Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 766 No. 2: 9 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-09
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.766.2.7
Page range: 187-193
Abstract views: 78
PDF downloaded: 5

Silene husainii (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Plant Diversity; Systematics & Herbarium Division; CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute; Rana Pratap Marg; Lucknow 226001; India; Department of Botany; University of Lucknow; Lucknow; 226007; India
Department of Botany; University of Lucknow; Lucknow; 226007; India
Plant Diversity; Systematics & Herbarium Division; CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute; Rana Pratap Marg; Lucknow 226001; India
Eudicots Eastern Himalaya Sela Pass Silene sect. Physolychnis

Abstract

Silene husainii is described as a new species from Sela Pass of Arunachal Pradesh (NE-India). Morphologically, it is similar to S. birgittae from which, it differs in having stem 3-flowered (vs. stem single flowered), limb of petals 8 times fringed (vs. limb bilobed with crenulated lobes), capsule oblong (vs. capsule globose), seeds minutely winged (vs. seeds broadly winged). A detailed description, photographs, distribution map, and a comparison with allied species are provided.

References

  1. Bentham, G. (1834) Silene sect. Physolychnis. In: Royle, J.F. (Ed.) Illustrations of the Botany and Other Branches of the Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the Flora of Cashmere, vol. 1. Wm. H. Allen & Co., London, pp. 80.
  2. Bittrich, V. (1993) Caryophyllaceae Juss. In: Kubitzki, K., Rohwer, J. & Bittrich, V. (Eds.) The families and genera of vascular plants, Magnoliid, Hamamelid and Caryophyllid families, vol. 2. Springer, Berlin, pp. 206–236.
  3. Bocquet, G.F. (1967) Physolychnidium olim Gastrolychnidium nomenclaturae fundamentum includens combinationes taxaque nova nonnulla Silenes generis. Candollea 22 (1): 1–38.
  4. Chowdhuri, P.K. (1957) Studies in the genus Silene. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 22: 221–278. https://doi.org/10.24823/nrbge.1957.2498
  5. Dillenberger, M.S. & Kadereit, J.W. (2014) Maximum Polyphyly: Multiple Origins and Delimitation with Plesiomorphic Characters Require a New Circumscription of Minuartia (Caryophyllaceae). Taxon 63 (1): 64–88. https://doi.org/10.12705/631.5
  6. Franzoni, J., Astuti, G., Bartolucci, F., Bernardo, L., Fior, S., Casazza, G., Conti, F., Iamonico, D., Iberite, M., Minuto, L., Turini, A. & Peruzzi, L. (2024) Different species or altitudinal morphotypes? Testing the taxonomic value of Dianthus brachycalyx (Caryophyllaceae). Taxon 73 (6): 1405–1418. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.13237
  7. Greenberg, A.K. & Donoghue, M.J. (2011) Molecular Systematics and Character Evolution in Caryophyllaceae Published by : International Association for Plant Taxonomy ( IAPT ) All Use Subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Molecular Systematics and Character Evolution in Caryophyllaceae. Taxon 60 (6): 1637–1652. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.606009
  8. Greuter, W. (1995) Silene (Caryophyllaceae) in Greece—a Subgeneric and Sectional Classification. Taxon 44 (4): 543–581. https://doi.org/10.2307/1223499
  9. Grierson, A.J.C. & Long, D.G. (1984) Flora of Bhutan: Including a Record of Plants from Sikkim. Vol. 1 (2). Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, pp. 202.
  10. Harbaugh, D.T., Nepokroeff, M., Rabeler, K., McNeill, J., Zimmer, E.A. & Wagner, W.L. (2010) A New Lineage‐Based Tribal Classification of the Family Caryophyllaceae. International Journal of Plant Sciences 171 (2): 185–98. https://doi.org/10.1086/648993
  11. Hajra, P.K., Verma, D.M. & Giri, G.S. (2008) Materials for the Flora of Arunachal Pradesh. BSI India, Vol. 2. Botanical Surbey of India, Kolkata, pp. 491.
  12. Hernández-Ledesma, P., Berendsohn, W.G., Borsch, T., Mering, S.V., Akhani, H., Arias, S., Castañeda-Noa, I., Eggli, U., Eriksson, R., Flores-Olvera, H., Fuentes-Bazán, S., Kadereit, G., Klak, C., Korotkova, N., Nyffeler, R., Ocampo, G., Ochoterena, H., Oxelman, B., Rabeler, R.K., Sanchez, A., Schlumpberger, B.O. & Uotila, P. (2015) A taxonomic backbone for the global synthesis of species diversity in the angiosperm order Caryophyllales. Willdenowia 45 (3): 281–383. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.45.45301
  13. Hooker, J.D. (Ed.) (1874) Flora of British India, vol. 1. L. Reeve & Co., London, pp. 740. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.678
  14. Hooker, J.D. & Thomson, T. (1858) Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany 2: 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1857.tb02470.x
  15. Iamonico, D. (2015) Augustea (Polycarpaeae, Caryophyllaceae), a new genus from South America. Phytotaxa 236 (1): 71–78. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.236.1.6
  16. Iamonico, D. (2018) A conspectus of Silene sect. Lasiocalycinae (Caryophyllaceae). Phyton (Horn, Austria) 57 (1–2): 113–127. https://doi.org/10.12905/0380
  17. Iamonico, D. (2021) The taxonomic position of Silene multinervia (Caryophyllaceae), endemic to California and northernwestern Mexico, and description of section Californicae, sect. nov. Rhodora 122 (991): 202–213. https://doi.org/10.3119/20-15
