Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2025 | 17(4): 26917–26922
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9636.17.4.26917-26922
#9636 | Received 28 January 2025 | Final received 21 March 2025 | Finally
accepted 05 April 2025
Sonerila bababudangiriensis (Melastomataceae),
a new species of herb from the Western Ghats of India
Prashant Karadakatti
1 & Siddappa B. Kakkalameli
2
1,2 Department of Studies in Botany, Davangere University, Shivagangothri,
Davangere, Karnataka 577007, India.
1 prashant.s.k2012@gmail.com, 2
dubotsiddu@gmail.com (corresponding author)
Abstract: Sonerila bababudangiriensis is a caulescent or tuberous new
species found in Bababudangiri, Chikkmagaluru
District, Karnataka, which lies in the Western Ghats. The species has
distinguished characteristics that sets it apart from the other species of the
genus Sonerila worldwide. It is compared to Sonerila wallichii
Benn., a species from the same habitat. The two species differ in
characteristics such as tuber, leaf morphology, inflorescence structure, and
micromorphology, which are described and illustrated in relevant images. The present
report discusses the newly described species, Sonerila
bababudangiriensis, from Western Ghats, India.
Keywords: Bababudangiri, caulescent, claret-tinge spine,
evergreen forest, hill slopes, Karnataka, papillae, shola forest, Sonerila, stemless.
Editor: Kannan C.S. Warrier,
KSCSTE - Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, India. Date
of publication: 26 April 2025 (online & print)
Citation: Karadakatti, P. & S.B. Kakkalameli (2025). Sonerila bababudangiriensis
(Melastomataceae), a new species of herb from the
Western Ghats of India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 17(4):
26917–26922. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9636.17.4.26917-26922
Copyright: © Karadakatti
& Kakkalameli 2025. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Backwards Classes Welfare Department (BCWD) - Fellowship, Karnataka State Government.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The work progression of new species was completed using USIC Karnataka University Dharwad. Field visiting and collection help by Shreyas Betageri, research scholar, Karnatak Science College Dharwad (KUD). The reporting lead promoting through submitting the species herbarium help by Dr A. N. Sringeswara sir Mahatma Gandhi Botanical Garden University
of Agricultural Sciences GKVK Bengaluru. Dr. Siddappa B Kakkalameli, research supervisor, Davangere University, Shivagangothri, the greater direction in supporting and promising in the field of taxonomy.
The family Melastomataceae
Juss. is one of the most widely distributed plant
families with approximately 169 accepted genera (POWO 2024) and 5,050 species
according to earlier records. Later, the number was well established with
approximately 5,858 species in 173 genera (Penneys et
al. 2022; Ulloa Ulloa et al. 2022);,
of which about 1,550 species occur in the Old World (Stevens 2012). The acrodromous venation of the leaves makes it easy to
identify members of the family Melastomataceae
(Hickey 1973). The tribe Sonerileae of the family Melastomataceae occurs in southeastern Asia and Madagascar
with few species from the Neotropic region (Renner
1993). The genus Sonerila Roxb., is a species-rich and taxonomically complex genus
distributed in the tropical Old World. It is represented approximately by 180
taxa (Cellinese 1997; Resmi
et al. 2018; Resmi & Nampy
2021). The Genus Sonerila in India is
represented by 49 species and one variety. Of these, 43 species are endemic to
the Western Ghats (Resmi et al. 2021). In Karnataka,
14 species have been reported, including the Sonerila
talbotii Giri & Nayar. and Sonerila raghaviana Ratheesh, Sunil, Nandakumar & Shaju. both of which are endemic to the state (Saldanha
1984; Giri & Nayar
1986; Sanjappa & Sringeswara
2019; Ravikumar et al. 2021; Karadakatti & Kakkalameli 2024). The present deliberation is on a new
species from the Western Ghats of Karnataka India. The species shows distinct
characteristics compared to the species of Sonerila
from the world and even from the region found. The picture and line diagram or
illustration show clear evidence for the species new to science (Images 1 &
Figure 2). The key distinguishing features of Sonerila
wallichii Benn. And the new species Sonerila bababudangiriensis
are compared in Table 1. Additionally, micromorphological variations in pollen
and seeds are discussed (Image 2) (Giri & Nayar 1986; Bhattacharya et al. 2006).
