Rotala belgaumensis sp. nov. (Lythraceae) from western Ghats,India

During a floristic survey in the Belgaum district, Karnataka state, some specimens of Rotala L. were collected from a lateritic plateau in western Ghats, India. The specimens did not match with any previously described species of Rotala, but closely resembled R. macrandra Koehne and R. rosea (Poir.) C. D. K. Cook ex H. Hara in their exserted stamens and styles. The new species is described and illustrated here as Rotala belgaumensis S. R. Yadav, Malpure & Chandore.     

Zingiberanamalayanum sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) from India

Zingiber anamalayanum (Zingiberaceae), a new species from the southern western Ghats, India is described and illustrated. A phenetic analyses to assess the similarity indices and the uniqueness of the new species have been performed. A diagnostic key to Zingiber spp. in south India is provided.     

Dendrobium tamenglongense sp. nov. (Orchidaceae) from Manipur,India

Dendrobium tamenglongense R. Kishor, Y. N. Devi, H. B. Sharma, J. Tongbram & S. P. Vij sp. nov. from Manipur, India is described and illustrated as a new species. The new species differs from D. jaintianum in having larger and glabrous leaves with acute apices, green sepal apices, a 1–3‐flowered inflorescence, smaller and non‐fragrant flowers and a 3‐lobed labellum with fimbriate midlobe.     

Ceropegia pullaiahii sp. nov. (Apocynaceae,Asclepiadoideae) from India

Ceropegia pullaiahii Kullayiswamy, Sandhyarani et Karuppusamy sp. nov. (Apocynaceae) is described from open dry deciduous forest of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Its tubers are eaten by the local people. It is similar to C. mahabalei Hemadri et Ansari but differs in its twining habit and 3‐flowered cyme.     

Selaginella lakkidiana sp. nov. (Selaginellaceae) from India

Selaginella lakkidiana Nisha, Nampy & Joby sp. nov. from Lakkidi, the Western Ghats of India is described and illustrated. The new species is closely allied to S. chrysorrhizos Spring, but differs by a serrate and smaller sporophyll, smooth megaspores, and reddish brown and pitted microspores.     

Berberis rawatii sp. nov. (Berberidaceae) from India

In India, 55 species of Berberis have been reported and 22 species are found in Uttarakhand state. Berberis rawatii (Berberidaceae), a new species from Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand state of India (western Himalaya) is here described and illustrated. In terms of leaf and inflorescence, Berberis rawatii shows affinities with B. cretica L. Both these species have entire leaves, fascicled inflorescences, conspicuous style and black berries, but B. rawatii differs in the presence of a petiole, the dorsal surface of leaf pruinose, presence of elongated‐ovate glands, presence of prophylls, three ovules and pruinose fruits.     

Helictotrichon uniyalii sp. nov. from Uttarakhand (India)

Helictotrichon uniyalii sp. nov. collected near Dhakuri village of Uttarakhand is described as a new species and illustrated along with its distinguishing characters from its allied species.     

Teucrium ramaswamii sp. nov. (Lamiaceae) from India

A new species of Lamiaceae, Teucrium ramaswamii M. B. Viswan. & U. Manik. is described from the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the Agastyamalai hills of the southwestern Ghats in peninsular India. It is allied to T. tomentosum Heyne ex Benth. but differs by stem, leaves and inflorescence being glandular strigose; leaves being deltoid–ovate, crenate–dentate or doubly crenate–dentate at margin, subcoriaceous, sparsely strigose above, densely strigose beneath; bracts being oblong–deltoid, ca 9.4×2.6 mm; calyx with uppermost teeth being lanceolate, ca 2.8×1.9 mm, lateral teeth being broadly triangular, lower teeth being oblong–lanceolate; corolla being glandular strigose outside below lateral lobes and ovary being glandular strigose. Using the IUCN criteria, conservation status of the species is assigned as Critically Endangered based on the field data (2000–2002). Life history studies, population ecology, genome resource banking and wild population management are recommended for conserving this species.     

Cheirostylis seidenfadeniana sp. nov. (Orchidaceae) from India

Cheirostylis seidenfadeniana is described from Kerala in India. The new species appears to be related to C. parvifolia and shares some characteristics with C. thailandica and C. montana , but differs in floral characters.     

Musa puspanjaliae sp. nov. (Musaceae) from Arunachal Pradesh,India

Musa puspanjaliae R. Gogoi & Häkkinen, a new species of Musa sect. Musa, is described and illustrated from west Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, India based on morphological characteristics observed in the field. The new species is common in Sessa, Zero Point to Ramda on Sepa road of west Kameng and Hazi Basti, Ziro of lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh. A key to M. puspanjaliae and related taxa is provided.     

Sageretia santapaui sp. nov. and S. devendrae sp. nov. (Rhamnaceae) from western Himalaya, India

Two new species of Sageretia Brongn. (Rhamnaceae), S. santapaui Pusalkar & D. K. Singh and S. devendrae Pusalkar, are described and illustrated. Both species are allied to S. thea (Osbeck) M. C. Johnst., but differs in the pubescence of young branches, leaf shape, leaf margins, stipule shape, inflorescence type, length of the inflorescence, number and arrangement of flowers, bracteole number and shape.     

Thottea sasidharaniana sp. nov. (Aristolochiaceae) from Peninsular India

Thottea sasidharaniana (Aristolochiaceae), a new species from the southern part of the Western Ghats, India is described and illustrated. The new species is phenotypically close to the Indian species T. dinghoui. However, it differs from the latter in its ovate and glossy leaves, larger bracts, uniseriate stamens, 6 anthers, short and pubescent filaments and fewer seeds per fruits. It resembles T. tomentosa in having 6 distinct anthers, but the non‐urceolate flowers and the inflorescence architecture distinguish T. sasidharaniana from T. tomentosa. The latter species is distributed from Bangladesh, India (i.e. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Manipur), Thailand, Malaysia, Java, Sumatra to the Philippines.     

Eriocaulon gopalakrishnanum sp. nov. (Eriocaulaceae) from the Western Ghats,India

Eriocaulon gopalakrishnanum K. Rashmi & G. Krishnakumar sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the low altitude monsoon vegetation in the coastal lateritic plateau of the Western Ghat region of Kerala, India. The new species is distinct in the leaves and spathe being papillose, a character not displayed by any other species from this region.     

Piper relictum sp. nov. (Piperaceae) from northern Western Ghats,India

A new species of Piper, P. relictum Lekhak, S. S. Kambale & S. R. Yadav sp. nov. is described and illustrated. It grows as a climber on the edges of high altitude lateritic plateaus in evergreen forests of the northern Western Ghats in India. The new species is similar to P. galeatum, but differs in the characters of the male inflorescence.     

Eragrostis nilgiriensis sp. nov. (Poaceae) from Nilgiri district,Tamil Nadu,India

A new species of the grass genus Eragrostis Wolf, E. nilgiriensis C. P. Vivek, G. V. S. Murthy & V. J. Nair sp. nov. from Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu, India is described and illustrated. The species is allied to E. barrelieri, but differs from it mainly by the primary panicle branches not spiculate up to base, leaves not glaucous, lemma shorter and acute and by a much smaller caryopsis. The new species is morphologically similar also to E. minor and E. nigra. A table listing differences between these species is provided.     

Micronectria agharkarii sp. nov. from India

Summary This paper gives an account of a new species ofMicronectria, M. agharkarii. collected from Mahabaleshwar, India.