Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-26
Page range: 193-200
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Polycarpaea apetala (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Kerala (South-West India)

Division of Plant Taxonomy, Travancore Institute for Bioscience Research, Trivandrum 695024 Kerala
St Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Koodathai Kozhikodu 673573 Kerala
Department of Botany, SVR NSS College, Vazhoor 686505 Kerala
Department of Botany, St. Berchmans College (Autonomous) Changanassery 686101 Kerala
Department of Botany, CMS College Kottayam (Autonomous) 686001 Kerala
Caryophyllales Kollam Kottur Taxonomy Eudicots

Abstract

Polycarpaea apetala, a new species from the coarse soil area near the forest outskirts of Kottur forest area of Thiruvananthapuram District (Kerala, SW-India) is described and illustrated. P. apetala is morphologically similar to P. aurea from which it differs in the absence of petal and stipules (vs. present in P. aurea), oblong bracts (vs. ovate lanceolate, and seed surface architecture (ovoid with no striations vs. reniform with irregular striations).

References

  1. Arnott, G.A.W. (1839) Descriptions of some new or rare Indian plants. Annals of Natural History 3: 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/03745483909443202
  2. Arya, S., Kumar, V.N.S.A., Pillai, A.V., Alen, A.P., Sojan, J. & Suresh, V. (2022) Three new species of Polycarpaea apetala (Caryophyllaceae) from Kerala, South India. PhytoKeys 213: 95–110.
  3. Daniel, P. (2005) The Flora of Kerala, vol. I. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 312 pp.
  4. Daniel, P., Venu, P., Muthukumar, S.A., Thiyagaraj, G.J. & Malathi, C.P. (2000) A taxonomic reassessment of the genus Polycarpaea Lam. (Caryophyllaceae) in India. The Swamy Botanical Club 17: 3–12.
  5. Geethakumary, M.P., Deepu, S., Viji, A.R. & Pandurangan, A.G. (2019) A new species of Polycarpaea (Caryophyllaceae) from India. Phytotaxa 414 (4): 181–186. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.414.4.4
  6. Dequan, L. & Gilbert, M.G. (2001) Polycarpaea Lamarck. In: Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (Eds.) Flora of China (Caryophyllaceae– Lardizabalaceae), vol. 6. Science Press; and St Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden Press, pp. 1–113.
  7. Dunn, S.T. (1915) Ranunculaceae to Opiliaceae. In: Gamble, J.S. (Ed.) Flora of the Presidency of Madras, vol. I. Allard & Son, London, pp. 1–200.
  8. Edgeworth, M.P. & Hooker, J.D. (1874) Caryophyllaceae. In: Hooker, J.D. (Ed.) The Flora of British India, vol. I. L. Reeve & Co., London, pp. 212–246.
  9. Lamarck, J.-B. (1792) Sur le nouveau Polycarpaea. Journal d’Histoire Naturelle 2: 3, 5, pl. 25.
  10. Mabberley, D.J. (2008) Mabberley’s plant-book: a portable dictionary of plants, their classifications, and uses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1021 pp.
  11. Majumdar, N.C. (1993) Caryophyllaceae Juss. In: Sharma, B.D. & Balakrishnan, N.P. (Eds.) Flora of India, vol. 2. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, pp. 502–595.
  12. Mastakar, V.K., Lakshminarasimhan, P. & Modak, M. (2015) A report on the extended distribution of Polycarpaea aurea (Caryophyllaceae), An endemic herbaceous species to Chota Nagpur Plateau, Jharkhand, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7 (12): 7950–7952. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o4268.7950-2
  13. Roxburgh, W. (1814) Hortus Bengalensis or a catalogue of the plants Growing in the Hounourable East India Company’s Botanical Garden at Calcutta. Kolkatta, 57 pp.
  14. Thiers, B. (2026 [continuously updated]) Index Herbariorum: A global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden’s Virtual Herbarium. Available from: https://sweetgum.nybg/org/ih (accessed 28 February 2025).
  15. Venu, P., Muthukumar, S.A. & Daniel, P. (2001) Polycarpaea majumdariana (Caryophyllaceae) – a new species from Tamil Nadu, India. Nordic Journal of Botany 21 (6): 577–579. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.2001.tb00813.x
  16. Wight, R. (1843) Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis, Vol. II. J. B. Pharoah, Madras, 33 (explanations) + 417 (plates) pp.
  17. Wight, R. (1850) Illustrations of Indian Botany, vol. II. American Mission Press, Madras, 230 pp.

How to Cite

Arya, S., Vineeth, K., Lekshmi, S., Salvy, T. & Rogimon, T.P. (2026) Polycarpaea apetala (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Kerala (South-West India). Phytotaxa 749 (2): 193–200. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.749.2.7