Taxonomic description
Sonerila bababudangiriensis
Karadakatti & Kakkalameli
sp. nov.
(Images 1, 2b,d;
Figure 2)
urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77360569-1
Holotypus: India, Karnataka, Chikmangaluru, Baba Budangiri,
13.404 N, 75.738 E, 01.09.2024, Prashant Karadakatti
& Siddappa B. Kakkalameli, M008 (UASB5770),
University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore.
Etymology: The specific epithet refers to
the type locality that is Bababudangiri, from Chikkamagaluru District, Karnataka, India; the locality
lies near the highest peak of Karnataka, Mullayangiri
(1,930 m).
Diagnosis: Herb, perennial, erect, caulescent,
tuber measures 1–1.5 cm diameter, spherical; habit 8–15 cm tall. Root branches
fleshy, white to pale green at the lower to the upper. Leaves are 3–5 cm
wide, 5–8 cm long, petiole 3–5 cm long with glabrous & claret tinge, six
nerved, veins pinnate, three pairs arising from the base, 1–2 pairs from midrib
above; lamina dark green dorsal side with claret tinge spines or papillae
scattered measured 1–3 mm, claret at ventral side, glabrous, densely
gland-dotted, serrate, leaf base slightly orbicular with equal base and
cordate; petioles 3–6 cm long, claret tinge, subscapose.
Inflorescence bostryx cyme, 5–15 cm long, 4–12
flowered, unbranched; peduncle 4–13 cm long, claret tinge to pale green,
glabrous, slightly quadrangular; pedicels 5–8 mm long, gland-tipped trichomes
pale green in color; one bract 2–3 mm long and two opposite bracteoles, not
prominent 1–2 mm, pale green. Flowers trimerous 1.8–2 cm long; pedicel
sub-angular, 3–6 mm long in fruit, pale green, gland-tipped trichomes;
hypanthium campanulate, 1.5–2 cm include anther & gynoecium, three-lobed,
pale green base, gland-tipped trichomes; petals three, 5–8 mm, polypetalous,
ovate to oblong, mucronate apex, pale pink adaxial, abaxial white, darker
midrib; sepals pale green, 1–3 mm, polysepalous, gland-tipped trichomes;
stamens three alternate to petals, filaments short measured 2–4 mm, pale pink,
glabrous; anthers three, yellow, beaked at apex, glabrous, 3–5 mm anther
lobes dorsifixed, cordate at base; ovary inferior,
style filiform 0.8–1 cm, pale to dark pink at apex, glabrous, fruits capsule,
pale green, 1.2–1.5 cm, gland-tipped trichomes, sometimes glabrous; seeds
numerous, obovoid and pustulate.
Distribution: Type locality along roadside and
slopes, near Bababudangiri, Chikkamagaluru
District, Karnataka, India, 13.404, 75.738, 1,557 m elevation.
Habitat: Hill slopes, water stream, misty
place, associated with Sonerila wallichii Benn, Commelina
indescense E Barnes, Osbeckia
parvifolia Arn, Cyanotis D Don, Adiantum L and Selaginella L.
Flowering and Fruiting: July to October.
Conservation Status: After several attempts to locate
the species in the surrounding region, it was found in only one location—on the
way to Bababudangiri, Chikkamagaluru
District, Karnataka, India. A few individuals of the species are found at the
type location within a 100 m range (water streams, road cuts, and slopes).
Hence, the species may be categorized as Data Deficient (DD) due to
insufficient knowledge of its distribution (IUCN Standards and Petition
Committee 2024).
