Portulaca badamica 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 : 69-72

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.376.1.7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13727358
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2A509732-1121-7559-0A91-953730C2FD59
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Portulaca badamica S.R.Yadav & Dalavi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Portulaca badamica S.R.Yadav & Dalavi View in CoL sp. nov. ( Figs.1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 )

Type:— INDIA, Karnataka, Bagalkot District, Badami, 613 m a.s.l., 15.918394 N, 75.703487 E, 14 June 2018, Yadav, Dalavi & Deshmukh, JVD-1250 (holotype CAL!, isotypes BSI!, K!, SUK!).

Diagnosis ( Table. 1): — Portulaca badamica differs from P. pilosa by its annual, slender, sparsely branched, erect, habit (as against perennial, robust, much branched, spreading habit), usually cleistogamous yellow flowers (as against chasmogamous, pink flowers), 3–4-fid style (as against 5–7-fid style), 8–12 stamens (as against 20–25 stamens), bluish seeds with stellulate flat cells without central elevations (as against bluish seeds with stellulate flat cells with central elevations). It is also similar to Portulaca oleracea var. linearifolia from which differs in having hairs in axils of leaves (as against completely glabrous habit), 1–6-flowered capitulum (as against 1–10-flowered capitulum), 3–4-fid style (as against 5 fid style), very delicate, transparent sepals (as against thick green sepals covering capsules), bluish seeds having stellulate flat cells without central elevations (as against black seeds with circular central elevations in cells).

Description:— Annual, sparingly branched, erect, slender herbs, 5–15 cm in height. Non-tuberous tap root with numerous fibrous secondary branches. Stem erect, slender, cylindrical, sparsely pilose when young, glabrous when old. Leaves 0.8–1.5 × 0.1–0.3 cm, simple, alternate, linear, subsessile, glaucous, green with distinct midrib; petiole with tuft of white hairs in the nodal axils. Inflorescence terminal, 1–6 sessile flowered capitulum surrounded by 4–7 involucral leaves and a ring of white hairs. Flowers bisexual, 1 cm across, generally cleistogamous, rarely chasmogamous, sessile, yellow. Calyx bi-sepalous, sepals 4–6 × 2–3 mm, ovate, connate at base, transparent, 4–6-veined, pale yellow in colour, glabrous. Petals 4–5, 5–6 × 2–3 mm, connate at the base, ovate to obovate, glabrous, entire. Stamens 8–12, free, filaments connate at the base forming small ring and adnate to petals, unequal in length; anthers 0.7–0.9 mm, bithecous, yellowish in colour, dehiscing via longitudinal slits; filaments 1.0– 2.5 mm long, glabrous. Gynoecium 4–5 carpellary, syncarpous; ovary 2–3 × 1–2 mm, globose, lower portion sunk into base of calyx tube, glabrous. Style 3–4 mm long, glabrous, 3–4 fid, pale yellow; stigma 1–2 mm, papillate, yellow. Fruits circumscissile capsule, 4–6 × 2–3 mm, sub-globose, basal disc and upper operculum nearly equal in length. Seeds 40–60 per capsule, sub-reniform, 0.6–0.7 mm in diameter, bluish in colour with stellulate flat cells arranged in 3–4 circular rings without central elevations.

Etymology:— The specific epithet badamica refers to locus classicus ‘Badami’.

Phenology:— Flowering time May–August, fruiting time June–August.

Distribution:— Portulaca badamica is currently known only from Badami hills (Bagalkot district, Karnataka State, India) where it is locally very common on the top plateaus. There is every possibility of its occurrence in similar habitats in peninsular India.

Conservation status:— Since data on distribution and population on Portulaca badamica is still not sufficient, it is assessed as Data Deficient (DD) following the IUCN Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

Habitat:— The region where Portulaca badamica occurs falls under rain shadow area with extremely dry and arid conditions. The hill tops are rocky and more or less flat on which sandy soil gets accumulated. Commiphora berryi Engler (1883: 17) , Euphorbia caducifolia Haines (1914: 154) , Mimosa hamata Willdenow (1806: 1033) are the common woody species on the hills. P. badamica grows in association with Cleome viscosa Linnaeus (1753: 672) , Heliotropium strigosum Willdenow (1798: 743) , Mollugo nudicaulis Lamarck (1786: 234) , Polycarpaea corymbosa (L.) Lamarck, (1793: 129), P. oleracea , P. oleracea var. linearifolia , P. pilosa , P. quadrifida , P. tuberosa and P. wightiana .

Notes:— It is interesting to note that this species usually produces cleistogamous flowers. Chasmogamous flowers were rarely observed on plants in its habitat. Cleistogamous flowers produce plenty of fertile seeds. The species completes its life cycle in 2–3 months during the rainy season. It was missed by botanists probably due to its short life cycle and restricted distribution.