Portulaca bharat Amber Srivast., N.Chauhan, S.S.Dash & Sushil K.Singh, 2025

Srivastava, Amber, Chauhan, Nishant, Dash, Sudhanshu Shekhar & Singh, Sushil Kumar, 2025, Portulaca bharat (Portulacaceae), a new species from Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, India, Phytotaxa 705 (2), pp. 212-218 : 213-216

Portulaca bharat Amber Srivast., N.Chauhan, S.S.Dash & Sushil K.Singh , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Type: India, Rajasthan, Jaipur district, Galtaji , 490 m, 24 September 2020, Amber Srivastava & Nishant Chauhan 120896 (holotype BSD; isotype CAL) .

Diagnosis:— Portulaca bharat is similar to P. quadrifida , from which differ in having larger habit (up to 30 cm vs. up to 40 cm), oblong lanceolate and slightly concave leaves (vs. elliptic ovate to obovate, flat leaves), pale yellow flowers becoming creamish-white towards apex (vs. deep yellow flowers), presence of glandular hairs on stamen filaments (vs. entirely glabrous filaments), and thick fleshy roots (vs. thin fibrous roots) ( Table 1).

Description:— Perennial herb, prostrate-decumbent, about 40 cm tall. Roots thick, fleshy, non tuberous. Stem terete, glabrous, fleshy, articulated, highly branched, light green, spreading up to 40 cm, not readily rooting at the nodes; nodes with a conspicuous whorl of white woolly hairs 0.5–1.0 cm long; internodes 1.0– 5.5 cm long. Leaves, simple, opposite, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate (0.1–0.3 × 0.5–1.8 cm), slightly concave, densely papillose especially on abaxial side, succulent, acute or subacute at apex, base rounded, margin entire; petiole short, up to 2 mm or absent; nodal axils with tufts of long white hairs 5–10 mm long. Flowers solitary, 0.5–0.8 cm in diameter, at the terminal end of stem or lateral branches, surrounded by dense circlet of hairs and 2 unequal pairs of foliaceous bracts, opening at midday; peduncle 0.5–3.5 cm long. Calyx bi-sepalous, glabrous, oblong-ovate 3.5–3.9 × 1.8–2.3 mm, subacute at apex, connate at base, thin, translucent, white to pale pink, margin entire. Corolla with 4 petals, thin, ovate (2.5–3.0 × 4.2– 5. 2 mm), glabrous, yellow above becoming whitish towards apex and having minute reddish streaks, pale yellow to pinkish white below, apex abruptly acuminate or mucronate. Stamens 9–14, free, unequal in length, 2.0– 3.5 mm long, adnate to the base of the petals forming a ring around the ovary; filaments glabrous above and glandular hairy at the base; anther 0.7–0.8 × 0.2–0.3 mm, dithecous, yellow in colour, dehiscing via longitudinal slits. Gynoecium with 2–4 carpels, syncarpous; ovary 1.2–1.5 mm in diameter, subglobose, glabrous, semi-inferior; style 1.0– 1.5 mm, narrow at base becoming broader towards apex, 4-fid, glabrous; stigma lobes slightly coiled, papillate. Fruits as a circumscissile capsule, oblong-conical or dome shaped (3.5–4.0 × 1.8–2.2 mm), becoming purplish pink on maturity, capsule splitting at the base; basal disc thin, narrow; operculum ¾ of the length of fruit, conical with nipple like projection at top, often covered with marcescent calyx. Seeds 20–28 per capsule, subreniform, 0.8–1.0 mm in diameter, purplish brown to black in colour, testa cells shallowly convex often with a central tubercle.

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to ‘Bharat’, the name of the country of its origin.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting from March to September.

Distribution and ecology:— Portulaca bharat is presently reported from a single locality of Galtaji hill in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. It is mainly found growing on exposed to semi-exposed, dry, north facing hill slopes emerging from rock crevices.

Conservation status:— Only 10 individuals of Portulaca bharat were found in the type locality (Galtaji). Though, there is strong possibility of its occurrence in similar adjoining habitats of the region but, due to lack of available data on the occurrence of this species at present, it is assessed here as ‘Data deficient’ (DD) based on the IUCN categories and criteria ( IUCN 2022).

Notes:— Portulaca sect. Neossia , which includes Portulaca taxa with opposite leaves, is represented by only two species in India, i.e., P. quadrifida and P. wightiana . The new species P. bharat is more similar to P. quadrifida in having prostrate habit, articulated stem, four petals and flowers encircled by four involucral bracts, but differs in having larger habit, oblong lanceolate, slightly concave leaves, pale yellow flowers becoming creamish-white towards apex, presence of glandular hairs on stamen filaments and thick, fleshy roots.

FIGURE 3. Comparison between characters of Portulaca quadrifida (a 1 –h 1) and P. bharat (a 2 –h 2): a 1,2. Habit, b 1,2. Flower, c 1,2. Sepal, d 1,2. Petal, e 1,2. Stamens, f 1,2. Gynoecium, g 1,2. Fruit, h 1,2. Seed.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Portulaca bharat. A. Habit, B. Flower with bracts, C. Flower dorsal side, D. Flower ventral side, E. Flower showing arrangement of floral parts, F. Petal, G. Sepal, H. Stamens, I. Stigma with ovary, J. Leaves, K. Fruit with attached calyx, L. Entire fruit, M. Ruptured fruit, N. Seed.

FIGURE 2. Portulaca bharat (line drawing). A. Habit, B. Leaves, C. Flower with bracts, D. Flower, E. Petal, F. Sepal, G. Stamens and Stigma, H. Single Stamen, I. Stigma with ovary, J. Fruit with attached calyx, K. Entire fruit, L. Ruptured fruit, M. Seed.