Micro morphology
Pollen morphology
The pollen grains of Sonerila bababudangiriensis
sp. nov. and S. wallichii
are studied as per the NPC classification (Erdtman
1969). The pollen grains of S. bababudangiriensis are
quadrangular convex polar view, the accumulate obtuse in a rhombic shape at the
equatorial view and the aperture heterocolpate,
measures approximately 18–20 × 13–15 µm, small fibrous structures on the pollen
surface, striate-reticulate. In S. wallichii
Benn. pollen grains quadrangular convex polar view, non-angular truncate in
elliptic shape, aperture heterocoplate, measures
approximately 19–21 × 11–13 µm, fibrous structures on the pollen surface,
striate-reticulate (Image 2).
Seed morphology
In Sonerila
bababudangiriensis sp. nov.
the seeds are numerous, ellipsoid, 500–580 × 220–250 µm, brown to dark brown,
raphe remains out with dorsal surface tubercle, well-differentiated smaller and
larger tubercles, from micropyle to dorsal shows small pusticles
with larger tubercles, large tubercles measure about 8–18 × 10–20 µm in polar
view, 5–10 × 5–8 µm in side view, small tubercles measures about 1–3 × 1–4 µm.
Less exposed testa cells, margins undulated with each
other about 30–40 × 10–15 µm. In the S. wallichii
seeds numerous, ellipsoid, 492–630 × 211–225 µm, brown to dark brown, raphe
overlapped or closed at dorsal and comprised tubercles on the surface with
well-differentiated smaller and larger tubercles, at the dorsal side both pusticles scattered lesser at micropyle, larger pusticles are in a pyramid-like structure, measured about
10–22 × 8–18 µm in polar view, 12–25 × 5–15 µm in side view, smaller tubercles
measured about 1–3 × 1–5 µm. Less exposed testa
cells, margins undulated with each other 25–35 × 12–14 µm (Image 2).
Table 1. Comparison of the morphological characteristics of Sonerila bababudangiriensis
sp. nov. & Sonerila
wallichii.
|
Parts |
Sonerila bababudangiriensis sp. nov. |
Sonerila wallichii |
|
Tuber |
Small tuber 0.5–1.5 cm
diameter. |
Non-tuberous. |
|
Leaf |
Lamina 3–5 cm wide, 5–8 cm
long, dark green dorsal side with claret tinge spines or papillae scattered,
measuring about 1–3 mm, claret at ventral side, glabrous, densely
gland-dotted, toothed margins, serrate, leaf base slightly orbicular with
equal base and cordate. |
Parrot green 4–10 cm wide, 3–14
cm long, 4–6 nerved, four pairs from the base, 4–12 pairs from the midrib,
sparsely gland-tipped trichomes. |
|
Inflorescence |
Only one inflorescence from
each individual, unbranched, bostryx cyme, 1.5–3 cm
long, 4–12 flowered |
Two to three inflorescences
from each individual, unbranched, scorpioid cyme,
2–5 from each habit, and 5–18 flowers. |
|
Flower |
1.5–1.8 cm, trimerous, pale
pink |
1.5–2 cm, trimerous, rarely
tetramerous, moderate pink. |
|
Peduncle |
Quadrangular, 4–13 cm long
claret tinge to pale green & glabrous. |
Quadrangular, 5–18 cm long pale
green to white at tip with gland-tipped trichomes. |
|
Hypanthium |
Angular and sparsely
gland-tipped trichomes. |
Angular, glandular hairs or
trichomes. |
|
Petals |
Pale pink; 5–8 mm ovate-oblong
& acuminate, glabrous, thickened. |
Moderate pink to dark pink;
4–10 mm ovate-oblong & acuminate glandular hairs on abaxial midrib. |
|
Anthers |
Long acuminate, beaked, deeply
cordate; longer than the filament. |
Long oblong to acuminate,
beaked deeply cordate, equal to the filament. |
For
figures & images - - click here for full PDf
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