Selaginella odishana (Selaginellaceae: Lycopodiophyta), a new species from Odisha, Eastern Ghats of India
- PDF / 13,985,381 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 2 Downloads / 193 Views
ISSN: 0075-5974 (print) ISSN: 1874-933X (electronic)
Selaginella odishana (Selaginellaceae: Lycopodiophyta), a new species from Odisha, Eastern Ghats of India Sarvesh Kumar Singh1 , Pradeep Kumar Shukla2 & Nawal Kishore Dubey1
Summary. Selaginella odishana (subg. Stachygynandrum) is described as a new terrestrial species (probably a local
endemic) from the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) forest on hill slopes of Daringbadi, Daringbadi Udayagiri forest range, Kandhamal district, Odisha state, Eastern Ghats region of India, and compared to morphologically close taxa (S. reticulata and its allied taxa). The new species is characterised by sub-erect stems, membranous leaf, lateral and axillary leaf, ciliate at the base and serrate distally (towards stem tips) and only serrate (outside face) or serrate margin, lanceolate median leaf with entire-serrate margins, dorsal sporophyll with serrate margins and laminar flap up to ¾ as long as lamina length with ciliate margins, ventral sporophyll ciliate along basal ½ and serrate along distal ½, creamy white megaspores with foveolate surface ornamentation and microspores with smooth surface ornamentation. The conservation status of S. odishana is assessed as Critically Endangered. Key Words. Conservation status, endemic, hill slope, taxonomy.
Introduction Selaginella P.Beauv. is an extant heterosporous genus belonging to the family Selaginellaceae (Lycopodiophyta) and has an almost worldwide distribution. The genus Selaginella is more diverse and species-rich in the tropics and subtropics with an estimate of 600 – 800 species (Jermy 1990; Frodin 2004; Valdespino et al. 2015; Zhou & Zhang 2015; Valdespino 2016; Valdespino et al. 2018). The genus Selaginella represents one of the oldest vascular plant lineages with the fossil record dating back to the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous period (370 – 345 Mya; Kenrick & Crane 1997; Korall et al. 1999; Banks 2009; Weststrand & Korall 2016a). The family Selaginellaceae is clearly monophyletic and is sister to the Isoetaceae based on morphology (Kenrick & Crane 1997) and molecular analyses (Kranz & Huss 1996; Wikstrom & Kenrick 1997; Korall et al. 1999; Zhou et al. 2016). The genus Selaginella contains heterosporous plants with terminal strobili and stems that bear microphylls with associated ligules. All but two species possess a unique root-like structure termed a rhizophore that develops at branching points along the stems. The group contains frost-tolerant, arctic-alpines and xerophytic species, but greatest diversity is found in tropical rainforest (Quansah & Thomas 1985; Banks 2009; Singh et al. 2014; Weststrand & Korall 2016b). Alston (1945) enumerated 58 species of Selaginella including a key from British India, and of these, 44 species are confined to India’s present political
boundaries (Singh et al. 2012). Later, Panigrahi & Dixit (1966, 1967, 1968) and Dixit (1983, 1984, 1985) made extensive surveys of Indian Selaginella. Dixit (1992) published a monograph including 62 species of Selaginella from India with taxa descriptions a
Data Loading...
