taxonID	type	description	language	source
5B3887ACFFBFFF9DFCF2271EB7ECFDCE.taxon	description	Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from August to October and fruiting from September to December. Specimen examined: INDIA, Kerala, Idukki district, Kallar Valley, 700 – 800 m, N 10 ° 03 ’ 39.5 ”, E 76 ° 57 ’ 27.3 ”, 12.01.2021, Akhilesh S. V. Nair 10234 (KUBH). Distribution: Endemic to Western Ghats of Kerala. Habitat: Grows in moist, shady places of evergreen forests and also along the banks of streams or rivulets, at an altitude of 700 – 800 m. The associated species are Ophiorrhiza barberi Gamble, O. caudata, Argostemma courtallense Arn. (all Rubiaceae) and Sonerila wallichii Benn. (Melastomataceae). Conservation status: Ophiorrhiza barnesii is only reported from Kallar Valley in Idukki district of Kerala. During our field trip in 2021, we could observe only a single population of O. barnesii with less than 20 mature individuals along the roadsides rock cuttings. The species grows in moist and cool shady environment along the rock cuttings near streams. Since the locality is outside a protected area, it is facing serious threat due to anthropogenic activities and roadside cleaning acitivities, etc. With a view to the location and small size of the population, a further decline is likely. According to the IUCN Red List Criteria (IUCN, 2012, 2022), it is assessed here as Critically Endangered (CR), B 2 a, b (iii, v), D.	en	A. S. V., Nair, A., Gangaprasad, K. B., Rameshkumar, Kumar, E. S. S. (2023): The identity of Ophiorrhiza barnesii (Rubiaceae) - a critically endangered and endemic species of the southern Western Ghats, India. Rheedea 33 (2): 87-91, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2023.33.02.06, URL: https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2023.33.02.06
5B3887ACFFBDFF9BFCF220B8B6F4F9FD.taxon	description	Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from May to October and fruiting from June to December. Specimens examined: INDIA, Kerala, Idukki district, Kallar Valley, 700 – 800 m, N 10 ° 03 ’ 39.5 ”, E 76 ° 57 ’ 27.3 ”, 12.01.2021, Akhilesh S. V. Nair 10235 (KUBH). Kerala, Idukki district, Kallar valley, 21.02.2012, E. S. Santhosh Kumar & P. E. Roy 70440 (TBGT). Distribution: Endemic to Western Ghats of Kerala. Habitat: In moist, shady places of the evergreen forests and also along the banks of streams or rivulets, between 700 – 800 m altitude, along with Ophiorrhiza barberi, O. barnesii., Argostemma courtallense (all Rubiaceae), Sonerila wallichii (Melastomataceae). Conservation status: During our field trip in 2021 in Kallar Valley in Idukki district of Kerala, we had the opportunity to observe two populations of O. caudata, each consisting of fewer than 100 mature individuals. The species occurs in moist and cool shady environment along rock cuttings near streams. Since the locality is outside a protected area, it is facing serious threat due to anthropogenic activities and roadside cleaning acitivities, etc. Considering the specific location and the small size of the population, it is likely that their numbers will further decline. Based on the IUCN Red List Criteria (IUCN, 2012, 2022), O. caudata is assessed here as Critically Endangered (CR), B 2 a, b (iii, v).	en	A. S. V., Nair, A., Gangaprasad, K. B., Rameshkumar, Kumar, E. S. S. (2023): The identity of Ophiorrhiza barnesii (Rubiaceae) - a critically endangered and endemic species of the southern Western Ghats, India. Rheedea 33 (2): 87-91, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2023.33.02.06, URL: https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2023.33.02.06
