Geranium aedonianum Imtiyaz Hurrah & Vijay Wagh, 2021

Hurrah, Imtiyaz Ahmad & Wagh, Vijay Vishnu, 2021, Geranium aedonianum a new species of Geraniaceae from Ladakh, India, Phytotaxa 489 (3), pp. 241-251 : 243-247

Geranium aedonianum Imtiyaz Hurrah & Vijay Wagh , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2–6 ).

Type: INDIA, Ladakh , Kargil district , Suru valley, Panikhar village, 34007´184” N, 75057 ’121” E, 3252 m. 15 July, 2018. Imtiyaz A. Hurrah 303976 (holotype: LWG!) .

35–40 cm long, ascending herb, perennial. Rootstock 1–2 × 0.5–1 cm, stout, covered with marcescent stipules. Stem 1–1.5 m diameter, pubescent having dense retrose, eglandular hairs and dense glandular hairs. Stipules 4.8–8.1 × 1.75–2.3 mm, ovate-deltiod, with acuminate or caudate apex, both surfaces pubescent having strigose eglandular hairs and margins ciliate with 0.1–0.45 mm long hairs. Leaf opposite; petiole 8–15 cm long of basal leaves, 0.3–6 cm long of cauline leaves, upper ones sessile to subsessile, with 0.1–0.5 mm long retrose to spreading, straight eglandular hairs and 0.1–0.9 mm long glandular hairs; lamina 1.8–4 × 2.2–5 cm, subglobular, palmatipartite, ratio of main sinus length/middle segment length 0.60–0.75, 5 segments, obtrullate-obtriangular, middle segment width at base 2.5–4.5 mm, 3–9 lobes in distal half, ratio of 2 nd sinus length/middle segment length (0.23–0.25), acute-obtuish often blunt at ends, sericeous eglandular hairs on adaxial surface and prominently along veins but appressed on abaxial surface 0.25–0.9 mm long. Inflorescence cyme, monochasial, cymules solitary with two flowers; peduncle 3–15 cm long with 0.2–1.1 mm long eglandular hairs and pilose, 0.1–0.8 mm long, partly uncinated, eglandular hairs; pedicels 1.2–3.8 cm long with 0.2–1.1 mm long, glandular hairs and 0.1–0.85 mm long, uncinated, eglandular hairs; bracteoles 4.5–6.5 × 0.85–1.25 mm, linear-slightly lanceolate, ciliate along margins cilia ≤ 0.3 mm long, both surfaces pubescent with puburulent, eglandular hairs and sparsely glandular hairs 0.1–0.55 mm long on abaxial surface, adaxial surface with villous ≤ 0.35 mm long eglandular hairs and a few glandular hairs 0.1–0.55 mm long. Flowers actinomorphic. Sepal 7–9 × 2.5–3.5 mm, oval, mucro 0.4–1.3 mm long bearing both eglandular as well as glandular hairs and a mesh of hairs on inner side of mucro base, margins ciliate, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface pubescent with 0.1–0.5 mm long, straight, eglandular hairs and 0.1–1.1 mm long dense, glandular hairs. Petal 17–18 × 12–13 mm long, round with a slight broad dent at apex, tapering below middle half, both surfaces glabrous except base with ciliate margins and a tuft of hairs at edges on adaxial surface. Stamens 10 in 2 whorls; filaments 8–9.5 × 1–1.3 mm, lanceolate-deltoid, base dilated upto 1/3 rd of total length not abruptly but gradually tapering into narrow apex, both surfaces glabrous, margins ciliate, cilia mostly eglandular 0.2 mm long, a few scattered glandular hairs towards upper region and sparsely on narrow apex (stalkless glands); anthers 2–2.25 mm. Nectaries with a tuft of hairs at apex. Fruit 38–39.5 mm long; mericarp 4–4.3 mm long, with bristle like eglandular hairs, a few glandular hairs at apex with a transverse vein apex, rostrum 30–31.5 mm, with puberulent eglandular hairs and a few glandular hairs at lower portion; narrowed apex 8.7 mm long, glabrous; Stigmatic remains 2.5 mm long.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting in June–August.

