Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana S.R. Yadav & Dalavi, 2018

Dalavi, Jagdish, Deshmukh, Pradip, Jadhav, Varsha & Yadav, Shrirang, 2018, Two new species of Portulaca (Portulacaceae) from India, Phytotaxa 376 (1), pp. 68-76 : 72-75

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.376.1.7
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2A509732-1124-755A-0A91-977F32A3FD74
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana S.R. Yadav & Dalavi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana S.R. Yadav & Dalavi View in CoL sp. nov. ( FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 3 . & 4 View FIGURE 4 .)

Type:— INDIA, Karnataka, Bagalkot District, Badami, 611 m a.s.l., 15.918955 E, 75.696699 N, 14 June 2018, Yadav, Dalavi & Deshmukh JVD-1251 (holotype CAL!, isotypes BSI!, K!, SUK!).

Diagnosis:— Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana differs from P. suffrutescens Engelmann (1881: 236) by its non-tuberous root (as against tuberous root), stem scabrous with scaly bark (as against smooth stem without scaly bark), dark pink to red flowers (as against magenta to orange flowers), 8–15 stamens (as against more than 40 stamens), strictly 4-fid style (as against 5–6-fid style) and oblong capsules (as against sub-globose capsules) ( TABLE 2.)

Description:— Perennial scandent much branched woody subshrubs, 20–80 cm in height. Tap root non-tuberous, fibrous, 10–20 × 0.5–1.0 cm, brownish, hard. Stem 20–70 × 0.5–1.0 cm, scandent, much branched, woody, and scabrous with scaly bark. Leaves 1–2 × 0.1–0.3 cm, linear, cylindrical, turgid, succulent, tapering at both ends, glabrous, green, petiolate; petiole short; with a line hair in leaf axil. Inflorescence 2–4-flowered, flowers in terminal sessile clusters surrounded by 3–4 involucral leaves. Flowers c. 1.0– 1.5 cm across, actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, sessile, pink to red with dark red throat. Calyx bi-sepalous, sepals 3–4 × 1–2 mm, ovate, connate at base, acuminate at apex, thin, transparent, pale pink to yellow, glabrous with entire margin. Petals 4–5, obovate, 4–6 × 2.0– 3.5 mm, acuminate at apex, thin delicate, transparent. Stamens 8–15, free, adnate to the base of petals forming a ring around the ovary; anthers bithecous, 1 mm long, yellow, dehiscing via longitudinal slits; filaments 2–3 mm long, free, basally connate, glabrous. Gynoecium 3–4 carpellary, syncarpous; ovary 2–3 × 1.0– 1.5 mm, globose, glabrous; style 3–4 mm, 4-fid, glabrous; stigmas slightly coiled, papillate. Fruit a circumscissile capsule, 4–5 × 1–2 mm, oblong, glabrous, upper dome is two times longer than basal disc. Seeds 20–30 per capsule, 0.7–0.9 mm in diameter, ovoid with unique shiny golden luster and stellate cells throughout the surface.

Phenology:— Flowering time June–September, fruiting time July–October.

Etymology:— The specific epithet lakshminarasimhaniana honors Dr.Pakshirajan Lakshminarashimhan, Scientist ‘E’ and Head of office of Botanical Survey of India, Western Regional Circle, Pune, for his significant contribution in Plant Taxonomy.

Distribution:— Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana is so far collected from rocky plateaus of Badami Hills. The species is sparsely distributed in the area. It grows in crevices of rocks and in bushes.

Conservation status:— Extent of occurrence of Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana is estimated to be less than 100 km 2. Thus it can be assessed as Critically Endangered [criterion B1ab (i-v)] according to IUCN (2012). Grazing pressure is the major threat to the species.

Habitat:— Portulaca lakshminarasimhaniana usually grows in rocky crevices taking shelter of small bushes, together with Anisochilus carnosus (L.f.) Bentham (1830: 1300), Canthium coromandelicum Alston (1931: 152) , Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arnott (1834: 271), Euphorbia caducifolia , Kalanchoe olivacea Dalzell (1861: 313) , Portulaca tuberosa and Tragus mongolorum Ohwi (1948: 268) .