Curculigo konkanensis Chandore, Mane & Borude, 2023

Borude, Devidas Bhausaheb, Tamboli, Asif Shabodin, Bhalekar, Paresh Pandharinath, Mane, Rohit Nivas, Choo, Yeon-Sik, Pak, Jae Hong & Chandore, Arun Nivrutti, 2023, Curculigo konkanensis (Hypoxidaceae), a new species from the lateritic plateaus of Konkan region of Western Ghats based on morphological and molecular evidence, Phytotaxa 587 (1), pp. 1-11 : 7-8

Curculigo konkanensis Chandore, Mane & Borude , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 & 3 )

Type:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Sindhudurg District, Devgad tehsil , Kunkeshwar Village 16°20’20.9’’N, 73°23’17.8’’E, 03 August 2018, A.N. Chandore 1892 (holotype CAL!; isotypes BSI!, K!, SUK!) .

Diagnosis:— Curculigo konkanensis is closely related to C. brevifolia but differ having in height 30–50 cm long (vs. 20–30 cm long), rootstock 10–40 cm long (vs. 4.0–7.0 cm long), leaves 18–40 × 2.0–3.0 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, strait (vs. 15–25 × 1.0–2.0 cm, linearlanceolate, falcate), bulbils absent (vs. present), bract 3.0–5.0 cm long, elliptic-lanceolate (vs. 2.0–3.0 cm long, linear-lanceolate), capsules sharply beaked, covered with silky stellate hairs (vs. beaked, glabrous), seed 6–10, globose to ovoid, beak knob short, slightly curved inside (4–6, ovate to ellipsoid, beak knob long, curved inside). Other differences between Curculigo konkanensis and C. brevifolia and C. orchioides are listed in Table 1 .

Perennial, acaulescent, erect, 30–50 cm long, geophytic herbs; rootstocks thick, vertical, 10–30 cm long, rarely branched, crowned with persistent black-fibrous remnant of former leaves, fleshy contractile roots at basal region. Leaves 3–6, radical, 18–40 × 2.5–3.0 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, acute to acuminate at apex, base ending into pseudo petiole, glabrescent at above, prominently nerved sparsely simple stellate hairy on nerves, entire at margins; pseudopetioles distinct, canaliculate, 5.0–15 × 0.3–0.6 cm, pale green to white, sheathing. Flowers 3–5, yellow, polygamous (lower hermaphrodite and upper male), distichous, subsessile, arising from leaf axils in elongated, racemes or sometimes solitary; peduncles 1.8–2.5 cm long, whitish, fleshy, sparsely long hairy. Bracts persistent, scarious, 3.0–5.0 cm long, elliptic-lanceolate, keeled, base whitish, membranous covered with unbranched silky hairs, acute to acuminate at apex. Perianth fused into elongated tube; perianth tube white, 4.5–6.0 cm long slender, terete, covered with white silky hairs. Tepals 3 + 3, bright yellow, unequal, 7.0–8.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm, persistent, ovate to lanceolate, tapering towards base, obtuse at apex, glabrous above, whitish yellow beneath covered with stellate hairs at bellow. Male flowers: perianth tube 4.5–5.5 cm long; stamens 3 + 3, yellow, uniseriate, opposite to perianth lobes; filaments glabrous, 1.8–2.2 mm long, arising from the base of perianth lobes, glabrous; anthers yellow, 3.0–4.0 × 0.3–0.5 mm, sagittate, basifixed, lobes unequal, opening by longitudinal slits along margins. Bisexual flowers: perianth tube 2.5–4.5 cm long, terete; stamens 3 + 3, uniseriate, perigynous; filaments 1.8–2.2 mm long, glabrous, adnate at base of perianth lobes; anthers yellow, 3.0–3.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm, basifixed, sagittate, dehisces through vertical slits along margins; ovary inferior, trilocular, villous, prolonged into epigynous beak; ovules 3–6 in each locule; style yellowish, terete, 1.2–1.5 mm long, glabrous, fleshy, compressed at middle; stigmas erect, 3.0– 3.5 mm long, usually compressed with basally broadened furrows, ridge papillate. Capsule dehiscent, sharply beaked, fleshy, 1.0–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 cm, oblong-clavate, enclosed in the old leaf sheath, covered with dense silky stellate hairs; beak 2.5–3.0 mm long persistent. Seeds 6–10, 2.3–2.5 × 2.2–2.4 mm, globose-ovoid, black; seed coat black, shiny with irregular striations; beak glabrous, knob-like, 1.3–1.5 mm long, slightly curved inside; eliosome white, spongy.

Habitat:— Curculigo konkanensis grows on lateritic plateaus under bushes in association with associate Euphorbia concanensis Janarth. & S.R.Yadav (1995: 150) , Flemingia tuberosa Dalzell (1850: 34) , Geissaspis cristata Wight & Arn. (1834: 218) , Ischaemum sp. Themeda sp.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting from June to September.

Distribution:— The new species is found on lateritic plateaus under bushes at Kunkeshwar and Devgad of Sindhudurg district and Dapoli, Dhatondi, Katradevi and Sagave Village of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra State.

Etymology:— The specific epithet is given ‘ konkanensis’ after the geographical region, i.e. Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Additional specimens examined (Paratypes):— INDIA, Maharashtra, Sindhudurg District, Devgad tehsil, Kunkeshwar , 03 August 2018, R. N . Mane 450 ( SUK!); Ratnagiri District, Rajapur , Sagave , 25 August 2019, A. N . Chandore 1933 ( SUK!); Ratnagiri District, Rajapur , Padave , 26 June 2021, A. N . Chandore 2030 ( SUK!); D. B . Borude 525 ( SUK!); Ratnagiri District, Dapoli , Dhatondi village , 27 July 2022, A. N . Chandore 2661 ( SUK!); D. B . Borude 844 ( SUK!); Ratnagiri District, Katradevi , 29 July 2022, A. N . Chandore 2660 ( SUK!); D. B . Borude 853 ( SUK!) .

Note:— Gaikwad, et al. (2019) and Gholave, et al. (2021) provided the Key to the Indian species of Curculigo based on berry and capsule types of fruits but we never observed berry type of fruits in Indian Curculigo .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Curculigo konkanensis Chandore, Mane & Borude, sp. nov., A. Habitat; B. Plant with rhizome; C & D. Leaves with flowers.

FIGURE 2. Curculigo konkanensis Chandore, Mane & Borude, sp. nov., A. Inflorescence; B. Floral bract; C. Inflorescence with flower and fruit; D. Flower bud; E & F. Flowers; G. Stamens; H. Pistil; I. Capsule; J. Dehisced capsule; K. Seeds.

FIGURE 3. Curculigo konkanensis Chandore, Mane & Borude, sp. nov., A. Habit; B. Metaphase (Scale bar =10 µm); C. Karyogram (Scale bar =5 µm).