Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 69(2): 211-284. 2017 
doi: 10.26492/gbs69(2).2017-06 
211 
A revision of Microchirita (Gesneriaceae) in Thailand 
C. Puglisi 1 ’ 2 & D.J. Middleton 1 
Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, 
1 Cluny Road, 259569 Singapore 
david_middleton@nparks.gov.sg 
2 Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, 
Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK 
ABSTRACT. Microchirita (C.B.Clarke) Yin Z.Wang (Gesneriaceae: Didymocarpoideae) in 
Thailand is revised and 29 species are recognised, two of which have three varieties each. 
Eight new species are described, Microchirita albocyanea C.Puglisi, Microchirita glandulosa 
C.Puglisi, Microchirita hypocrateriformis C.Puglisi, Microchirita limbata C.Puglisi, 
Microchirita luteola C.Puglisi, Microchirita tadphoensis C.Puglisi, Microchirita tetsanae 
C.Puglisi, Microchirita thailandica C.Puglisi; three new varieties are described, Microchirita 
involucrata var. gigantiflora C.Puglisi, Microchirita mollissima var. glabra C.Puglisi, 
Microchirita mollissima var. glandulophylla C.Puglisi; and one name is combined at a new 
rank, Microchirita involucrata var. capitis (Craib) C.Puglisi. Two lectotypifications are made, 
one of which is a second step lectotypification. A key to all taxa is given, all taxa are described, 
and many are illustrated. 
Keywords. Chirita, Didymocarpoideae, Flora of Thailand, Gesneriads, new species, 
taxonomy 
Introduction 
Generic delimitation in Asian Gesneriaceae has been the focus of much recent research 
and has led to considerable change (Wei et al., 2010; Moller et al., 2011, 2014, 2016; 
Puglisi et al., 2011, 2016; Wang et al., 2011; Weber et al., 2011a, 2011b; Middleton 
& Moller, 2012; Middleton et al., 2014, 2015). This research, much of it based on 
the results of DNA sequence data, has resulted in an overall reduction in the number 
of genera but also the description of new genera to accommodate new species which 
were found to belong to previously unknown lineages (Middleton & Triboun, 2012; 
Middleton et al., 2015), and the splitting up of genera found to be polyphyletic (Weber 
et al. 2011a; Moller et al., 2014). Although there are still many questions to address, a 
relative degree of stability in the delimitation of Asian Gesneriaceae genera has been 
reached. 
The genus Chirita Buch.-Ham. is one of the genera that was split up as a 
consequence of molecular phylogenetic research which found the genus to be 
polyphyletic (Wang et al., 2011; Weber, 2011a). Chirita was characterised by the 
presence of a “chiritoid” stigma (a two-lipped stigma with the upper lip reduced and the 
lower bilobed) but was otherwise extremely morphologically diverse. The genera into 
