Murdannia triquetra var. ahuchawlense Kangkan Pagag & Sashin Kumar Borthakur, 2021

Pagag, Kangkan & Borthakur, Sashin Kumar, 2021, Murdannia triquetra var. ahuchawlense, a new variety of Murdannia triquetra from North Lakhimpur, Assam, Phytotaxa 525 (2), pp. 163-166 : 163-164

Murdannia triquetra var. ahuchawlense Kangkan Pagag & Sashin Kumar Borthakur , var. nov.

Type: India. Assam, Ahuchawl Gaon, North Lakhimpur , 12.6.2013, K. Pagag 373, (Holotype: CAL!); Paratypes: Ahuchawl Gaon, North Lakhimpur , 12.6.2013, K. Pagag 374, Ahuchawl Gaon, North Lakhimpur , 12.6.2013, K. Pagag 375, ( CAL!) . Figure & Photograph.

Description: —Herbs, perennial. Roots fibrous. Rhizomes horizontal, elongated. Stem ascending, green, slender, branched, up to 30 cm long, rooting from the nodes, internodes c. 1.5–2.5 cm long, ribbed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Leaves sessile, leaf sheaths with a line of few hairs on one side, 0.8–1 cm long; leaf blade spreading or slightly folding, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1.5–3 cm × 4–8 mm, apex acuminate, base sessile, amplexicaule, 1 terminal leaf, tip acuminate, parallel veined, 5–6 lateral veins. Inflorescence axis 1 cm long. Inflorescence terminal or axillary. Cincinni dichotomous, 0.9–1.1 cm long, arise terminally or from the axil of the leaves, 1–2 flowers or 1 flower per cincinni. Cincinni bract 2, 0.5 cm long, glabrous, 1 on axil and other in base of cincinni, 3 mm long. Sepals 3, green, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous, apex hairy, hairs white, 5–6 mm long. Petals 3, lilac to lavender or pink, orbicular, 6–7 mm. Fertile stamens 3, blue, antisepalous, white bearded, filaments white, anthers elliptic. Staminodes 3, antipetalous, 1.5 mm; antherodes bilobed, white, filament light purple, 1.2 mm. Ovary globose or ovate-obovate, 2 mm long, pale green, style c. 1 mm long, style shorter than ovary, stigma papillate. Capsule ovoid-elliptic, c. 6× 2 mm, base white acute. Seeds brown elliptic.

Flowering-Fruiting: —June-July

Distribution & Habitat: —Ahuchawl Gaon, North Lakhimpur, Assam, India & marshy places in paddy field.

Etymology: — Murdannia triquetra var. ahuchawlense is named after the type locality Ahuchawl Gaon, North Lakhimpur, Assam, India.

Conservation status: —The only known habitat of Murdannia triquetra var. ahuchawlense in India is Ahuchawl Gaon of North Lakhimpur, Assam, which is now increasingly facing human urbanization as severe threat. The variety is rare in the locality.

Other specimens examined: — India, Arunachal Pradesh, near Hapoli , 1.10.1959, G. Panigrahi, s.n., s.n., (accession no. 2200, 2199; ASSAM) . China, Prov. Hupeh, Dr. Aug. Henry’s collections, 2757, 1885-1888 ( CNH) .