Abstract
A new species of Melastomataceae, Osbeckia yercaudensis, endemic to south India, is described from Shevaroy Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. It is morphologically allied to Osbeckia mehrana Giri & Nayar (1986: 429) and Osbeckia wightiana Bentham ex Wight & Arnott (1834:323), an endemic species from south India, but differs in the height of the plant, size of the leaves, 2–3-flowered cymes, oblong to slightly falcate sepals with irregularly emarginate apex and cochleate or U shaped, margins minutely toothed seeds. A detailed description, photographic illustration and comparison table are provided to facilitate identification.
References
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<p>Hansen, C. (1977) The Asiatic species of <em>Osbeckia </em>(Melastomataceae). <em>Ginkgoana </em>4: 1–150.</p>
<p>IUCN (2019) <em>Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 14</em>. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. [http://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf]</p>
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<p>POWO (2022) <em>Plants of the World Online. </em>Facilitated by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Available from:http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ (accessed 10 November 2021)</p>
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<p>Prashob, P., Manudev, K.M., Sibichen, M.T. & Nampy, S. (2018) <em>Osbeckia saddlepeakensis </em>(Melastomataceae): a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. <em>Phytotaxa </em>344 (2): 185–190. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.344.2.7</p>
<p>Triana, J.J. (1871) Les Melastomace´es. <em>Transactions of the Linnaean Society, London </em>28: 1–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1871.tb00222.x</p>
<p>Ulloa Ulloa, C., Almeda, F., Goldenberg, R., Kadereit, G., Michelangeli, F.A., Penneys, D.S., Stone, R.D. & Veranso-Libalah, M.C. (2022) Melastomataceae: Global Diversity, Distribution, and Endemism. <em>In:</em> Goldenberg, R., Michelangeli, F.A. & Almeda, F. (Eds.) <em>Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology of Melastomataceae</em>. Springer, Cham, pp. 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99742-7_1</p>
<p>Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (1834a) Leguminosae. <em>In:</em> Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (Eds.) <em>Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis</em>, vol. 1<em>.</em> Parbury, Allen & Co., Edinburg, London, p. 183. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3609064]</p>
<p>Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (1834b) Melastomaceae <em>Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis</em>, vol. 1<em>.</em> Parbury, Allen & Co., Edinburg, London, p. 323. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3609204]</p>
<p>Brown, R. (1810) <em>On the Asclepiadeae. A Natural Order of Plants Separated from the Apocineae of Jussieu. </em>Edinburgh, London, p. 64.</p>
<p>Clarke, C.B. (1879) Melastomataceae. <em>In</em>: Hooker, J.D. (Ed.) <em>Flora of British India</em>, vol. 2. L. Reev & Co. Ltd., London, pp. 513–522.</p>
<p>Dunal, M.F. (1813) <em>Histoire Naturelle, Médicale et Economique des Solanum et des Genres qui ont ete Confondus avec eux.</em> Paris, Strasbourg, Montpellier, p. 218. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.164866</p>
<p>Gaertner, J. (1788) <em>De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum: accedunt seminum centuriae quinque priores cum tabulis Aeneis LXXIX.</em> <em>vol. </em>1<em>.</em> Stutgardiae, Tubingae, p. 125. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.102753</p>
<p>Giri, G.S. & Nayar, M.P. (1983) New taxa of <em>Osbeckia </em>L. with a note on <em>O. lineolata </em>Gamble. <em>Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India </em>25 (1–4): 241–245. https://dx.doi.org/10.20324/nelumbo%2Fv25%2F1983%2F75166</p>
<p>Giri, G.S. & Nayar, M.P. (1984) A new species of <em>Osbeckia </em>L. (Melastomataceae) from Kerala (India). <em>Journal of Bombay Natural History Society </em>81 (2): 434–436. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48874366]</p>
<p>Giri, G.S. & Nayar, M.P. (1986) A new species of <em>Osbeckia </em>(Melastomataceae) from southern India. <em>Kew Bulletin </em>41 (2): 429–431. https://doi.org/10.2307/4102954</p>
<p>Giri, G.S. (1983) A new species of <em>Osbeckia </em>L. (Melastomataceae) from India. <em>Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany </em>4 (2): 609–611.</p>
<p>Hansen, C. (1977) The Asiatic species of <em>Osbeckia </em>(Melastomataceae). <em>Ginkgoana </em>4: 1–150.</p>
<p>IUCN (2019) <em>Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 14</em>. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. [http://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf]</p>
<p>Kottaimuthu, R. & Gnanasekaran, G. (2015) Validation of the name <em>Osbeckia tirunelvelica </em>(Melastomataceae). <em>Phytotaxa </em>231 (3): 300. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.231.3.10</p>
<p>Linnaeus, C. (1753) <em>Species Plantarum</em>, vol. 1<em>.</em> Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, p. 345. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358364]</p>
<p>Mabberley, D.J. (2017) <em>Mabberley’s Plant Book–A Portable Dictionary of Plants, their classification and uses</em>. Fourth Edition<em>. </em>Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p. 1040. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316335581</p>
<p>Manickam, V.S. & Murugan, C. (2002) <em>Osbeckia tirunelvelica</em>, a new species of Melastomataceae from Western Ghats, India. <em>Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany </em>25 (3): 626–628.</p>
<p>Narasimhan, D. & Irwin, S.J. (2021) <em>Flowering plants of Tamil Nadu: A compendium</em>. Care Earth Trust, Chennai, India, pp. 622–634.</p>
<p>Nayar, M.P. & Giri, G.S. (1984) <em>Osbeckia arunkumarensis </em>sp. nov. from eastern India. <em>Journal of Bombay Natural History Society </em>81 (2): 436–439. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48874368</p>
<p>POWO (2022) <em>Plants of the World Online. </em>Facilitated by the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Available from:http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ (accessed 10 November 2021)</p>
<p>Prashob, P. & Sibichen, M.T. (2019) The genus <em>Osbeckia</em> (Melastomataceae) in India. <em>Rheedea </em>29 (4): 236–305. https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2019.29.4.01</p>
<p>Prashob, P., Manudev, K.M., Sibichen, M.T. & Nampy, S. (2018) <em>Osbeckia saddlepeakensis </em>(Melastomataceae): a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. <em>Phytotaxa </em>344 (2): 185–190. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.344.2.7</p>
<p>Triana, J.J. (1871) Les Melastomace´es. <em>Transactions of the Linnaean Society, London </em>28: 1–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1871.tb00222.x</p>
<p>Ulloa Ulloa, C., Almeda, F., Goldenberg, R., Kadereit, G., Michelangeli, F.A., Penneys, D.S., Stone, R.D. & Veranso-Libalah, M.C. (2022) Melastomataceae: Global Diversity, Distribution, and Endemism. <em>In:</em> Goldenberg, R., Michelangeli, F.A. & Almeda, F. (Eds.) <em>Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology of Melastomataceae</em>. Springer, Cham, pp. 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99742-7_1</p>
<p>Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (1834a) Leguminosae. <em>In:</em> Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (Eds.) <em>Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis</em>, vol. 1<em>.</em> Parbury, Allen & Co., Edinburg, London, p. 183. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3609064]</p>
<p>Wight, R. & Arnott, G.A.W. (1834b) Melastomaceae <em>Prodromus Florae Peninsulae Indiae Orientalis</em>, vol. 1<em>.</em> Parbury, Allen & Co., Edinburg, London, p. 323. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3609204]</p>