  18. Iamonico, D. (2022) Taxonomic remarks of the SE-European and W-Turkish Silene lydia (Caryophyllaceae). Nordic Journal of Botany 9: e03490. https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.03490
  19. Iamonico, D. & Domina, G. (2015) Nomenclatural notes on the Polycarpon tetraphyllum aggregate (Caryophyllaceae). Plant Biosystems 149 (4): 720–727. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2015.1057260
  20. Linnaeus, C. (1753) Species plantarum, vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, pp. 560.
  21. Linnaeus, C. (1754) Genera plantarum: eorumque characteres naturales secundum numerum, figuram, situm, et proportionem omnium fructificationis partium (Ed. 5th ed.). Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, pp. 580. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.746
  22. Majumdar, N.C. (1964) Nomenclatural transfers in the Indian caryophyllaceae-Silenoideae. Journal of the Indian Botanical Society 42 (1–4): 646–652.
  23. McNeill, J. (1978) Silene alba and S. dioica in North America and the generic delimition of Lychnis, Melandrium, and Silene (Caryphyllaceae). Canadian Journal of Botany 56 (3): 297–308. https://doi.org/10.1139/b78-037
  24. Melzheimer, V. (1988) Silene L. In: Rechinger, K.H. (Ed.) Flora Iranica, vol. 163. Akad.Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz, pp. 341–508.
  25. Ohba, H. (1978) New or critical species of Asiatic Sesoideae (3). Journal of Japanese Botany 53: 257–259.
  26. Otth, C.A. (1824) Silene L. In: Candolle, A.P. de (Ed.) Prodromus sytematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. sive enumeratio contracta ordinum generum specierumque plantarum huc usque cognitarum, juxta methodi naturalis normas digesta, vol. 1. Treuttel & Würtz, Paris, pp. 1–748.
  27. Oxelman, B. (1995) A Revision of the Silene sedoides-Group (Caryophyllaceae). Willdenowia 25 (1): 143–169.
  28. Oxelman, B., Lidén, M. & Berglund, D. (1997) Chloroplast rps16 intron phylogeny of the tribe Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution 206: 393–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987959
  29. Oxelman, B., Lidén, M., Rabeler, R.K. & Popp, M. (2001) A revised generic classification of the tribe Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae). Nordic Journal of Botany 20: 743–748. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.2000.tb00760.x
  30. Oxelman, B., Lidén, M., Rabeler, R.K. & Popp, M. (2008) A revised generic classification of the tribe Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae). Nordic Journal of Botany 20 (6): 743–748. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-1051.2000.tb00760.x
  31. Popp, M. & Oxelman, B. (2004) Evolution of a RNA polymerase gene family in Silene (Cayophyllaceae)—Incomplete concerted evolution and topological congruence among paralogues. Systematic Biology 53: 914–932. https://doi.org/10.1080/10635150490888840
  32. Popp, M., Erixon, P., Eggens, F. & Oxelman, B. (2005) Origin and evolution of a circumpolar polyploid species complex in Silene (Caryophyllaceae) inferred from low copy nuclear RNA polymerase introns, rDNA, and chloroplast DNA. Systematic Botany 30: 302–313. https://doi.org/10.1600/0363644054223648
  33. POWO (2026) Plants of the World Online. Available from: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 22 January 2026)
  34. Pusalkar, P.K. & Singh, D.K. (2012) Flora of Gangotri National Park, Western Himalaya, India. BSI, Dehradun, pp. 708.
  35. Royle, J.F. (1834) Illustrations of the Botany and Other Branches of the Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the Flora of Cashmere. Wm. H. Allen & Co., London, pp. 80. https://doi.org/10.2307/1797888
  36. Royle, J.F. (1839) Illustrations of the Botany and Other Branches of the Natural History of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the Flora of Cashmere. Vols. I–II. Wm. H. Allen & Co., London, pp. 472. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.449
  37. Singh, S., Kumar, A., Sharma, U., Sharma, N., Mehta, J.P. & Iamonico, D. (2026) New taxonomic status and first report of the little-known Silene nigrescens var. latifolia (Caryophyllaceae) in India with lectotypification of Lychnis nigrescens. Phytotaxa 750 (1): 24–32. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.750.1.2
  38. Sadeghian, S., Zarre, S., Rabeler, R.K. & Heubl, G. (2015) Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Arenaria (Caryophyllaceae: Tribe Arenarieae) and Its Allies Inferred from Nuclear DNA Internal Transcribed Spacer and Plastid DNA Rps16 Sequences. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 178 (4): 648–669. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12293
  39. Singh, S., Kumar, A., Sharma, U., Sharma, N., Mehta, J.P. & Iamonico, D. (2026) New taxonomic status and first report of the little-known Silene nigrescens var. latifolia (Caryophyllaceae) in India with lectotypification of Lychnis nigrescens. Phytotaxa 750 (1): 24–32. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.750.1.2
  40. Thiers, B.M. (2026+) Index Herbariorum: A global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. New York Botanical Garden. Available from: https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ (accessed 22 January 2026)

How to Cite

Singh, M., Vajpayee, P. & Agnihotri, P. (2026) Silene husainii (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Phytotaxa 766 (2): 187–193. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.766.2.7