Beilschmiedia ke alana (Lau aceae),
a new species om Ke ala, India
Robi A.J.1*, Balan A.P.1 & P.S. Udayan2
1Depa men o Bo any, Bishop Ab aham Memo ial College, Thu u hicad, Pa hanam hi a Dis ic , Ke ala – 689 597, India
2Na ional Medicinal Plan s Boa d-Regional Cum Facili a ion Cen e (RCFC), Sou he n Region, Ke ala Fo es Resea ch Ins i u e
(KFRI), Peechi, Th issu Dis ic , Ke ala – 680 653, India
*E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : A new species o Beilschmiedia Nees, iz.
B. ke alana Robi & Balan om India is desc ibed and
illus a ed. Beilschmiedia ke alana is mo phologically
simila o B. jacobii Robi, Udayan & S. Geo ge, bu
di e s by i s ee habi , silky-pubescen e minal buds,
10–13 mm long pe ioles, a enua e o cunea e bases o
lea es, wa y ma gins, 7–11 pai s o la e al eins, o ange
lowe s, sho e poin ed ui s wi h spa se len icels and
smoo h ui ing pedicels.
Key wo ds: Agas hyamala, Beilschmiedia, Lau aceae,
New species, sou he n Wes e n Gha s
o Beilschmiedia om Chemunji hills, Ke ala, India.
The Pe usal o li e a u e and ype specimens housed
a di e en he ba ia (CAL, E, HBG, K, MH, NY, L),
i is ound o be mo e akin o B. jacobii Robi, Udayan
& S. Geo ge. I also shows simila i ies wi h B. wigh ii
(Nees) Ben h. ex Hook. ., bu di e s by i s 2-3 mm
long, silky-pubescen e minal bud, 5.5–8 × 2.5–3.5
cm lea es, 1–1.5 cm long in lo escence, o ange
lowe s, 1.2 cm long ui s. Hence i is desc ibed as
a no el y he e, wi h pho og aphs and ele an no es
o i s easy iden i ica ion.
Taxonomic T ea men
Beilschmiedia ke alana Robi & Balan, sp. no .
Fig.1
Beilschmiedia
ke alana
is mo phologically simila o
B. jacobii, bu di e s by i s ee habi ( s. sh ubs), silky-
pubescen e minal buds ( s. us y- omen ose), 10–13
mm long pe ioles ( s. 5–8 mm long), lea es wi h a enua e
o cunea e bases and wa y ma gins ( s acu e base and
e olu e), 7–11 pai s o la e al eins ( s. 5–7 pai s), o ange
lowe s ( s. pale-yellowish g een), sho e poin ed ui s
co e ed wi h spa se len icels ( s. longe glab ous ui s
wi h ob use apices), and glab ous ui ing pedicels ( s.
len icella e) (See Table 1).
Type: INDIA, Ke ala, Thi u anan hapu am dis ic :
Chemunji hills, ±1400 m, 09.05.2019, A.J. Robi &
Anoop P. Balan 100 (holo MH!; iso BAM!, KFRI!).
T ees, o 8 m all; ba k smoo h; b anchle s
sub e e e, smoo h and glab ous; e minal buds
o a e, 2–3 mm long, acu e, silky-pubescen .
Lea es al e na e o sub-opposi e, hinly
Recei ed: 13.03.2024; Re ised & Accep ed: 24.04.2024
Published Online: 30.06.2024
Vol. 34(2): 83–86 (2024)
ISSN: 0971-2313 (P in edi ion)
ISSN: 2582-2438 (Online edi ion)
h ps://dx.doi.o g/10.22244/ heedea.2024.34.02.01
In oduc ion
Beilschmiedia Nees is one o he la ges Pan opical
gene a belonging o he amily Lau aceae wi h
abou 250 species dis ibu ed in opical Asia and
A ica (Van de We , 2003; Nishida, 2008; de
Kok, 2021). I is ep esen ed by 13 species in India
(Gangopadhyay e al., 2020) and wo species om
Ke ala (Sasidha an, 2013; Robi e al., 2016). The
genus can be ecognized om i s allied gene a by he
acemose o panicula e in lo escences ha a e no
s ic ly cymose a he e minal di ision, bisexual and
ime ous lowe s wi h six equal o subequal epals,
six o nine e ile s amens in ou e wo o h ee
who ls, wo-celled an he s and non-cupula ui s.
