Volume 7 > Part 2 > Year 2000 > Page 266 > Monotropaceae > Monotropa

Monotropa hypopitys L.wfo-0000376429

Sp. Pl. 1: 387. 1753; Wallace G.D., Wasmann. J. Biol. 33: 29. 1975; Chou & Zhou in Fl. Reipubl. Pop. Sin. 56: 213. 1990. Fig. 8.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Yellowish-white or reddish herb up to 30 cm. Stems glabrous or pubescent in upper part. Leaves ovate-oblong, crowded towards the base, 5–15 mm long, entire or fimbriate. Inflorescence with 3–10 flowers; pedicel 6–15 mm; bracts ovate, to 18 mm. Flowers 4–5-merous. Sepals ovate-spathulate, 6–13 mm, Petals oblong to spathulate, as long as sepals, saccate at base, keeled and often recurved at apex, glabrous outside, with stiff, white hairs inside. Stamens shorter than corolla, glabrous or pubescent; filaments ca 10 mm; anthers hippocrepidoform, ca 2 mm. Ovary 4–5-locular, glabrous or pubescent; style impressed, 1.5–3.5 mm; stigma umbilicate. Capsule 6–10 mm long, 4–8 mm diam. Seeds minute, 0.5–1 mm long.

Thailand : NORTHERN: Chiang Mai (Doi Suthep).

Distribution : Circumboreal (type Sweden). In Asia from N India, Bhutan, China, Siberia and Japan.

Ecology : In evergreen montane forests, 1,250 m alt.

Notes: The only material seen, Kerr 678 (K), is a single plant, ca 14 cm high with 3 flowers. This was collected on 6th June 1909. An other collection cited in Fl. Siam. En., Kerr 174 from the same locality, probably collected in 1921, has not been traced. No material of Monotropa has been found in Thai herbaria (BK, BKF).

This species varies with the regard to number of flowers in the inflorescence and hairyness of the floral part as well as colouring. There seems to be a gradual variation in these characters, and most recent authors do not recognize infraspecific taxa. According to the most recent monographer, Wallace, l. c., there may also occur seasonal morphological variations.