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.     

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.     

Pternopetalum arunachalense sp. nov. (Apiaceae) from India

Pternopetalum arunachalense M. Bhaumik & P. Satyanar. is a new species from Arunachal Pradesh in India and is described and illustrated here. This new species is similar to P. trichomanifolium (Franch.) Hand.‐Mazz. by highly dissected, ternate 2–4‐pinnate leaves, ultimate segments linear and erect elongate styles but differs by generally smaller habit and scabrid mericarps with 1–2 vittae in each furrow and commissure.     

Sida pradeepiana sp. nov. (Malvaceae) from India

The new species Sida pradeepiana is described from the Idukki district of Kerala state, India. It resembles S. alnifolia and S. rhomboidea, but differs by its concolorous‐rhomboid leaves, unarticulated pedicels, mericarp apex beaked with a single muticous process and stellate pubescent mericarps and hilum of the seeds.     

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.     

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.     

Rotala pseudojuniperina sp. nov. (Lythraceae) from India

A new species, Rotala pseudojuniperina, is described and illustrated. It grows in a seasonal pond on a high altitude lateritic plateau ecosystem of the northern Western Ghats, India. It resembles the African species R. juniperina in having trimerous flowers, but differs in longer sepal appendages, ovoid capsule and ellipsoid seeds. Amongst the Indian species, R. pseudojuniperina shows affinities towards R. densiflora but differs in trimerous flowers, ovoid capsule and longer and ellipsoid seeds.     

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.     

Picrorhiza tungnathii sp. nov. from western Himalaya,India

The new species Picrorhiza tungnathii Pusalkar is described and illustrated from the western Himalaya, India. It is distinguished from the allied P. kurrooa Royle ex Benth. by being 10–25 cm tall, having a moderately dense, (10–)15–25‐flowered spike, a zygomorphic, 2‐lipped, glandular‐ciliate corolla that is equaling or slightly exceeding the calyx and partly visible or sub‐exserted between the calyx lobes, a conspicuously long (longer than the corolla lobes), curved corolla tube (1/2–4/5 the length of the calyx), unequal corolla lobes that are ovate‐lanceolate to lanceolate, acute to sub‐acuminate and moderately ciliate, a mid‐lobe of the upper lip that is obliquely erect, galeate with retuse or emarginate apex, lateral corolla lobes that are slightly smaller than the mid‐lobe of the upper lip, a lower corolla lip that is slightly shorter than the lateral lobes, obliquely erect or spreading, didynamous, long‐exserted (2–3 times the corolla) stamens, pollen of the Paederota‐type and a style that is 2–3 times as long as the corolla.     

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.     

Enigmocarpon sahnii sp. nov. from the Mohgaonkalan beds of India

A new species of Enigmocarpon, E. sahnii is described in this paper. It is an eight-locular petrified dicotyledonous, loculicidal capsule from the Mohgaonkalan (Danian, uppermost Cretaceous) beds of the Deccan Intertrappean Series of India. The fruit is small, globular, with six to eight seeds horizontally packed back to back in alternating rows in each locule and showing stalked glandular outgrowths on the septae and the inner wall of the fruit. The placenta, raphe and the fruit wall are spongy.