Introduction
The pantropical genus Ixora Linnaeus is the third largest genus
in the family Rubiaceae with more than 530 species worldwide (Davis et
al. 2009, Banag et al. 2017), growing mostly in humid forests. It is a
genus of shrubs and small trees easily recognizable because of its
articulate petioles, hermaphroditic flowers, hypocrateriform corollas,
two-locular ovaries with a solitary ovule per locule, bilobed stigma,
and drupaceous fruits (De Block 1998, Mouly et al. 2009).
In the Philippines, 34 species of Ixora are currently recognized
(Pelser et al. 2011) and four of these 34 species can be found in
Dinagat Islands namely, I. angustilimba Merrill, I.
confertiflora Merrill, I. gigantifolia Elmer, andI. philippinensis Merrill (Banag et al. 2015). The Dinagat
Islands are composed of an aggregate of various land formations on the
northeastern edge of Mindanao Island in the Philippines (Tamayo et al.
2021) and are home to an array of microendemic species of animals and
plants (e.g. Musser et al. , 1985; Mohagan et al., 2013; Brown et
al., 2014; Sanguila et al., 2016; Fernando et al., 2018; Robinson et
al., 2019; Fernando and Wilson, 2021).
A recent botanical expedition in Mt. Redondo in Dinagat Island has led
to the collection of an undescribed Ixora species and does not
match with any of the known Philippine and other Asian Ixoraspecies. Hence, a detailed description, illustration, live photographs,
and notes on this new species are here provided.
Ixora fernandoi C.B. Moran, sp. nov. (Fig.
1 –2)
Type: Philippines. Mindanao: Dinagat Province, Mt. Redondo, 01
September 2016, 875 m. a.s.l., E.S. Fernando, 4201 (holotype: PNH;
isotypes PUH, USTH).
This species is easily recognized from other known Ixora species
by its erect to drooping, articulate throughout, flower bud with rounded
apex, calyx tube not more than 2 mm long; corolla tube 6–8 mm long;
corolla lobes elliptic oblong.