Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2024 | 16(5): 25279–25282

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8882.16.5.25279-25282

#8882 | Received 20 December 2023 | Final received 05 April 2024 | Finally accepted 03 May 2024

Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy (Melastomataceae) – an addition to the flora of Karnataka, India

Prashant Karadakatti ^{1 &} Siddappa B. Kakkalameli ²

^1,2 Angiosperm Taxonomy and Plant Diversity, Department of Studies in Botany, Davangere University, Shivagagothri, Davangere, Karnataka 577007, India.

¹ prashant.s.k2012@gmail.com, ² dubotsiddu@gmail.com (corresponding author)

Editor: Shiny Mariam Rehel, Keystone Foundation, Kotagiri, India. Date of publication: 26 May 2024 (online & print)

Citation: Karadakatti, P. & S.B. Kakkalameli (2024). Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy (Melastomataceae) – an addition to the flora of Karnataka, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(5): 25279–25282. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8882.16.5.25279-25282

Copyright: © Karadakatti & Kakkalameli 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

Funding: Backward Classes Welfare Department (BCWD) – Karnataka State Government PhD fulltime Scholars Fellowship.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Mr. Shreyas P. Betageri & Mr. Ningaraj S. Makanur (research scholar) and Mr. Mallikarjun C. (teaching assistant) Department of Botany, Karnataka Science College Dharwad, Karnataka for their assistance during the time of fieldwork.

Melastomataceae are the eighth-largest family of angiosperms, with 177 genera and 5,858 known species in the world (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). The members of the Melastomataceae family species are important to today’s tropical flora (Renner 1993). The name Sonerila was first used by Roxburgh in his ‘Hortus Bengalensis’ (1814) and was validated later in his ‘Flora Indica’ (1820). Globally, the genus Sonerila comprises about 180 taxa of caulescent and acaulescent herbs. This genus is chiefly concentrated in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Taiwan, southeastern Asia, and the Malaya Archipelago (Cellinese 1997; Resmi et al. 2021). In India, Sonerila is represented by 49 species and one variety of which six species and one variety (about 86%) are endemic to the Western Ghats (Resmi et al. 2022). In Karnataka, 13 Sonerila species have been recorded till now, the Sonerila talbotii and Sonerila raghaviana both are endemic to the state (Saldanha 1984; Sanjappa & Sringeswara 2019; Ravikumar & Tangavelau 2021). Sonerila species collected in the field survey from the place Thirthahalli taluk, Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India were identified with the help of type specimens and taxonomic key evidence to conclude it is Sonerila konkanensis (Resmi et al. 2021; Resmi & Nampy 2022). The characters were tallied with reference articles and given comprehensive descriptions with photographs. The article deliberates the species Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy is an addition to the Karnataka state flora, which describes the place Goa as a type locality.

Materials and Methods

Study Area: The specimen was collected from Kavaledurga fort, located in the taluk Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India (Figure 1). The coordinate 13.7189N, 75.1177E, 08.09.2023 dated. The mentioned place or the region belongs to Western Ghats and comprises the seven lakes, Sahyadri hill range with dense canopy and shady hill rocks (Lateritic Rocky plateau). The specimen collected area covers the Southern tropical evergreen forest slightly.

Taxonomic Treatment: Sonerila konkanensis Resmi, S., Nampy, S., & F, Akshatra. 2021. Sonerila konkanensis (Melastomataceae), a new species from South Goa, India. Candollea. 76: 139–143.

