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Full text here. Fragmenta Florae Philippinae : contributions to the flora of the Philippine Islands http://archive.org/.../fragmentafloraep13perk_djvu.txt

Dischidia saccata Warb. n. sp. Caule glabro epidermate albido-squamoso; petiolis brevissimis (1 — 1,5 mm longis) glabris foliis carnosis fere orbicularibus 2 cm longis 1,8 cm latis basi et apice rotiindatis glabris, venis ca. 4 utrinque brevibus vix distinctis, margine in sicco vix revoluto; ascidiis late-ovatis basi et apice rotundatis baud angulatis, 4 — 5 cm longis 3 cm latis, extus pallidis, glabris. Mindanao Isl., Davao, Taumo, auf einzehistebendeu Biiumen (Warburg no. 14 384).
Die ganz rundcn Bliitter und vor allcm die sackformigen ruuden dicken und kuizen Scliliiucbe sind fiir die Art charakteristisch.

 

Using Google translator. 

"New sp. Stem glabrous epidermate white-scaly, petioles very short (1 - 1.5 mm), smooth, fleshy leaves about 2 cm long, 1.8 cm wide at the base and apex rotiindatis orbiculate smooth, veins ca. 4 both short scarcely distinct edge in the dry scarce later, Ascidise wide-ovate, rounded base and not angled, 4 - 5 cm long, 3 cm wide, dark pale, smooth.

 

Perhaps the last sentence is referring to Ascidiate leaves?

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Someone wanna translate that? :)

This is a very interesting species. Seems to be the "Lucy" of the shell leaved species and the saccate leaved species. An almost perfect midpoint so to speak.

Also something very neat, I have a hybrid that makes leaves just like this plant. I will take some photos and share it.

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Dischidia Richard Brown.

Published in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae 461, 1810.

The former family Asclepiadaceae that includes for example the malodorous fly-pollinated terrestrial stapeliads and the primarily arboreal or saxicolous (rock inhabiting) Dischidia & Hoya species, are now placed in the Dogbane family Apocynaceae as sub-family Asclepiadoideae. Note the differing endings for families and sub families.

  The centre of distribution for Dischidia are the many islands of the Philippines Republic; however, the overall distribution of these 80 or so epiphytic species is enormous, spanning a vast arc of Southern Asia.  Including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Peninsular and Island Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak States), Singapore, Vietnam, southern China, Taiwan Island, Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia and islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean.  This enormous, insufficiently researched distribution area is probably why so few species are adequately documented.  Many discoveries are identified only by field collection numbers.

  Dischidia has been divided into three sections; section Ascidiophora (sometimes Ascidifera) that includes D. major and two other (now possibly three other?) highly evolved ant-house species.  Section Conchophyllum comprises the so-called (bivalve) shell or domed-leaf species that closely clasp trees thereby creating nesting spaces beneath. Section Dischidia encompasses the ‘normal’ laminate-leafed species such as D. litoralis, D. nummularia and D. ovata.  DNA evidence shows that section Ascidiophora and section Conchophyllum comprise a single monophyletic group confirming that ascidians evolved from a shell-leaved ancestor. (Livschultz 2000.)  All three groups have myrmecophytic members.

  Until Satoshi's sans rediscovery of Dischidia saccata, all of the pertinent literature that I have been able to find, mentions only D. complex, D. major & D. vidalii (sometimes using synonyms) as members of section Ascidiophora; therefore, this is a very important rediscovery of a species almost lost in ancient literature.

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Bonjour

 

magnifique SATOCHI

 

this D.sacatta  , seem to have 2 leaves form  ?

 

DERRICK in what section we noted D.pectenoides - D.shelfordii ? D.collyris  ; Dimbricata/D.davidii ?

 

JEFF

D. pectinoides = D. vidalii which is in section Ascidiophora. D. shelfordii = D. major which is also in section Ascidiophora. D. collyris = D. milnei which is in section Conchophyllum. D. imbricata is also in section Conchophyllum. D. davidii does not exist at this time as an accepted name for any Dischidia species.

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I would suggest that D. saccata might actually be a part of sect. Conchophyllum given that it's modified leaves aren't completely saccate in comparison to D. vidalii, major and complex. This plant is exposing most of its abaxial side to the surface of the tree like the shell leaved species do rather than forming pockets where the only exposed portion of the abaxial surface is a small hole where the ants (and root) would enter.

