Sida keralensis E.S.S.Kumar, Shailaja, Sreekala, Parthipan & R.Prakashkumar, 2021

Kumar, Ettickal Sukumaran Santhosh, Shailajakumari, Sreedharan, Sreekala, Appukuttan Kamalabhai, Bagavathi, Parthipan & Prakashkumar, Raveendranpillai, 2021, Sida keralensis (Malvaceae): a new species from Kerala, India, Phytotaxa 508 (3), pp. 289-294 : 290

Sida keralensis E.S.S.Kumar, Shailaja, Sreekala, Parthipan & R.Prakashkumar sp. nov. (Fig.1.)

Diagnosis:— Sida keralensis is closely similar to S. scabrida Wight & Arnott (1834:57) , but clearly distinct by being the undershrubs with 40-60 cm high, adpressed stellate hairy stem (vs. subshrubs with 150-200 cm high with minute stellate hairs intermingled with scattered long hairs), discolorous ovate or narrowly ovate to elliptic-ovate leaves with rounded-subcordate base, acute apex and crenate-serrate margins from the base (vs. concolorous rhomboid or oblonglanceolate leaves with truncate base, acuminate apex, crenate-serrate margins distally and entire towards the base), linear-lanceolate to slightly falcate stipules with a strong median nerve from the base (vs. subulate or filiform stipules without a median nerve), floral pedicels 0.4–0.5 cm long and are more or less equal to the stipules (vs. floral pedicels 0.8–1.0 cm long and are usually much longer than the stipules) and the distinctly shorter fruiting pedicels (vs. much elongated fruiting pedicels). See Table 1 for further details.