Abstract
A new species of Melastomataceae, Osbeckia assamensis, is described here from Assam, northeast India. The new species is morphologically allied to Osbeckia nayarii G.S. Giri but differs in branching pattern, strigose stem, foliar features, inflorescence with 30–35 flowers, hairy calyx margin, presence of intersepalar emergences on the hypanthium, etc. The new species is quite distinct from other Osbeckia species having tetramerous flowers. A detailed taxonomic description, photographic illustration, comparison with allied taxa, and an artificial key to the closely related taxa are provided.
References
- Bremer, K. (1987) Melastomataceae. In: Dassanayake & Fosberg (Eds.) Revised Handbook of Flora Ceylon—6. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, pp. 157–240.
- Chowdhury, S. (2021) Plantes Assam. Brahmaputra Offset, Guwahati, Assam, India.
- Clarke, C.B. (1879) Melastomataceae. In: Hooker, J.D. (Ed.) Flora of British India, Vol. 2. L. Reeve & Co. Ltd., London, pp. 513–522.
- Clement, R.A. (1991) Melastomataceae. In: Grierson, A.J.C. & Long, D.G. (Eds.) Flora of Bhutan. Vol. 2 (1). Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, pp. 292–294.
- Cogniaux, C.A. (1891) Melastomaceae. In: de Candolle, A. & de Candolle, C. (Eds.) Monographiae Phanerogamarum, Vol. 7. G. Masson, Paris, pp. 313–335.
- Das, B., Pulpra, P. & Nath, N. (2026) Osbeckia zubeengargiana (Melastomataceae), a new species from Assam, Northeast India. Phytotaxa 747 (1): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.747.1.1
- Das, N. & Saikia, R. (2023) Recollection of Osbeckia nayarii Giri (Melastomataceae) from Assam after 108 years. Zoo’s Print 38 (4): 34–35.
- Don, D., Hamilton, F. & Wallich, N. (1825) Prodromus florae Nepalensis: sive Enumeratio vegetabilium quae in itinere per Nepaliam proprie dictam et regiones conterminas, ann. 1802–1803. Detexit atque legit d. d. Franciscus Hamilton, (olim Buchanan) Accedunt plantae a. d. Wallich nuperius missae. J. Gale, Bruton-Street, London, 221 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.86
- Edwards, S. & Ridgway, J. (1822) Botanical Register; Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment, Vol. 8. London, 674 pp.
- e-Flora of Thailand (2026) Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Bangkok. Available from: https://botany.dnp.go.th/eflora/ (accessed 3 May 2026)
- Geddes, E.T. (1928) Contributions to the Flora of Siam. Additamentum XXIV. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) 2: 62–72. https://doi.org/10.2307/4107648
- Giri, G.S. (1983) A new species of Osbeckia L. (Melastomataceae) from India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 4 (2): 609–611.
- Guimarães, P.J.F., Michelangeli, F.A., Sosa, K. & Gómez, J.R.S. (2019) Systematics of Tibouchina and allies (Melastomataceae: Melastomateae): a new taxonomic classification. Taxon 68: 937–1002. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12151
- Hansen, C. (1977) The Asiatic species of Osbeckia (Melastomataceae). Ginkgoana 4: 1–150.
- Hooker, W.J. (1837) Companion to the Botanical magazine: being a journal, containing such interesting botanical information as does not come within the prescribed limits of the magazine; with occasional figures, Vol. 2. Botanical Magazine Warehouse, London, 308 pp.
- Huang, S.F. & Huang, T.C. (1991) Notes the Flora of Taiwan (11)—Melastomataceae. Taiwania 36 (2): 117–135. https://doi.org/10.6165/tai.1991.36.117
- IPNI (2026) International Plant Names Index. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries and Australian National Herbarium. Available from: http://www.ipni.org/ (accessed 3 May 2026)
- IUCN (2024) Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 16. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. [https://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf]
- Jain, S.K. & Rao, R.R. (1977) A Handbook of Field and Herbarium Methods. Today and Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers, New Delhi.
- Kanjilal, U.N., Kanjilal, P.C. & Das, A. (1938) Flora of Assam, Vol. 2. Govt. of Assam Press, Shillong, India.
- Linnaeus, C. (1753) Species Plantarum, Vol. 1. Stockholm, 345 pp.
