 |
| Boesenbergia kalakadensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy, in Santharam et Kaliamoorthy. 2024. DOI: 10.1111/njb.04445 |
Abstract
Boesenbergia kalakadensis (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India is described and illustrated. Boesenbergia kalakadensis is closely allied to B. rotunda Mansf., and B. tiliifolia (Baker) Kuntze, but differs from them in its rhizome, leaves, inflorescence, length of flowers, glabrous nature of bract and bracteoles, length of calyx and corolla tube, size and shape of the corolla lobes, size, colour and margins of lateral staminodes, broader, orbicular, flat labellum, sessile, glandular hairy, crested anther, and length of style. A key to species of Boesenbergia in Peninsular India is provided.
Keywords: Boesenbergia, Kalakad forest, new species, southern Western Ghats, tropical wet evergreen forests
 |
| Boesenbergia kalakadensis sp. nov. (A) Entire plant, (B) inflorescence, (C) flower, (D) bract, (E) bracteole, (F) calyx, (G) dorsal corolla lobe, (H) lateral corolla lobes, (I) lateral staminodes, (J) labellum, (K) stamen-ventral surface, (L) stamen-dorsal surface, (M) ovary, style and stigma, (N) stigma enlarged view, (O) fruit, (P) seed with aril, (Q) seed. |
Boesenbergia kalakadensis Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy sp. nov.
A species sharing morphological similarities with B. rotunda Mansf., and B. tiliifolia (Baker) Kuntze, but differs with B. rotunda by its rhizome (non-aromatic, white inside versus strongly aromatic, yellow inside in B. rotunda), petiole (1.5–4.1 cm long, glabrous versus 4.9–11.8 cm long, villous abaxially in B. rotunda), lamina (base truncate to shallowly cordate, glabrous, margins slightly undulate versus base cuneate, villous abaxially, margins entire in B. rotunda), inflorescence (rachis 4.6–5.5 cm long, flower opens once in three days versus rachis 10.1–11.2 cm long, one or two flowers opens per day in B. rotunda), length of the flower (8.2 cm long versus 10.1 cm long in B. rotunda), bracts (glabrous versus slightly hairy abaxially in B. rotunda), bracteoles (2.0 × 1.0 cm, glabrous versus 5.5 × 0.5 cm, sparsely hairy abaxially in B. rotunda), labellum (broader than long, flat, orbicular versus longer than broad, saccate, elliptic-ovate in B. rotunda), anthers (sessile, white glandular hairs ...
Etymology: The specific epithet is a toponym referring to Kalakad, which is part of the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) located in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India.
Saravanan Thokuluva Santharam and Seventhilingam Kaliamoorthy. 2024. Boesenbergia kalakadensis sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) from southern Western Ghats, India. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/njb.04445
