IMPATIENS JOHNSIANA (BALSAMINACEAE), A NEW SCAPIGEROUS BALSAM FROM WESTERN GHATS, INDIA

2012·0.84 MB·

by  M K Ratheesh Narayanan

IMPATIENS JOHNSIANA (BALSAMINACEAE),
NEW
A SCAPIGEROUS BALSAM FROM WESTERN
GHATS, INDIA
^.K. Ratheesh Narayanan, Kumar, and Jayesh Joseph
N. Anil
P,
T.Shaju
C.N. Sunil
Emakulam-683516,
Kerala INDIA
,
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
The genus Impatient L. (Balsaminaceae) a genus of over 1,000 species widely distributed throughout the
is
Northern Hemisphere and (Mabberley 2008). In India, the concentration of Impatiens species is re-
tropics
markably local and occurs in two well-defined regions, viz., the Himalayas in the North and the Western Ghats
in the South (Hooker 1908; Gamble 1915; Vivekananthan et al 1997). There is no doubt that the Western Ghats
&
is the second richest area in the Indian subcontinent and perhaps in the world (Bhaskar 1981; Viswanathan
Manikandan 2003). Out of the 203 species known to occur in India, about 86 species are found in the Western
and
Ghats (Nair 1991). In India, scapigerous Impatiens form a peculiar Section ‘Scapigerae’ are restricted to the
Vivekananthan Except
Western Ghats-Sn Lanka Hotspot of Biodiversity (Grey-Wilson 1980; et al. 1997). for I.
Western Ghats and Lanka,
acaulis Arn., which throughout the wet tropical forests of the Sri all
distributed
is
the other species have a very narrow distribution and are endemic to small microcenters in the Western Ghats,
& Kumar
Anil
especially in the southern part (Kumar Sequiera 1996; Bhaskar 2006; Jyosna et al. 2009; et al.
2011).
phytogeographical region of
The Wayanad of Kerala forms a biodiversity rich area in the Nilgiri
district
were
the Western Ghats. During an exploration of the flowering plants there, 21 species of Impatiens collected
was
a high evergreen quite
in various habitats (Ratheesh Narayanan 2009). One, collected in altitude forest,
distinct from the hitherto known scapigerous species and it is described and illustrated here as new.
Research Institute of Texas
the Botanical
Journal of 6(1)
Narayanan et A new species of Impatiens from India 115
al.,
H. Leaf, J. Fruit.
Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas6(1)
116
cm
Leaves
15-22 rootstock tuberous, yellowish. rarely
Scapigerous perennial herbs, epiphytic, tall; 1, 2, radi-
mucronate
pendulous, distantly serrate, broadly elliptic to oblanceolate, acute, at tip, base
cal, petiolate,
14-22 x 4-5 cm, hairy above, glabrous below, 5-7-nerved, adaxially
broadly cordate, unequal, fleshy, green,
cm
5-8
abaxially pale pink, deep pink along midrib and lateral nerves; petiole long, glabrous, green above,
pink below. Inflorescence scapose, unbranched, semi-pendulous, peduncle with a bend above the middle,
light
cm
shorter than the leaves, 12-20 long, fleshy, glabrous, pink, terete, less than 10-flowered; flowers in racemes,
distal, ca. 1.5 cm across, deep pink with white center; bract fleshy, light green with pink streaks, broadly ovate
mm
cm
oblong, 4-5 long, acute, glabrous; pedicels shorter than the flower, 1.6-1.8 long, terete, slender,
to
mm,
white, elongating in fruit, glabrous; lateral sepal 1.7-2 x 2-2.5 broadly ovate to oblong, obtuse-acute at tip,
mm, cm
white with pink tinge, glabrous; lower sepal (lip) ca. 8 x 5 white, glabrous, spurred; spur 1.5-1.7 long,
funnel-shaped, coiled with broad white, glabrous; dorsal petal (standard) broader than long, 0.5-1 cm
tip,
across, hooded, glabrous, pink, margins wavy; lateral united petals 3- lobed, 1.9-2 x 1.2-13 cm, lobes unequal,
with a tuft of yellow papillae little below the basal lobes; basal lobes larger than distal lobes, ca. 1.3 x 0.6 cm,
broadly obovate, bent upwards, midlobes ca. 0.5 x 0.5 cm, straight, distal lobes ca. 0.5 x 0.5 cm, oblong, tip
mm,
obtuse, straight; stamens connate, ca. 2 x 1 filaments pink, connate above middle, anthers pale white;
5,
cm
ovary pale yellow, broadly elliptic, acute at apex, glabrous. Capsules broadly ellipsoid, acute, ca. 1 long,
mm
glabrous; seeds many, ca. 2 long, tubercled, with a dense tuft of hairs at each end.
KERALA. Wayanad
