A revision of Microchirita in Thailand 
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13. Microchirita lilacina C.Puglisi, Kew Bull. 71(l)-2: 5 (2016). - TYPE: Thailand, 
Tak, Umphang, 504 m, 15 October 2014, Middleton, D.J., Hemrat, C., Karaket, P, 
Puglisi, C. & Suddee, S. 5704 (holotype BKF; isotypes AAU, E [E00663028], K, 
QBG, SING). (Fig. 9) 
Herb to 40 cm tall. Stems fleshy, red at base, otherwise green, with pale green hairs, 
which are lost in dried specimens. Leaves opposite, with the exception of the single 
one or two basal leaves, fleshy (very thin when dry); petioles 0.3-2.5 cm long, 
glabrous; blades pale to mid green above, paler beneath, ovate, 2.5-18 x 1.4-13 cm, 
1.3-1.8 times as long as wide, base cordate, apex acuminate or rarely acute, densely 
tomentose above, sparsely so beneath, margin entire, 6-10 pairs of secondary veins in 
the opposite leaves, 10-15 in the basal leaf, venation raised beneath in fresh material, 
tertiary venation finely and irregularly reticulate, visible only beneath. Inflorescence 
epiphyllous, 2-15-flowered, cristate; peduncles reduced or shortly emerging and fused 
together; bracts absent; pedicels green, 0.2-1.5 cm long, glabrous or sparsely hairy. 
Calyx pale green, bilabiate, tube 0.5-1.5 mm long, lobes narrowly lanceolate, 6.5-7 
x 0.8-1.2 mm, with the central upper lobe (alternate to the upper corolla lobes) c. 
1 mm shorter than the other lobes, membranous along the margins, apex narrowly 
obtuse, outside with scattered eglandular hairs along the midrib, inside with a minute 
indumentum of sessile glands. Corolla 8-12 mm long, markedly variable even within 
populations, tube whitish pale lilac, with a yellow stripe ventrally, lobes very pale 
lilac, tube with a narrow basal portion 3-4 mm long, c. 2.5 mm diam., then abruptly 
broadening into a campanulate tube, pubescent with very fine eglandular hairs outside 
except at base, inside glabrous, the upper lobes with sparse stalked glands, especially 
abundant towards the centre of the upper lip, the lower minutely papillose; tube 11-13 
mm long dorsally, 13-14 mm ventrally, 10.5-12.5 mm laterally between lips, upper 
lobes elliptic, 3-3.5 x c. 5 mm, lower lateral lobes elliptic, 3-3.5 x 5-6.5 mm, lower 
central lobe rounded, 4-4.5 x 4.5-5 mm. Stamens arising 4.5-5 mm above the corolla 
base, filaments glabrous, 3.5-4.5 mm long, slightly twisted; anthers cream-white 
with a dark spot beside the attachment of the filament, glabrous, 1.7-3 x 0.6-1.5 mm, 
apically joined by a connective, thecae divergent and apiculate; lateral staminodes 
1.5-3 mm long, arising 3-3.7 mm above the corolla base, central staminode c. 1.7 mm 
long, arising c. 2.8 mm above corolla base. Disk a ventral lobe, 0.3-0.4 mm high, with 
irregular margin. Pistil 12-16 mm long; ovary 6-11 mm long, with scattered glands 
for 1/2-2/3 and then distally with fewer glands and a dense eglandular pubescence; 
style 5-6 mm long, curved downwards, hairy as the upper part of the ovary; stigma 
with pronounced lobes, lobes 1-1.4 mm long, 0.6 - 0.8 mm wide, narrowly elliptic, 
glabrous outside, papillose inside. Fruit green, 2-6 cm long, 0.8-1 mm diam., glabrous 
at the base, sometimes with indumentum terminally, straight or curved. Seeds brown, 
elliptic, 0.4-0.5 x c. 0.2 mm. 
Distribution. Southwestern and Northern Thailand (Kanchanaburi, Tak). 
Habitat. On limestone. 