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it is a shame , no picture to these second  leave ( inside and outside) .

 

This plant is exposing most of its abaxial side to the surface of the tree like the shell leaved species do rather than forming pockets where the only exposed portion of the abaxial surface is a small hole where the ants (and root) would enter.

 

are you sure, in the first picture , some leaves seem to be completely saccate ; with a small hole  like others to the section Ascidiophora in a third picture , if they are not completely saccate why the hole ?

 

if you have the DNA analysis , may be we can have ?

 

JEFF

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What you're likely seeing in the first picture are 2 leaves on the same node clasped on each other creating a pocket-like leaf apparatus. This happens with shell leaved species when their leaves have no surface to hug, the pair of leaves from a single node bend down towards the same direction and touch.

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Its a moot point anyway with DNA evidence showing that section Ascidiophora and section Conchophyllum comprise but a single monophyletic group confirming that ascidians evolved from shell-leaved ancestors and D. saccata provides highly supportive evidence in this regard.  It would certainly be interesting to see exactly how saccate leaves become in D. saccata.  With plants now in cultivation we can perhaps look forward to a few leaf dissections. 

 

Livshultz, T. 2000. Systematics and evolution of ant-leaves in the genus

Dischidia (Asclepiadaceae). American Journal of Botany 87: 139. Oral presentation.

http://www.2000.botanyconference.org/ajb_v87_no6_suppl.pdf

 

LIVSHULTZ, TATYANA. L.H. Bailey Hortorium, 462 Mann Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853—
"Systematics and evolution of ant-leaves in the genus Dischidia, (Asclepiadaceae).
The genus Dischidia comprises approximately 80 species of succulent epiphytic vines native to Southeast Asia. The genus is divided into three sections based on leaf morphology: section Dischidia with laminar leaves, section Conchophylla with shell-shaped leaves, and section Ascidifera with pitcher-leaves. Many species of all three sections frequently occur in the nests of arboreal ants, and ants use the leaves of section Ascidifera and section Conchophylla as nesting sites. Both shell and pitcher-leaves develop via differential growth of the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces, leading to the hypothesis that pitcher-leaves evolved from shell-leaves via increased curvature of the leaf during development. I present combined cladistic analysis of morphology and sequences of the second intron of the nuclear gene Leafy. The results support the monophyly of Dischidia s.l. and the sister-group relationship of Dischidia and Hoya. The segregate genera Dischidiopsis, Oistonema, Conchophyllum, and Leptostemma should be included in Dischidia s.l. while the monotypic genus Micholitzia should be excluded. The analysis also shows that Dischidia species which have both alternate and opposite phyllotaxy form a clade, a grouping which has never been formally proposed. Section Conchophylla plus section Ascidifera form a monophyletic group, consistent with the evolution of pitcher-leaves from shell-leaves." Hence the difference between sections Ascidifera and Conchophyllum is purely a matter of degree.
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  • 10 months later...

Satoshi Okada, can you please confirm that D. saccata has at least some fully saccate (sac like) leaves.

Also now note that the use of D. vidalii as used above by me in my then ignorance, seems to be currently wrong unless someone can find a type description prior to 1902 when the name D. pectenoides WAS validly published.

http://myrmecodia.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/339-dischidia-pectenoides/

 

Here is the type description for D. saccata.

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/42271#page/141/mode/1up

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  • 7 months later...

Definitions. Ascidiate adjective from noun singular = ascidium, noun plural = ascidia. In Botany; a pitcher or bottle-shaped part or organ, such as the hollow tubular leaf of a pitcher plant. [New Latin, from Greek askidion, diminutive of askos, wineskin.] as·cid′i·form′ (-ə-fôrm′) adj.  Saccate. dilated to form a sac.

Recent phylogenetic research has possibly (probably?) reduced the three sections of dischidias to two by showing that section ascidiophora (ascidifera of Livschultz) and section conchophyllum are monophyletic (belong on the same branch of a phylogenetic tree). There may also be disagreement whether  D. saccata should be accepted as section Ascidifera or Conchophylla. On that subject I await the opinion of the few experts in the field of Dischidia research.  In the meantime, I will call D. complex, D. major, D. pectenoides and D. saccata as being saccate species. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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