Strobilanthes jomyi P. Biju, Josekutty, Rekha & J. R. I Wood, 2017

Biju, Punnakot, Josekutty, Elayanithottathil Joseph, Rekha, Damodaran & Wood, John R. I., 2017, Strobilanthes jomyi (Acanthaceae), a remarkable new species from South India, Phytotaxa 332 (1), pp. 75-80 : 75-79

Strobilanthes jomyi P. Biju, Josekutty, Rekha & J. R. I Wood , sp. nov. (Figs. 1,2 & 3)

Type:— India. Kerala: Kasaragod District, Pandy lateritic plateau, 12°55'18.9"N, 075°16'33.4"E, 105 m, 28 September 2016, Biju 2675 (holotype CAL!; isotype MH!) .

Diagnosis:—The new species is most similar to Strobilanthes ixiocephala Benth. in Hohenacker (1849: 557), but differs in its 4-seeded (not 2-seeded) capsule with entirely pubescent seeds (not with a large glabrous areole), and exerted (not included) stamens. It also resembles Strobilanthes ciliata Nees von Esenbeck (1832: 85) , but differs in its pubescent (not glabrous) ovary and apically glandular-pubescent (not glabrous) capsule, pubescent (not glabrous) seeds and spheroidal, echinulate (not elipsoidal, bireticulate) pollen.

Large anisophyllous shrub up to 5 m high; stem up to 10 cm wide, sub-tetragonal, sulcate, glabrous; nodes swollen, jointed, oblique supporting roots arising from near the base. Leaves in unequal pairs; lamina 8–13 × 4.5–7 cm, ovate-elliptic, apex acuminate, margins distantly crenate, multi-cellular ciliate, base oblique, attenuate onto the petiole, adaxially dark green, sparsely hispid, abaxially paler, densely lineolate with elongate cystoliths and sparsely hispid along the veins, lateral nerves 6–8, sub-opposite, parallel, prominent on both surfaces; petiole 2–7 cm long, purplish-green, shallowly grooved above, hispid, ribbed on the sides. Inflorescence of 1–4 branched axillary spikes pendulous at anthesis but becoming erect in fruit, spikes 5–15-flowered, 1.5–4 × 0.6–1 cm; peduncle 6–9 mm, puberulous, becoming villous in fruit; lower sterile bracts 5–15 × 2.5–5 mm, unequal, ovate, apex obtuse, base cuneate, margin crenulate, bristly-hairy with a prominent midrib, adaxially green, abaxially purplish-green; fertile bracts ovate-elliptic, 8–12 × 6–7 mm, obtuse, margin entire and densely ciliate, in fruit becoming densely hairy with glandular and non-glandular hairs, deep purple; bracteoles 2, 3.5–6 × 0.8–1mm, oblanceolate, obtuse, ciliate, deep purple, midrib prominent; calyx sub-equally 5-lobed to 2 mm above base, lobes 6–8 × 2.5–3 mm, elliptic, subacute, entire, ciliate, white; corolla 14–16 mm long, glabrous except inside around the staminal sheath, tubular for 7–8 mm, becoming ventricose above, bluish with white basal tube, lobes subequal to unequal, 3–4 × 3.5–5 mm, ovate-orbicular, obtuse, glabrous, pale blue; stamens 4, didynamous, all 4 exserted; filamentswhite,glabrous, inserted near the base of the ventricose portion, longer filaments 9–10 mm long, shorter filaments 4–5 mm long; anthers oblong, muticous, 1–2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, cream; pollen spheroidal, ca. 50μm, apparently 3-aperturate, exine spiny with regularly spaced short spines c. 3 μm long; ovary 1.2–1.5 × 0.8–1 mm, elliptic-oblong, glandular hairy at apex, white; ovules 4; disc prominent, cylindrical, yellowish green, 1 × 0.8 mm, glabrous; style 2.2–2.5 cm, thinly hispid, white; stigma simple. Capsule 12–15 × 3–4 mm, elliptic-oblanceolate,glabrous, a few glandular hairs present at apex; seeds 4, ovoid, compressed, 1.8–2.2× 1.7–1.9 mm, pubescent with mucilagineous hairs.

Affinities: —The new species is distinct in its floral, seed and pollen characters. The tricolporate, spheroidal echinulate pollen strongly suggests a relationship with species placed by Bremekamp in Didyplosandra Wight ex Bremekamp (1944: 177) , Pseudostenosiphonium Lindau (1893: 52) and Thelepaepale Bremekamp (1944: 187) , the pollen of Strobilanthes jomyi being especially similar to that of Strobilanthes rhamnifolia ( Nees von Esenbeck 1847: 725) Anderson (1860: 226) illustrated by Scotland & Carine (1998: 154). However, it is distinguished from species placed in Pseudostenosiphonium by the presence of four fertile exserted stamens and from those placed in the other two genera by the seeds, which are almost completely pubescent with mucilagineus hairs. Species placed in the first two of these genera are, in any case, mostly Sri Lankan ( Wood 1998). The new species is perhaps most similar to Strobilanthes ixiocephala , placed by Bremekamp in Thelepaepale , but differs in its its inflorescence pendulous (not erect), stamens exserted (not included), style thinly hispid (not glabrous style), capsule 4-seeded (not 2-seeded) and seeds entirely pubescent (not glabrous). It also bears a superficial resemblance to Strobilanthes ciliata in the form of its inflorescence and exserted stamens and style, but differs in its leaves ovate-elliptic (not elliptic) with crenate (not serrate) margin, bracts and bracteoles hairy (not glabrous), pollen spheroidal, echinulate (ellipsoidal ribbed) ovary glandular-pubescent (glabrous), capsule gland-tipped (not glabrous) and seeds pubescent (not glabrous).

Etymology: —The new species is named after Dr. Jomy Augustine, Professor of Systematic Botany, St. Thomas College Pala, Kerala, India, who has been studying Strobilanthes for the past 30 years.

Phenology: —It was found in flower from September to December and in fruit from October to January, flowering and fruiting taking place almost simultaneously.

Additional specimen examined (paratype): — India. Kerala: Kasaragod District, Periya lateritic plateau, 12°39'57.1"N, 75°09'19.7"E, alt. 73 m., 20 October 2016, Biju 2716 (STCH!).

Distribution: — Strobilanthes jomyi has been collected in Pandy and Periya, two midland lateritic plateaus in Kasaragod District, Kerala, India. In the type locality (Pandy), the new species covers an extensive area with a very good population size. In Periya, it grows amongst scattered bushes on the plateau and the population is quite small.

IUCN conservation status:—The new species has so far been reported only from two localities, so further studies are needed to the assess its distribution and conservation status. As per the currently available data the species should be assigned to the category ‘Data Deficient’ (DD) of IUCN (2012).