Du ing he e isiona y s udies o he amily Lau aceae
o sou h India, he au ho s ha e collec ed a specimen
Rheedea
Jou nal o he Indian Associa ion o Angiospe m Taxonomy
RESEARCH ARTICLE
84
Beilschmiedia ke alana, a new species o Lau aceae om India
Fig. 1
. Beilschmiedia ke alana Robi & Balan:
a
. Habi ;
b
. A wig wi h lea es–adaxial iew;
c
. A wig wi h lea es–abaxial iew;
d
. A wig wi h
axilla y in lo escence;
e
. In lo escence;
. Pe ian h lobes–inside iew;
g
. Pe ian h lobes–ou side iew;
h
. S aminode;
i
. Eglandula s amens;
j
. S amens wi h basal glands;
k
. Gynoecium;
l
. F ui s ( om Robi A.J. & Anoop P. Balan 100; pho os by A.J. Robi).
85
Robi e al.
co iaceous; pe ioles 10–13 mm long, la ened
abo e, ounded below, slende , glab ous;
lamina ellip ic-oblong, 5.5–8 × 2.5–3.5 cm, base
a enua e o cunea e, ma gin en i e, wa y, apex
ob use, no glaucous below; mid ib la abo e,
p ominen below, glab ous; la e al eins 7–11
pai s, ain adaxially, hin, aised abaxially,
glab ous, looped owa ds ma gin; in e cos ae
e icula e, p ominen abaxially, ain adaxially.
In lo escences axilla y, acemose, 1–1.5 cm long;
peduncle densely silky- omen ose; b ac s usually
caducous, o bicula , densely silky-pubescen ,
cilia e along ma gins. Flowe s 2–3 mm long,
o ange; epals 6 in wo who ls o 3 each, ellip ic
o o a e-ellip ic, c. 2 × 1.5 mm, ob use o sligh ly
incu ed a apex, equal, pubescen on bo h sides;
s amens 9 in 3 who ls, ou e 3, 1.5 mm long,
pu ple; ilamen c. 1 mm long, linea , densely
pubescen ; an he s o a e, c. 0.5 mm long, ob use
a apex, 2-locula , in o se; middle who l almos
same as he ou e ; inne who l 3, c. 1.5 mm long,
la o se, 2 glands a he base o he ilamen , ee;
glands o bicula , sho ly s ipi a e; s aminodes 3,
co da e, c. 1 mm long, pilose a base; o a y o oid,
c. 1.5 mm long, glab ous; spa sely pubescen
s yle; s igma capi a e. Be ies ellipsoid, c. 1.2 cm
long, apex sligh ly poin ed, glab ous, spa sely
len icella e; ui ing pedicels c. 5 mm long, hick,
g eenish, glab ous.
Flowe ing & ui ing: Flowe ing om No embe o
Janua y; ui ing om Ap il o May.
Habi a : Occu s in mon ane e e g een o es s a
an al i udinal ange be ween 1400–1600 m asl.
This species is e y a e in agmen ed o es s
in Chemunji egion o Agas hyamala Biosphe e
Rese e.
Dis ibu ion: So a , known only om he Chemunji
hills, Thi u nan hapu am, Ke ala, India.
E ymology: The speci ic epi he “ke alana” is named
a e he a ea including Ke ala S a e, India.
Conse a ion s a us: Ve y a e in i s known
dis ibu ion ange and he popula ion is es ic ed
o one isola ed loca ion. The a ea o occupancy is
es ima ed o be less han 10 Km2. In he absence
o de ailed da a on popula ions, he species is
ca ego ized as ‘Da a De icien ’ (DD) (IUCN, 2022).
Acknowledgemen s
The au ho s a e g a e ul o he P incipal, Bishop
Ab aham Memo ial College, Thu u hicad,
Pa hanam hi a. The acili ies p o ided by he
Ke ala Fo es Depa men du ing ield wo ks a e
hank ully acknowledged.
Table 1. Mo phological compa ison o Beilschmiedia jacobii and B. ke alana.
Cha ac e s Beilschmiedia jacobii Robi, Udayan &
S.Geo ge
Beilschmiedia ke alana sp. no .
Habi Sh ubs T ees
Te minal bud 2 mm long, us y- omen ose 2–3 mm long, silky-pubescen
Pe iole 5–8 mm long 10–13 mm long
Lea es 3–7 × 1–3 cm, base acu e, apex ob use
o ounded, ma gin la and incu ed;
mid ib ele a ed on bo h sides
5.5–8 × 2.5–3.5 cm, base a enua e o
cunea e, apex ob use, ma gin wa y;
mid ib la abo e, p ominen below
La e al eins 5–7 pai s 7–11 pai s
Flowe s Pale yellowish-g een O ange
F ui s c. 2.5 cm long, ob use a bo h ends,
smoo h; ui ing pedicels len icella e
c. 1.2 cm long, apex sligh ly poin ed,
spa sely len icella e; ui ing pedicels
glab ous
86
Beilschmiedia ke alana, a new species o Lau aceae om India
Li e a u e Ci ed
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