Paratype: INDIA. District: Kattimattom hills, Nll°30.716' E76°06.239’ ca.1700 m, 20 Sep, 2011, M.K. Ratheesh Naray-
&
MSSH
anan, C.N. Sunil T. Shaju 4455 (Herb. MSSRF, Kalpetta, Wayanad).
Flowering andfruiting.—Flowering is fromJuly with a peak in August. Fruit matured during September-October.
Etymology.—The specific epithet is in dedication to the late Prof. John C. Jacob (who was popularly
known
who
an
as ‘Johnci’), ardent naturalist devoted his life to conserve the biodiversity of the Western Ghats,
India.
and Endemic
Distribution conservation status.— to the Kattimattom Hills of the Chembra-Vellarimalahill
Wayanad
ranges, District, Kerala, India. Small population of this species distributed on densely clothed tree
is
trunk in evergreen forests at an altitude of 1500-1700 MSL. The species usually seen as an epiphyte on the
is
moss-covered trunk Our
of evergreen tree species. observations showed were than hundred
that there less five
km
mature 2
individuals restricted to a 10 Vested Forest area. By following IUCN (IUCN 2001) for as-
criteria
sessing the status of Rare and Threatened
plants, Impatiens johnsiana assessed as belonging to Critically
is
Endangered (CR) km
category. Its range (extent of occurrence) is less than 100 2 and the quality of habitat is
,
declining continuously.
Taxonomic
note.—lmpatiensjohnsiana
resembles
dendricola Fisch. in pendulous habit, 3-lobed lateral
I. its
united petals with a tuft of papillae, and seeds with a dense tuft of hairs each end. The shape and size of
at
leaves, color of flowers, shape and size of the lateral sepal, dorsal petal, spur and united petals, and tex-
lateral
ture of seeds differentiates this species from the cm
other. Impatiens johnsiana has 14-22 elliptic-oblan-
long,
ceolate leaves, pink flowers, broadly ovate and the
lateral sepals, a dorsal petal with wavy margins in contrast to
cm
than
less 10 long, ovate to oblong-lanceolate lobed
leaves, white flowers, falcate-ovate sepals deeply
lateral
base and
at entire dorsal petal of I. dendricola. The new species has 1.5-1.7 cm long, coiled spur with broad
rounded apex cm
in contrast 1-1.5
to long, straight, clavate spur of dendricola. The united petals of the
lateral
I.
new
species are not auricled, curved basal lobes larger than the distal lobes, and has tubercled seeds. But in I
it
dendricola, the lateral united petals have an petal5
auricle, straight strap-shaped united
basal lobes of the lateral
smaller than the and
distal lobes, seeds muriculate. The new some of its
species also resembles in
scapiflora
I.
characters, e.g., large pink flowers, lateral united than
petals without an and larger
auricle, recurved basal lobes
the distal lobes, but differs by the pendulous cm than 2
elliptic-oblanceolate up
leaves, to 2 long pedicels, less
cm
long, coiled spur with broad rounded
apex, tubercled to
seeds, with a dense ends in contrast
tuft of hairs at
an ovate obovate up cm
to leaf, to 5 long pedicels, up to 7 cm and seeds
long, tubular spur with narrow apex,
hairy
all over. Diagnostic morphological
characters of Impatiens johnsiana and provided in
related species are
Table
1.
Narayanan et al..
morphological characters ot Impatiensjohnsiana an
Diagnostic
Table 1.
Basal lobes of lateral ui
than the distal lobes.
o
Capsules ellipsoid
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Swami-
Swaminathan and Executive Director of the M.S.
Chairman M.S.
The authors are grateful to the Prof.
The provided by
and support. logistics
providing
facilities
nathan Research Foundation, Chennai, India, for
Mini,
by Satheesh, V.R. Volga, V.
and help rendered K.T.
the
the Kerala Forest Department for the fieldwork
Swaminathan Research Foundation,
M.S.
Community Agrobiodiversity Centre,
Jithin M.M., and Mithunlal,
S.
remarks
Veldkamp
(L) for critical
expressed to
acknowledged. Sincere thanks are J.F.
Kalpetta are thankfully
Two
and encouragement.
support
and the Latin diagnosis. Anil Zakharia and Sethu Madhavan for the field
and reviews.
anonymous helpful
reviewers provided constructive
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