Alternanthera kanhae A.G.Vanzara, I. Katara & P.S. Nagar, 2021

Vanzara, Akash G., Katara, Ilesh & Nagar, Padamnabhi S., 2021, Alternanthera kanhae (Amaranthaceae), a new species from Sabarmati Estuary of India, Phytotaxa 500 (1), pp. 21-28 : 25-26

Alternanthera kanhae A.G.Vanzara, I. Katara & P.S. Nagar sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Type:— India, Gujarat, Anand district. Mota Kalodara, Sabarmati estuary, 22°36’1.50”N 72°29’32.30”E, alt ca. 9.144 m, 12 January 2018, A.Vanzara BARO –2016. (holotype: BARO –2016 Accession no. AN30720; AN30721, AN30722) .

Diagnosis:— Alternanthera kanhae is similar to A. pungens but differs by its prostrate habit, densely villous stem, densely villous subsessile blades, ovate bracts and bracteoles, not spinose tipped tepals and obcordate ovary. Our observation was further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis in which A. kanhae showed clear distinction with that of sister clades (associated species) with 72% bootstrap support ( Fig.4 ).

Description:― Perennial herbs, plant prostrate, greenish – white, with slender dark brown tap root, 3 – 5 mm diam. Stem, 1 – 2 mm diam., much branched, apical part quadrangular, basal part cylindric, green–pinkish red at maturity, densely villous at apex and nodes, hairs barbed 1 – 2 × 0.03 – 0.05 mm. Leaves 9 – 15 × 3 – 4 mm, spatulate, apex acute, margins entire, base attenuate; light–dark green, densely villous on both surfaces; midrib raised on abaxial surface. Spike, axillary, globular or slightly ovoid, 6 – 7 × 4 – 5 mm diam., with 16 – 24 flowers; peduncle ± sessile. Flower 2 – 4 × 1–3 mm, rachis with sparse villous hairs; pedicel ± sessile ca. 0.2 mm long. Bract single 1 – 2 × 0.4–0.7 mm, shortly acumiate, creamy white, glabrous, membranous; bracteoles 2, 0.7 – 0.9 × 0.1 – 0.3 mm, ovate, mucronate, creamy, glabrous, membranous. Perianth segments 2 – 3 × 0.7 – 0.9 mm, ovate, apex shortly acuminate, creamy, glabrous, membranous. Stamens 5, dorsifixed; anthers 0.12 – 0.14 × 0.16 – 0.18 mm, yellow; filament 0.6 – 0.8 × 0.03 – 0.05 mm, 1/ 2 in length of ovary, translucent; staminodes 5, 0.1 – 0.2 mm, shorter than filaments. Ovary 0.8 – 2 × 0.6 – 2 mm, apex obcordate, base cuneate, green, scatteredly pubescent, compressed. Style 0.1–0.3 × 0.7 – 0.8 mm long, glabrous; stigma bilobed, 0.7 – 0.9 × 0.16 – 0.18 mm, sticky, brown. Fruit indehiscent utricle, 0.6 – 0.8 × 0.7 – 0.9 mm, broadly obvoid, apex obcordate, base cuneate, cream to pale green, and usually flushed pink, compressed, surface colliculate. Seeds 0.7 – 0.8 mm long, smooth, compressed, broadly obvate, apex rounded, brown, glabrous.

Distribution:― Alternanthera kanhae could be collected from only one location, Sabarmati estuary, Mota Kalodara, Anand district.

Habitat:― Alternanthera kanhae was collected from the sandy beach of Sabarmati estuary.The associated species are Phyla nodiflora ( Linnaeus 1753: 20) Greene (1899: 46) , Glinus oppositifolius ( Linnaeus 1753: 89) A. DC. (1901: 559) , Ammannia baccifera Linnaeus (1753: 120) , Glinus lotoides Linnaeus (1753: 463–464) , Amaranthus spinosus Linnaeus (1753: 991) , Cyperu srotundus Linnaeus (1753: 45), Cynodon dactylon ( Linnaeus 1753: 58) Persoon (1805: 85) and Rumex dentatus Linnaeus (1753: 226) .

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting all across the year.

Etymology:— The new species is named after the almighty Lord Krishna, who is endearingly called Kanha.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Alternanthera kanhae sp. nov. A Habit, B Abaxial surface of branch, C Inflorescence with branch, D A flowering twig, E Leaf F&G Inflorescence, H&I Open flower, J Bract, K Bracteoles, L Stamen, M Staminodes and N Ovary. (Photographs by Akash G. Vanzara).

FIGURE 2. Alternanthera kanhae sp. nov. A Habit, B Root, C Adaxial surface, D Abaxial surface E Twig showing hairs.(Photographs by Akash G. Vanzara and Ilesh K. Katara).

FIGURE 4. Maximum- likelihood tree showing relationship of A. kanhae sp. nov.with related species using concatenated rbcL, trnL-F, and psbA-trnH data. Numbers on the nodes indicate bootstrap percentages (BP).