Veronica polita Fr., Novit. Fl. Svec.

R., Gulzar, A. A., Khuroo, T., Hassan & Rashid, I., 2022, Veronica polita subsp. lilacina (Plantaginaceae), a new plant record for India from Kashmir Himalaya, Rheedea 32 (1), pp. 101-105 : 102

Veronica polita Fr., Novit. Fl. Svec. 1. 1828. subsp. lilacina (T.Yamaz.) T.Yamaz. in K. Iwats., T. Yamaz., Boufford & H. Ohba., Fl. Jap. 3a: 354. 1993. Type: JAPAN, Tokoyo , Honshu , Yokohama, K. Hisauchi 572 (holo TI [ TI00080033 digital image!]). Fig. 1

Annual herbs, forming dense mats on the ground. Stems prostrate to ascending, up to 15 cm long. Lower leaves petiolate and opposite; upper leaves near the terminal flower sessile and alternate; leaf blade 5–7-lobed, ovate to orbicular, 6–7 × 4–5 mm, sparsely pubescent to glabrous on the adaxial surface and densely pubescent on abaxial surface. Flowers solitary, terminal and axillary. Pedicels 5–6 mm long. Sepals 4, herbaceous, 3–4 × 1.8– 2.0 mm, ovate with overlapping base. Petals 4, whitish-pink, 1.5–2.2 × 1.6–2.2 mm, each with 5–10 rose-purple lines towards the base. Stamens 2; filaments 1.2–1.5 mm long; anthers up to 0.8 mm long. Carpel single, ovary hairy, 0.4–0.6 × 0.5–0.7 mm in size; style c. 1 mm long; stigma capitate. Capsule reniform, 2.0–2.5 × 3.0– 3.5 mm with a narrow sinus, surface puberulent consisting of long glandular and short eglandular hairs. Seeds ovate, c. 1.2 × 1.1 mm, transversely rugose on the dorsal side and deeply excavated on the ventral side.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from April to May and fruiting from May to June.

Habitat: Grows in open sunny habitats, wastelands, gardens and parks; associated species include: Bellis perennis L. and Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg. (both Asteraceae ), Medicago polymorpha L. and Trifolium dubium Sibth. (both Fabaceae ), Veronica persica Poir. ( Plantaginaceae ), Lolium temulentum L. and Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (both Poaceae ).

Distribution: The plant has been reported to occur in Korea, Japan mainlands and Nansei-shoto (POWO, 2021), and now recorded from the Kashmir Himalaya in India.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Jammu and Kashmir, University of Kashmir Campus Srinagar , 20.04.2021, Ruquia Gulzar & Anzar A. Khuroo 45833 ( KASH) ; Sopore, Baramulla , 05.05.2021, Ruquia Gulzar & Anzar A. Khuroo 45834 ( KASH) ; Wachi, Shopian 30.05.2021, Ruquia Gulzar & Anzar A. Khuroo 45835 ( KASH) .

Notes: The present study reports V. polita subsp. lilacina as a new record for India from the Kashmir Himalaya. The taxon was originally described as a variety of another species: V. didyma var. lilacina (Yamazaki, 1957) . Veronica didyma is now regarded as a synonym of V. polita (POWO, 2021) . Yamazaki (1993) raised the variety to subspecies level: V. polita subsp. lilacina ( Iwatsuki et al., 1993; POWO, 2021). During the present study, the taxon was primarily determined based on the examination of freshly collected specimens from the Kashmir Himalaya ( Ruquia Gulzar & Anzar A. Khuroo 45833, 45834, 45835 KASH) and their comparison with the diagnostic characters provided in the protologue of V. polita subsp. lilacina ( Iwatsuki et al., 1993) . Our specimens were distinct from V. polita subsp. polita and clearly resembled the protologue of V. polita subsp. lilacina in characters, such as stem length, pedicel length, corolla colour and seed shape ( Table 1).

Figures

Fig. 1. VeroniCa Polita SubSP. lilaCina (T.YamaZ.) T.YamaZ. a. Habit; b. BranCH SHoWing arrangement of leaVeS, infloreSCenCe and infruCteSCenCe; c. PediCel; d. AdaXial leaf SurfaCe; e. AbaXial leaf SurfaCe;f. OPen floWer WitH roSe-PurPle lineS on PetalS; g. AbaXial VieW of HerbaCeouS and Hairy CalyX;h. Corolla WitH tWo fertile StamenS; i. PiStil WitH oVary, Style and Stigma;j. Fruit; k. Ventral VieW of Seed; L. DorSal VieW of Seed (1a-1l from Ruquia GulZar & AnZar A. KHuroo 45833).