Afrohybanthus indicus S. K. Kamble & Patil, 2016

KAMBLE, SUHAS KUNDLIK, FORSTER, PAUL I & PATIL, BHIMRAO JANARDAN, 2016, Afrohybanthus indicus (Violaceae): a new species from Maharashtra, India, Phytotaxa 252 (1), pp. 69-72 : 69-71

Afrohybanthus indicus S. K. Kamble & Patil sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Satara district, Karad , Sadashivgad , On the hill slopes along rock margins and in rock crevices, ca. ± 700 m, 17°18’50.99” N, 74°13’32.47” E, July 2013, Suhas Kamble s. n. (holotype, BSI! , isotype, SUK !).

Annual herbs, 8–25 cm high. Stems erect, grooved, unbranched (rarely branched), pubescent throughout, cylindrical, reddish to purple. Leaves simple, alternate, clustered at apex, chartaceous, linear to lanceolate, 7–60× 1–6 mm, pubescent, margin entire in lower few leaves, sparsely serrulate in upper leaves, cuneate at base, acute at apex, stipules triangular, pubescent, ciliate at margin, 1.5–2.2 mm long. Flowers solitary, axillary, zygomorphic; peduncle 4–9 mm, articulated with pedicel; bracts in pair, triangular, ciliate along margins, 0.5–1 mm long; pedicel pubescent, 1.5–2 mm long. Sepals 5, linearlanceolate, hyaline, 2–5 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, acuminate, bent backwards at apex, ciliate at margin. Petals 5, unequal; upper ones 2 oblong, 3–6 mm long, pale yellow, lateral ones 2 falcate, 4–9 mm long, pale yellow, lower petals enlarged into a spathulate limb with a claw, 11–20 mm long, bright orange. Stamens 5, ca. 4 mm long; filaments free; lower 2 filaments with hairy appendages ca. 1 mm long, anthers 5, connate, lower 2 of them villous, basifixed, covered with orange colored spathe like structure, others glabrous. Pistil ca. 5 mm long; stigma spathulate, stigma sub erect, ovary ovoid, glabrous; ovules 6–12. Capsules 3-angled, 4–6 mm long, 3-valved. Seeds 2–10, ovoid, 1.2–3 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, longitudinally ribbed, glabrous, pale yellow.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting from July to September.

Habitats: —On the hill slopes along rock margins and in rock crevices. Vegetation is dry and deciduous, scrub forest.

Distribution: — India, so far recorded from the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Notes: — Afrohybanthus indicus and A. Stellarioides are considerably disjunct [Indian subcontinent to Australia and southern Papua New Guinea ( Forster 1993)], though remarkably similar in general morphology. They differ in relatively minor size and shape differences of the stipules, leaves and pedicels ( Table 1 ). Afrohybanthus indicus also shows resemblance to A. Enneaspermus in its stipule. But it differs in leaf margin and pedicel as shown in Table 1 .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Afrohybanthus indicus S.K. Kamble & Patil. a. Habit, b. Flower, c. Stipule, d. Bract, e. Lateral petal, f. Upper petal, g. Stamen (upper), h. Stamen (lower), i. Carpel, j. Capsule and k. Dehisced capsule.