Schizotechium devendrae (Pusalkar & S.K. Srivast.) Pusalkar & S.K. Srivast., 2016

Pusalkar, Prashant K. & Srivastava, S. K., 2016, The genus Schizotechium (Caryophyllaceae) resurrected, Phytotaxa 252 (1), pp. 81-84 : 82

Schizotechium devendrae (Pusalkar & S.K. Srivast.) Pusalkar & S.K. Srivast. , comb. nov.

Bas.: Stellaria devendrae Pusalkar & S.K. Srivastava (2015: 385) .

Type:— INDIA: Western Himalaya, Uttarakhand state, Garhwal Division , Rudraprayag district , Phata-Trijuginarayan , 2000 m, 23.09.1958, M. A. Rau 6499 (holotype, BSD; isotypes, BSD, CAL) .

Description:—Perennial, sub-scandent, to 0.6 m high; roots tuberous, fusiform, thick; rootstock usually with a crown of scales; stem simple or branched, 4-angled, glossy, glabrous or with lines of jointed cilia; basal nodes sometimes with few fibrous roots. Leaves opposite, all or lower and median sub-sessile, uppermost (bracteate) sometimes sessile; petiole and nodes moderately ciliate; stem base and lower nodes with scale-like blade-less leaves, followed by 1–2 nodes with obovate leaves (1.5–10 × 0.8–4.3 cm); all other or at least median cauline leaves larger, oblanceolate, elliptic-oblanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate; upper-most (bracteate) narrowly oblanceolate or lanceolate, 10–15 × 2.5–4.5 cm, base rounded, usually sub-auricled, not amplexicaul, sometimes cuneate, margins entire, crisped-wavy or flat, apex shortly acuminate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple or glandular-cilia, mainly on veins, dark green above, pale beneath. Flowers white, 5-merous, 6–8 mm long, as across, in few- to many-flowered panicle of terminal and axillary panicles or cymes; peduncles simple, not divaricately branched, glandular-ciliate; bracteoles linear-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2–4 mm, acute to acuminate, glandular-ciliate along margins and on midvein; pedicels slender, erect to spreading, to 1 cm, glandular-ciliate. Sepals narrowly lanceolate, 4–7 × 1.0– 2.5 mm, acuminate, outer surface glandular-ciliate, prominently so in basal part, densely so on midvein, sometimes glabrous in distal part except midvein; margins narrowly membranous, with or without glandular-cilia. Petals obovate-cuneate with narrowed base, 2-lobed for more than 1/2 or up to 4/5 the lamina; lobes ovate or lanceolate, sub-acute to obtuse. Disc 5-lobed with prominent oblong or sub-orbicular nectar glands at the base of alterni-petalous (opposite-sepalous) filaments. Stamens 10, 3.5–6.5 mm long; filaments 3.2–7 mm, gradually narrowed upwards, not fused at base; anthers oblong to orbicular-oblong, 0.4–0.7 mm long. Styles 3, linear, 2.5–6 mm. Capsule half as long as the sepals, 6-toothed; seed 1, sub-orbicular, 1.5–2.8 mm, blackish, flattened, inconspicuously reticulate, rugulose or not, pappilate or not.

Distribution:— India (Western Himalaya: Uttarakhand).