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| Ceropegia andhrica P.Chiranjeevi, K.Prasad & V.Nagaraju, in Chiranjeevi, Prasad, Nagaraju, Sujanapal, Sowghandika et Bheemalingappa. 2026. |
Abstract
A new hysteranthous species of Ceropegia, C. andhrica P.Chiranjeevi, K.Prasad & V.Nagaraju sp. nov. (Apocynaceae), is described from the Paderu forest division, Alluri Sitharamaraju District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It morphologically resembles Ceropegia vemanae and C. ciliatior in features such as the shape and size of tuber, pendulous flowers, reflexed corolla lobes and exposed gynostegium with corona, but differs in having branched or rarely unbranched stem, flowers 4–6 at a node, pedicels 4–10 mm long, sepals subulate or narrowly deltoid, corolla dark purple, densely hairy, lobes 3.4–6.0 mm long, ovate-triangular at base then gradually tapering above, interstaminal corona lobes shortly bilobed with triangular lobules, and staminal corona lobes narrowly oblong, 3-lobed at apex. A detailed description, photographs, and the conservation status of the new species are provided.
Keywords: Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae, Hysteranthous, Paderu forest division
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Ceropegia andhrica sp. nov. (A) Habit with leaves, (B) habit with leaves and follicles, (C) tuber, (D) buds, (E) flowers, (F) follicles, (F) open follicle with seeds. |
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Ceropegia andhrica sp. nov. (A–A2) Habit with flowers, follicles, leaves, (B) buds, (C) flowers, (D) pedicel, (E) corona side view, (F) corona top view, (G) gynostegium with pollinia, (H) pollinia, (I) solitary follicle, (J) paired follicles, (K) seed. |
Ceropegia andhrica P.Chiranjeevi, K.Prasad & V.Nagaraju sp. nov.
Diagnosis: A species showing similarities with Ceropegia vemanae, and to a lesser extent with C. ciliatior, but differs from these two species in having branched or rarely unbranched stem (versus unbranched in C. vemanae and unbranched or sparsely branched in C. ciliatior), lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate leaves (versus linear-lanceolate to oblong in C. vemanae and acicular to subulate or linear or linear-lanceolate in C. ciliatior), 4–6 flowers at each node (versus solitary in C. vemanae and 2–4 in C. ciliatior), 4–10 mm long pedicels (versus 9–12 mm long in C. vemanae and 15–38 mm long in C. ciliatior), subulate or narrowly deltoid sepals (versus narrowly triangular, ovate-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate in C. vemanae and ovate or ovate-lanceolate in C. ciliatior), dark purple, 3.4–6.0 mm long, densely hairy corolla lobes that are ovate-triangular at base then gradually tapering above, (versus basal portion light brown or creamish with dark rose ornamentation, later becoming uniformly brownish-pink, 7–10 mm long and corolla lobes lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong, completely pilose in C. vemanae and greenish-yellow or pale yellow and violet at apex and with violet streak at middle and 1.5–5.0 mm long corolla lobes narrowly ovate-lanceolate or oblong-ovate, ciliate at apex in C. ciliatior), interstaminal corona lobes shortly bilobed with triangular lobules (versus lobes deeply divided, lobules triangular at base then narrower towards apex in C. vemanae and lobes bifid, lobules orbicular in C. ciliatior) and staminal corona lobes glabrous, narrowly oblong, 3-lobed at apex (versus sparsely pilose, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse at apex in C. vemanae and glabrous, ovate, obtuse at apex in C. ciliatior).
Etymology: The new species is named after the Andhra Pradesh state of India.
Pabbathi Chiranjeevi, Kothareddy Prasad, Vallepu Nagaraju, Puthiapurayal Sujanapal, Marapareddy Sowghandika and Madiga Bheemalingappa. 2026. Ceropegia andhrica (Apocynaceae), A New Species from Andhra Pradesh, India. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/njb.05069 [25 January 2026]
