It is also similar to Chiritopsis in the habit, but differs by having leaves palmately nerved, corolla tube campanulate and abaxially swollen, and stigma hippocrepiform.

Selected references: Fang & Qin, Acta phytotax. Sin. 42(6): 533-536 (2004), orig. descr.

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2^nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography

Illustrations:

Wentsaiboea renifolia D.Fang & D.H.Qin, type and only species Fang & Qin,  Acta Phytotax. Sin. 42(6), Fig. 1 (2004), orig. illustration.

Wentsaiboea renifolia D.Fang & D.H.Qin, type and only species Li Z.Y. & Wang Y.Z., Plants of Gesneriaceae in China, Figs. 1.285 and 1.286 (2004); with permission.