Polycarpaea borae A.N.Chaudhari, Patil & S.Arya, 2025

Chaudhari, Ashok Namdev, Patil, Manoj Tukaram & Arya, Sindhu, 2025, Polycarpaea borae (Caryophyllaceae) A new species from Maharashtra, India, Phytotaxa 689 (1), pp. 153-157 : 154-156

Polycarpaea borae A.N.Chaudhari, Patil & S.Arya sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 ).

Type:— INDIA, Maharashtra, Ahmednagar District, Parner tehsil, Ralegansiddhi (18°53’ 12.7930’’ N, 74°24’ 41.6010’’ E), 500 m elevation, 24 September 2023, Chaudhari & Shinde ANC 01 (holotype BSI!, isotype UCBD!)

Diagnosis ( Table 1):— Polycarpaea borae is similar to Polycarpaea corymbosa ( Linnaeus 1753: 205) Lamarck (1797: 129) , but distinct in having leaves (lanceolate vs. oblong), stipules (oblong, parted into three vs. lanceolate), bracts (oblong, equal to sepals, parted into two vs. lanceolate-ovate, shorter than sepals) bracteole (absent vs. present), filament inconspicuous vs. prominent), ovary (spheroid, pubescent vs. ovoid), seeds (yellow to brown with striation vs. brown).

Description (macromorphology):— Annual erect herbs, branched at base, 5–10 cm high; Stem terete, villous, nodes green, swollen, internodes c. 1–3 cm long; Leaves whorled or verticillate, sessile, linear, green, 1–3 cm long, base attenuate, margins smooth, apex acute, surface glabrous, blade 2-veined; stipules prominent, oblong, parted into 3 (2 equal barbellate acicular apex), central part has a long acicular structure ca. 2 mm long; Inflorescence terminal, irregular branched dense cyme, ca. 1.0 cm long; Flowers 2–3 mm long; Bracts ovate with acicular apex, apex split into two till mid region. Bracteoles absent; pedicels 1–2 mm long, green, villous. Sepals 5, 2.2–2.3 mm, Dimorphic, 3 ovate-lanceolate with fimbriate or acute apex and 2 lanceolate with acute apex, white, membranous; Petals 5, reddish brown in color, ovate, margins entire, oblong to round at apex, enclosing the ovary, shorter than sepals; Stamens 5, forming a ring with petals and encircling the ovary, as half as gynoecium; Anthers yellow, filament short- inconspicuous, butterfly shaped in transverse plane, basifixed. Ovary 1-loculed, shortly stipitate, spheroidal, pubescent, placentation free central; style 0.08–0.10 mm, shorter than the ovary, slender; stigma capitate. Capsule ovoid, shortly stipitate, 3- valved, breaks along the suture, brownish, scarious along margin, style persistent; Seeds 3–6, reniform, yellow with striations.

Description (macromorphology):— Seeds sub-orbicular-reniform in its outline ca 338–584 µm × 229–334 µm with slight depressions all over the seed surface. The margin is wavy and the epidermal cell pattern is angular. Striations are prominent are crossing one another, ridged. Mammillae present along the central zone of the seed.

Etymology:— The specific epithet “ borae “ honours the Shri. Chandmal Tarachand Bora. He was the founder of Shirur Shikshan Prasarak Mandal’s Chandmal Tarachand Bora College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Shirur. He had contributed for the education in rural region of Shirur tehsil of Pune district.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting times September–November.

Distribution:— Only found at locus classicus ( India, Maharashtra, Ahmednagar District, Parner tehsil, Ralegansidhhi) for the moment.

Habitat:— Polycarpaea borae grows in the open grassland and it is associated with Alysicarpus pubescens Y.W.Law (1839: 250) , Alysicarpus tetragonolobus Edgewortrh (1853: 169) , Rostellularia procumbens ( Linnaeus 1753: 15) Nees (1832: 101) , Striga angustifolia (D.Don 1825: 91) C.J.Saldanha (1963:70) , Polygala arvensis Willdenow (1802: 876) and Caralluma fimbriata Wallich (1829: 7) .

Conservation status:— The species is currently known only from its type locality (Ralegansidhhi, Ahmadnagar District, Maharashtra, India). It is likely to see other populations in the same habitats across southern western area of Ahmadnagar District. these regions are facing a degradation of vegetation due to mining, construction, agriculture, etc. The present study reported single population with 15-20 individuals. Hence, the new species is now categorized as DD (Data Deficient) under criteria D (Version 16, IUCN 2024).

Diagnostic key for the species of Polycarpaea occurring in India:— It follows:

1a. Habitat in sand, reaching a height of 18–25cm, petal ovate-oblate, apex shortly acicular, keeled............................ P. psammophila

- Habitat in rocky terrains, reaching a height of 2–15 cm, petal ovate-oblong, apex obtuse or round, not keeled .............................. 2

2a. Bract present....................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

- Bract absent ..................................................................................................................................................................... P. ebracteata

3a. Petal pinkish-purple; plant glabrous..................................................................................................................................... P. diffusa

- Petals pinkish-yellow or whitish-lilac or yellowish-brown; plant densely tomentose....................................................................... 4

4a. Stem with greyish hairs; petal lightly coloured or hyaline; leaves set with green slender node.................................... P. corymbosa

- Stem with white hairs; petal brightly colored; leaf set with reddish swollen nodes .......................................................................... 5

5a. Plants stunted; sepal colorless; petals violet............................................................................................................ P. majumdariana

- Plants not stunted; sepal bright white or red or orange; petals yellow-brown or whitish lilac .......................................................... 6

6a. Petals hyaline; bracteoles absent; stipules parted into 3......................................................................................................... P. borae

- Petals colored; bracteoles present; stipules parted into 2 ................................................................................................................... 7

7a. Leaves opposite-decussate; anthers white-cream................................................................................................................... P. aurea

- Leaves pseudo-whorled, whorled or verticillate, nodes red villous, anthers bright yellow ............................................................... 8

8a. Stipule barbellate parted into three halves with central part acicular.............................................................................. P. barbellata

- Stipules smooth parted into two halves with no central structure ...................................................................................................... 9

9a. Sepals ovate-oblong; petals ovate-cordate, apex round; gynoecium oblate spheroidal, capsule 1–2 seeded .......... P. palakkadensis

- Sepals lanceolate, petals ovate-lanceolate, apex acute; gynoecium prolate; capsule 3–10 seeded, seed sub-reniform ...................... ....................................................................................................................................................................................... P. rangaiahia

Figures

FIGURE. 1. Polycarpaea borae: A. habit; B. internode; C. stipule; D. upper view of leaf; E. inflorescence; F. flower; G. bract; H. sepals; I. petal; J. anther; K. ovary; L. fruit; M. seeds.