taxonID	type	description	language	source
03E1A218FFADFF9BFF1EF976FEBCFDEE.taxon	description	Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from July to August and fruiting from September to October. Habitat: This species is predominantly found in grazing meadows or scrubs of alpine regions in association with Primula spp. (Primulaceae), Rhododendron spp. (Ericaceae), Pedicularis sp. (Orobanchaceae), Potentilla sp. (Rosaceae), and others. Distribution: Bhutan, Nepal and now in India. Specimen examined: INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang, 4103 m, N 27 ° 38 ’ 54.1026 ”, E 91 ° 52 ’ 1.686 ”, 15.07.2023, B. Hajong BAR- 003 (12898, 12899 CSIRNEIST). Notes: This species is endemic to the central and eastern Himalayas, displaying distinctive characters such as an erect, perennial herbaceous habit, cymose inflorescence, large greenish-white purple-striped corollas and rhomboidal or oval nectaries with raised fimbriae surrounding the small adaxial opening of the nectaries. Notably, the presence of fimbriae is a feature shared with Swertia splendens, which also is found in Arunachal Pradesh. However, S. pseudohookeri can be easily distinguished from S. splendens, by its ovate leaves (vs. spatulate to obovate), green stems (vs. brick red), greenish-white and purple-striped flowers (vs. brick red, when drying yellow-green) and nectary with long fimbriae (vs. short) (Fig. 4 a). Another species, S. grandiflora, has been sighted in two localities, Se La and Bangajaan, and was first documented in India in 2020 (Bharali et al., 2018; Liden & Bharali, 2020). S. pseudohookeri shares some similarities with S. grandiflora such as the perennial erect habit with single robust stem, large tetramerous flowers (3 – 4 cm in diam.) with one nectary per corolla lobe, but can be easily distinguished by its green stems (vs. brick red), greenish-white and purple-striped flowers (vs. reddish-green) and nectary with long fimbriae (vs. short) (Fig. 4 b).	en	B., Hajong, Bharali, P., Sm., Harry (2024): Swertia pseudohookeri (Gentianaceae): a new record for India. Rheedea 34 (1): 50-55, DOI: 10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.01.05, URL: https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2024.34.01.05