- Linné, C.V. (1781) Supplementum plantarum Systematis vegetabilium editionis decimae tertiae, Generum plantarum editionis sextae, et Specierum plantarum editionis secunda. Impensis Orphanotrophei, Brunsvigae, 215 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.555
- Michelangeli, F.A., Guimarães, P.J.F., Penneys, D.S., Almeda, F. & Kriebel, R. (2013) Phylogenetic relationships and distribution of New World Melastomeae (Melastomataceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 171: 38–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01295.x
- Naudin, C. (1850) Melastomacearumque in Musaeo Parisiensi continentur Monographicae Descriptionis et Secundum affinitates distributionis tentamen. Annales des Sciences Naturelles Botanique 14: 53–76.
- POWO (2026) Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Available from: http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org (accessed 3 May 2026)
- Prashob, P. & Thomas, S.M. (2019) The genus Osbeckia (Melastomataceae) in India. Rheedea 29 (4): 236–305. https://doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2019.29.4.01
- Prashob, P., Manudev, K.M., Sibichen, Thomas, M. & Nampy, S. (2018) Osbeckia saddlepeakensis (Melastomataceae): a new species Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Phytotaxa 344 (2): 185–190. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.344.2.7
- QGIS Development Team (2023) QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. Available from: http://qgis.org (accessed 5 December 2025)
- Roxburgh, W. & Carey, W. (1832) Flora indica, or, Descriptions of Indian plants, Vol. 3. Serampore, printed for W. Thacker. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.590
- Roxburgh, W., Banks, J., Bulmer, W., Mackenzie, D. & Nicol, G. (1795) Plants of the coast of Coromandel: selected from drawings and descriptions presented to the hon. court of directors of the East India Company, Vol. 1. W. Bulmer and Co. for G. Nicol, Bookseller, London, 21 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.467
- Saravanan, T.S. & Kaliamoorthy, S. (2023) Osbeckia yercaudensis (Melastomataceae) a new species from the Eastern Ghats, India. Phytotaxa 583 (3): 292–296. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.583.3.8
- Sujana, K.A., Navya, S., Sundaran, A. & Gopala Vadhyar, R. (2026) A New Species of Osbeckia (Melastomataceae) from Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, India. Lilloa: 249–259. https://doi.org/10.30550/j.lil/2343
- Sweet, R. (1826) Sweet’s Hortus britannicus: or a catalogue of plants cultivated in the gardens of Great Britain, arranged in natural orders, Issue 2. J. Ridgway, London, 268 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.43792
- The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, Chase, M.W., Christenhusz, M.J.M., Fay, M.F., Byng, J.W., Judd, W.S., Soltis, D.E., Mabberley, D.J., Sennikov, A.N., Soltis, P.S. & Stevens, P.F. (2016) An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181 (1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
- Thiers, B. (2026) Index Herbariorum. The William & Lynda Steere Herbarium (nybg.org). Available from: http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih (accessed 3 May 2026)
- Thwaites, G.H.K. & Hooker, J.D. (1858) Enumeratio plantarum Zeylaniae = An enumeration of Ceylon plants, with descriptions of the new and little-known genera and species, observations on their habitats, uses, native names, etc. Dulau and Co., London, 104 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.574
- Triana, J.J. (1871) Les Melastomacées. Transactions of the Linnaean Society of London 28: 1–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1871.tb00222.x
- Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Stone, R.D., Fongod, A.G.N., Couvreur, T.L.P. & Kadereit, G. (2017) Phylogeny and systematics of African Melastomateae (Melastomataceae). Taxon 66: 584–614. https://doi.org/10.12705/663.5
- Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Stone, R.D., Haba, P.M., Magassouba, S., Kadereit, G. & Burgt, X.M. van der. (2021) Phylogenetic placement of Cailliella praerupticola (Melastomataceae), a rare, monospecific lineage from Guinea, West Africa. Willdenowia 51 (1): 47–56. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.51.51104
- Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Lachenaud, O., Stone, R.D. & Kadereit, G. (2019) Nothodissotis (Melastomataceae), a new genus from Atlantic Central Africa, including the new species N. alenensis from Equatorial Guinea. PhytoKeys 118: 89–103. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.118.31572
- Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Stone, R.D. & Kadereit, G. (2020) Towards a complete phylogeny of African Melastomateae: systematics of Dissotis and allies (Melastomataceae). Taxon 69: 946–991. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12317
- Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Stone, R.D., Fongod, A.G.N., Couvreur, T.L.P. & Kadereit, G. (2017) Phylogeny and systematics of African Melastomateae (Melastomataceae). Taxon 66: 584–614. https://doi.org/10.12705/663.5
