Lepidagathis shrirangii Natekar, Kambale & Chandore, 2019

Natekar, Pratik Dilip, Borude, Devidas Bhausaheb, Kambale, Sharad Suresh & Chandore, Arun Nivrutti, 2019, Lepidagathis shrirangii (Acanthaceae) a new species from Konkan region of Maharashtra, India, Phytotaxa 405 (4), pp. 215-220 : 215-219

Lepidagathis shrirangii Natekar, Kambale & Chandore , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 & 3 )

Lepidagathis shrirangii is similar to L. lutea Dalzell (1850: 139) , but differs in its cylindrical, terete stem (not quadrangular), ensiform leaf (not linear), ciliate margin (not entire), acuminate (not acute) leaves at apex, pink flowers (not yellow), 15–17 (not 8–10) spikes in erect branch, slightly cuspidate bracts (not caudate) at apex, cuspidate sepals (not acuminate) at apex.

Type:— INDIA, Maharashtra, Ratnagiri District, Rajapur, Kasheli, 16°43’38.1’’N, 73°18’37.1’’E, 60–75 m, 24 January 2019, P.D. Natekar 77 (holotype CAL!, isotypes BSI!, K!, SUK!).

Annual herb, prostrate, rootstock woody. Stem suberect, cylindrical, terete, dichotomously branched, nodes and internodes ca. 24 cm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Leaves sessile, opposite, decussate; blades ensiform, 7.0–7.5 × 1.0– 1.3 cm, 3-nerved, pilose on both sides, base narrowly cuneate, apex acute, margins ciliate. Inflorescence axillary of spike 1–4 congested, 2.0– 2.5 cm long, pubescent. Flowers sessile, ca. 1.3 cm long, pinkish. Bract slightly cuspidate, 2.5–3.0 × 1.0– 1.3 cm, glandular hairy, sharply spinous pointed at apex, 3-nerved, margin entire. Bracteoles 0.9–0.7 × 0.4–0.6 cm, ovate–oblong, 3-nerved, glandular-hairy, spinous pointed. Calyx 5-partite, glandular hairy, lobes unequal, spinous pointed, persistent; outer 3 segments unequal, margin ciliate, upper one is 0.8–0.9 × 0.3–0.5 cm, oblong-ovate, 3–5 nerves; other two linear-oblanceolate, densely hairy. Corolla 1.2–1.5 cm long, pinkish; tube ca. 0.5 cm long, pubescent outside, 2 unequally lipped; upper lip ca. 0.2 cm long, broad, shortly 2-toothed, 3–5 nerves; lower lip ca. 0.5 cm long, distinctly divided in to 3 subequal lobes, obovate, circular or obdeltoid at apex, glabrous, pink. Stamen 4, didynamous; filaments ca. 0.2 cm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 0.1 cm long, dorsifixed, hairy, brownish, dehiscing through longitudinal split. Ovary ovoid, ca. 0.2 cm long, glabrous; style ca. 0.6 cm long, white, hairy; stigma capitated. Capsule 0.4–5 × 0.2–0.3 cm, ovate, brownish when mature. Seed 2, ca. 0.4 × 0.2 cm, ovate-deltoid, brownish, cover with long whitish, hygroscopic mucilaginous hairs.

Etymology:—The specific epithet is in honours of Emeritus Scientist Prof. (Dr.) Shrirang Ramchandra Yadav at Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur for his incredible contribution in the field of angiosperm taxonomy.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting from January to April.

Distribution: —The species is endemic to India, occurring in Maharashtra (Konkan region, Ratnagiri district— Kasheli, Aadivare, Rajapur). This species grows along coastal region about 10 km 2 areas.

Habitat:— Lepidagathis shrirangii is found growing on lateritic plateaus along the west coastal area of Kasheli to the Aadivare and Rajapur village of Ratnagiri district. It grows at an elevations of 60 ‒ 85 m. Grows in association with Canscora diffusa (Vahl 1794: 47) Brown ex Roemer & Schultes (1818: 301) , Ixora coccinea Linnaeus (1753: 110) , Merremia umbellata ( Linnaeus 1753: 155) Hallier (1893: 552) , Themeda tremula (Nees ex Steudel 1854: 401) Hackel (1889: 667) .

Local name: —Koch in Marathi.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — INDIA, Maharashtra, Ratnagiri District, Rajapur, Kasheli , 27 January 2019, P. D. Natekar & A. N. Chandore 80 ( SUK) ; ibid, 1 February 2019, D. B. Borude 430 ( SUK) ; ibid, 3 February 2019, A. N. Chandore 1677 ( SUK) .

Notes:— Lepidagathis shrirangii is closely resemble with the L. lutea in having prostrate habit, five partite calyx and two seeds per capsule. However, the former differs from the later in having cylindrical stem, cuspidate bracts and pink corolla. Species of the Indian Lepidagathis are generally divided into two groups on the basis of number of seeds per capsule. Lepidagathis shrirangii belongs the group having two seeded and five sepal. An identification key to the species of this group is provided below.

1a. Leaves spinous-tipped ....................................................................................................................................................... L. prostrata

1b. Leaves not spinous-tipped..................................................................................................................................................................2

2a. Bracteoles dimorphic.................................................................................................................................................... L. bandraensis

2b. Bracteoles uniform.............................................................................................................................................................................3

3a. Bracts glabrous with recurved apical spines; calyx segments not spinous-pointed ........................................................... L. trinervis

3b. Bracts softly hairy with straight apical spines; calyx segments spinous-pointed...............................................................................4

4a. Corolla yellow; stem quadrangular ........................................................................................................................................ L. lutea

4b. Corolla pink; stem cylindrical ......................................................................................................................................... L. shrirangii

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lepidagathis shrirangii. A. & B. Habit; C. Apical inflorescence; D. Inflorescence; E. Stamen; F. Carpel; G. Capsule; H. Seed.

FIGURE 2. Lepidagathis lutea. A. Inflorescence; C. Leaf; E. Flower; G. Bract; I. Bracteoles; K & M. Outer sepals; O. Transverse section of stem. Lepidagathis shrirangii. B. Inflorescence; D. Leaf; F. Flower; H. Bract; J. Bracteoles; L & N. Outer sepals; P. Transverse section of stem of stem.

FIGURE 3. Lepidagathis shrirangii. A. Habit; B. Leaf; C. Flower; D. Bract; E. Bracteoles; F. Outer calyx; G. Inner calyx; H. & I. Stamen; J. Carpel. K; Capsule; L. Seed.