Tuber-mediated (perennating), caulescent, erect herb, 5–30 cm high; tubers globose with root hairs, 0.5–1.7 cm in diam., white to pale green. Stems quadrangular, subangular at the base, 0.2–0.5 cm thick, dark pink, fleshy with branched, gland-tipped trichomes in dense; internodes 2–5 cm long, nodes with prominent leaf scars and densely covered gland-tipped trichomes. Leaves decussate at the distal node region; petiole canaliculated 2–3 × c. 0.2 cm, green, slightly claret, with gland-tipped trichomes on the lamina, ovate to elliptic, 3–8 × 1.5–5 cm, lime green on adaxial side, pale green on abaxial side, slightly cordate or sub-rounded at base with slightly dentate margins with small trichomes at each tooth end, acute to acuminate at apex, with dense glandular trichomes adaxially, only on veins abaxially, pinnately veined, 2 or 3 pairs above midrib and base only 2 pairs, less branched (approximately 2–5); Inflorescence terminal with 5–16 flowered terminal; peduncles quadrangular, 5–7 × 0.15–0.2 cm, longer than the petioles, dark pink or claret-tinged, densely covered with gland-tipped trichomes; leaf-like bracts foliaceous, elliptic, 0.4–2.3 × 0.5–1.5 cm, densely glandular-pubescent adaxially, only on veins abaxially, persistent. Flowers trimerous, 1–1.6 × 1–1.4 cm; pedicels sub-angular, 4–10 × 1–2 mm, claret tinged, densely covered with gland-tipped trichomes. Hypanthia campanulate, 4–5 ×1.5–3 mm, 3-lobed, 3-ribbed, distally claret-tinged, densely covered with gland-tipped trichomes; lobes triangular, 1–2 × 1–2.5 mm, acute at apex. Petals 3, ovate to oblong, 10–12 × 4–5 mm, dark pink or fuchsia, pink, with dark midrib, obtuse at base, mucronate at apex, gland-tipped trichomes on midrib abaxially. Stamens 3; filaments 5–6 mm long, dark pink at base and pale pink towards the apex and glabrous; anthers lanceolate, 5–7 mm long, yellow, acuminate to rostrate at apex. Ovary 2–3 × 2–3 mm; style 8–12 mm long, dark pink; stigma capitate, dark pink, glabrous. Capsules campanulate, 4–5 × 3–5 mm, distally green claret-tinged, brown when mature, obscurely 3-ribbed, densely covered with gland-tipped trichomes. Seeds many, obovoid 0.5–0.6 × 0.2–0.3 mm, pale brown (Image 1).

Species examined: INDIA, Karnataka, Shivamogga District, Thirthahalli Taluk (Kavaledurga Hill), 08 September 2023, Prashant Karadakatti. Collector Number: M006, Herbarium Accession Number: UASB 5611 (University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, India).

Habitat: dripping rocky and marshy areas, in association with Ariopsis peltata Nimmo, Impatiens talbotii Hook.f. and Murdannia simplex (Vahl) Brenan.

Flowering Season: August–September.

Fruiting: September.

Distribution: Goa (Konkan), Karnataka (Thirthahalli) (Present survey).

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References

Cellinese, N. (1997). Notes on the systematics and biogeography of the Sonerila generic alliance (Melastomataceae) with a special focus on fruit characters. Tropical Biodiversity 4(1): 83–93.

Christenhusz, M.J. & J.W. Byng (2016). The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase. Phytotaxa 261(3): 201–217.

Ravikumar, K. & A.C. Tangavelau (2021). Seed Plants of Karnataka. India: a Concise Dictionary. Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions Trans Disciplinary University (FRLHT-TDU), Bengaluru and National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai 479–480 pp.

Renner, S.S. (1993). Phylogeny and classification of the Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae. Nordic Journal of Botany 13(5): 519–540.

Resmi, S., S. Nampy & P.F. Akshatra (2021). Sonerila konkanensis (Melastomataceae), a new species from South Goa, India. Candollea 76(1): 139–143.

Resmi, S. & S. Nampy (2022). A taxonomic revision of caulescent tuberous Sonerila (Melastomataceae) in India. Journal of the Indian Association for Angiosperm Taxonomy Rheedea 32(4): 295–320.

Roxburgh, W. (1814). Hortus Bengalensis–A Catalogue of the Plants. Mission Press, Serampore, Calcutta, 434 pp.

Roxburgh, W. (1820). Flora Indica or Descriptions of Indian Plants. To which are Added Descriptions of Plants. Mission Press, Serampore, 493 pp.

Saldanha, C.J. (1984). Flora of Karnataka - Vol. II. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, Calcutta, 305 pp.

Sanjappa, M. & A.N. Sringeswara (2019). Flora of Karnataka a Checklist. Karnataka Biodiversity Board, Vol. 2, 405–818.