Etymology:— We are glad to name the new species in honour of Dr. Carlos Aedo, Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC, Madrid, Spain for his valuable contribution in the field of systematic studies on Geranium .

Distribution and associated species:— Geranium aedonianum has been collected only from Panikhar village of Ladakh, India. The species occurs on hill slopes under Salix alba L. (1753: 1021). Some of the species associated with the habitat of G. aedonianum are Geranium himalayense Klotzsch (1862: 122) , Cirsium wallichii DC. (1838: 643) , Impatiens sp. (1753: 937) , Eragrostis sp. and Astragalus himalayanus Klotzsch. (1862: 160) .

Conservation status:— Geranium aedonianum is so far known only from one locality with 10–15 individuals in Panikhar village of Ladakh. On the basis of this information it is difficult to determine the conservation status of the species according to IUCN (2019) categories and criteria. Further, more information on its geographic distribution and population size is required to ascertain the exact conservation status of the new species. Therefore we propose, here a preliminary conservation status as Data Deficient (DD) Catogory.

Similar species:— The details of comparison of similar species is given in Table. 1 . Geranium aedonianum resembles more closely with G. himalayense in habit and some floral and fruit characters. The former however markedly differs in having obtrullate-obtriangular leaf segments (vs rhombic), middle segment width at base 2.5–4.5 mm (vs 2.9–9.8 mm), fewer no. of lobes 3–9 (vs 8–19), longer pedicels 12–38 (vs 02– 21 mm long), staminal filaments whitish, base dilated smoothly tapering towards apex, glandular hairs on margins that become stalkless at apex (vs staminal filaments purplish, base broad abruptly narrowing towards apex, margins without glandular hairs), longer fruit 38–40 mm (vs 27–30 mm long).

G. aedonianum is also similar to Geranium collinum Stephan ex Willd. (1800: 705) , both having horizontal rootstock, same no. of leaf lobes and absence of glandular hairs on leaf surface. However, it is sharply distinct from G. collinum in having shallow main sinus (vs deep main sinus), segments obtrullate-obtriangular (vs rhombic), petals light blue (vs pinkish), cilia along the margins of staminal filaments short ca. 0.2 mm vs (0.1–0.6 mm long), smaller anthers 2–2.2 (vs 0.9–3.4 mm long), longer narrowed apex ca. 8.7 (vs 2.8 –4.5 mm long).

G. aedonianum shows affinity with Geranium strictipes R. Knuth (1912: 581) in leaf shape but some clear differences can be noticed in, horizontal rootstock (vs vertical), glandular hairs on leaf absent (vs present), eglandular hairs on stem, petiole and pedicel not more than 1 mm long (vs 0.2–1.9 mm long), longer petals 17–18 mm (vs 12–15 mm long), staminal filaments abaxially glabrous (vs pilose), mericarp smooth with basal callus (vs reticulate without basal callus). Geographically G. aedonianum grows at loamy foot hills of cold and dry Himalayan Mountains of Ladakh whereas G. strictipes occurs in subalpine to alpine meadows.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A. Habit of Geranium aedonianum

FIGURE 3. A. Habit illustration; B. Fruit illustration of Geranium aedonianum.

FIGURE 4. A. Stipule; B. Bracteoles; C. Nectaries; D. Sepal upper half; E. Sepal lower half; F. Petal; G. Staminal filament; H. Anthers; I. Fruit of Geranium aedonianum

FIGURE 5. A. Sepal; B. Bracteoles; C. Mericarp; D. Petal; E. Stipule; F. Staminal filaments; G. Fruit illustration of Geranium aedonianum

FIGURE 6. A. Pedicel hairs; B. Peduncle hairs; C. Petal base hairs; D. Sepal hairs; E. Stem hairs; F. Bracteoles hairs; G. Petal notch; H. Mericarp; I. Staminal filament hairs of Geranium aedonianum