Abstract
Oropetium almeidanum, a new species has been described from Thar Desert, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan based on the specimens collected recently from Jaisalmer and a specimen present in the Blatter Herbarium (BLAT). The new grass is allied to three African species viz.,O. minimum, O. capense and O. aristatum. Detailed description, photo plate and illustration of a new species along with a brief discussion on its close affinities are given. Key to distinguish all the species of Oropetium in the world along with the table of their detailed morphological comparison is provided to facilitate their proper identification.
References
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<p>Trinius, C.B.V. (1820) <em>Fundamenta Agrostographiae</em>. J. G. Heubner, Vienna, 98 pp.</p>
<p>Webb, P.B. & Berthelot, S. (1848) <em>Histoire Naturelle des Îles Canaries</em> 5 (3). Paris, 341 pp.</p>
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<p>Wight, R. (1848) <em>Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis</em> Vol. 4(2): pl. 1377. J.B. Pharoah, Madras, 15 pp.</p>
<p>Bor, N.L. (1940) Three new genera of Indian Grasses. <em>Indian Forester</em> 66: 267–272.</p>
<p>Bor, N.L. (1950) Two New Grasses from India. <em>Kew Bulletin</em> 4 (4): 571. https://doi.org/10.2307/4109079</p>
<p>Bor, N.L. (1960) <em>The grasses of Burma, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan (excluding Bambuseae)</em>. Pergamon Press, London, 767 pp.</p>
<p>Burman, N.L. (1768) <em>Flora Indica</em>. Cornelium Haek. & Johannem Schreuderum, Amsterdam, 61 pp.</p>
<p>Clayton, W.D., Vorontsova, M.S., Harman, K.T. & Williamson, H. (2006 onwards) GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora. [http://www.kew.org/data/grasses-db.html]</p>
<p>Cope, T.A. (1982) Poaceae vol. 143. <em>In</em>: Nasir, E. & Ali, S.A. (Eds.) <em>Flora of Pakistan</em>. Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and University of Karachi, Pakistan, 113 pp.</p>
<p>Cosson, E.S. & Durieu, M.C. (1868) Description Du Nouveau Genre Algerien Kralikia De La Famille Des Graminees. <em>Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France</em> 14: 90. https://doi.org/10.1080/00378941.1867.10827486</p>
<p>Decaisne, J. (1838) Etudes sur quelques genres et especes de la famille des Asclepiadees. <em>Annales des Sciences Naturelles; Botanique, sér</em>. 2 9: 269.</p>
<p>Fish, L, Mashau, A.C., Moeaha, M.J. & Nembudani, M.T. (2015) <em>Identification guide to Southern African grasses. An identification manual with keys, descriptions and distributions</em>. Strelitzia 36. South African National Biodiversity institute, Pretoria, 798 pp.</p>
<p>Hochstetter, C.F.F. (1855) Plantae Novae Africanae. <em>Flora</em> 38: 332.</p>
<p>Hooker, J.D. (1883) <em>The Flora of British India </em>vol. 4 (10). L. Reeve & Co., London, 16 pp.</p>
<p>Hooker, J.D. (1897) <em>Flora of British India, Gramineae</em>. vol. 7. L. Reeve & Co. Ltd., England, 842 pp.</p>
<p>Hutchinson, J. & Dalziel, J.M. (1972) <em>Flora of West Tropical Africa</em>. Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations, London, 2300 pp.</p>
<p>Jaubert, H.-F.C. de & Spach, E. (1851) <em>Illustrationes Plantarum Orientalium</em> Vol. 4 Apud Roret Bibliopolam, Paris, 36 pp.</p>
<p>Linnaeus, C.V. (1782) <em>Supplementum Plantarum</em>. Orphanotrophe, Brunswig, 105 pp.</p>
<p>Nagaraju, S., Singh, R.K., Arigela, R.K. & Kothareddy, P. (2022) The genus <em>Oropetium</em> Trin. in India. <em>Nelumbo</em> 64 (1): 13–28.</p>
<p>Peterson, P.M., Romaschenko, K. & Herrera Arrieta, Y. (2016) A molecular phylogeny and classification of the Cynodonteae (Poaceae: Chloridoideae) with four new genera: Orthacanthus, Triplasiella, Tripogonella, and Zaqiqah; three new subtribes: Dactylocteniinae, Orininae, and Zaqiqahinae; and a subgeneric classification of Distichlis. <em>Taxon</em> 65: 1263–1287. https://doi.org/10.12705/656.4</p>
<p>Philip, S.M. (1975) A review of the genus <em>Oropetium</em>. <em>Kew Bulletin</em> 30 (3): 469. https://doi.org/10.2307/4103072</p>
<p>Pilger, R. (1947) Additamenta agrostologica: <em>Oropetium</em>. <em>Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie</em> 74: 13–15</p>
<p>Prasanna, P.V., Chowdhury, S.D., Arumugam, S., Vivek, C.P., Chorghe, A., Sitrishna, K. & Prasad, K.P. (Gramineae) (2020)<em> Flowering Plants of India- An Annotated Checklist (Monocotyledons)</em>. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 327 pp.</p>
<p>Roemer, J.J. & Schultes, J.A. (1817) <em>Systema Vegetabilium</em> 2. J.G. Cottae: Stuttgart, 964 pp.</p>
<p>Stapf, O. (1912) Novitates Florae Africanae. <em>Bulletin de la Societe Botanique de France: Memoires </em>8: 222.</p>
<p>Steudel, E.G.V. (1854) <em>Synopsis Plantarum Glumacearum</em>, J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart, 357 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.471</p>
<p>Stewart, R.R. (1945) The grasses of Northwest India. <em>Brittonia</em> 5 (4): 404–468. https://doi.org/10.2307/2804891</p>
<p>Stocks, J.E. (1851) in Hooker’s <em>Icones Plantarum</em> Vol. 9. Reeve & Co., London, 863 pp.</p>
<p>Trinius, C.B.V. (1820) <em>Fundamenta Agrostographiae</em>. J. G. Heubner, Vienna, 98 pp.</p>
<p>Webb, P.B. & Berthelot, S. (1848) <em>Histoire Naturelle des Îles Canaries</em> 5 (3). Paris, 341 pp.</p>
<p>Wight, R. (1833) <em>Catalogue of Indian Plants </em>Vol. 1, London, 31 pp.</p>
<p>Wight, R. (1848) <em>Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis</em> Vol. 4(2): pl. 1377. J.B. Pharoah, Madras, 15 pp.</p>