Alternanthera kanhae A. G. Vanzara, I. Katara & P. S. Nagar 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vanzara, Akash G.
name: Katara, Ilesh
name: Nagar, Padamnabhi S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Caryophyllales
Amaranthaceae
Alternanthera
Alternanthera kanhae

description: Alternanthera kanhae A.G.Vanzara, I. Katara & P.S. Nagar sp. nov. (Figs. 1–2).
Type:— India, Gujarat, Anand district. Mota Kalodara, Sabarmati estuary, 22°36’1.50”N 72°29’32.30”E, alt ca. 9.144 m, 12 January 2018, A.Vanzara BARO –2016. (holotype: BARO –2016 Accession no. AN30720; AN30721, AN30722).
Diagnosis:— Alternanthera kanhae is similar to A. pungens but differs by its prostrate habit, densely villous stem, densely villous subsessile blades, ovate bracts and bracteoles, not spinose tipped tepals and obcordate ovary. Our observation was further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis in which A. kanhae showed clear distinction with that of sister clades (associated species) with 72% bootstrap support (Fig.4).
Description:― Perennial herbs, plant prostrate, greenish – white, with slender dark brown tap root, 3 – 5 mm diam. Stem, 1 – 2 mm diam., much branched, apical part quadrangular, basal part cylindric, green–pinkish red at maturity, densely villous at apex and nodes, hairs barbed 1 – 2 × 0.03 – 0.05 mm. Leaves 9 – 15 × 3 – 4 mm, spatulate, apex acute, margins entire, base attenuate; light–dark green, densely villous on both surfaces; midrib raised on abaxial surface. Spike, axillary, globular or slightly ovoid, 6 – 7 × 4 – 5 mm diam., with 16 – 24 flowers; peduncle ± sessile. Flower 2 – 4 × 1–3 mm, rachis with sparse villous hairs; pedicel ± sessile ca. 0.2 mm long. Bract single 1 – 2 × 0.4–0.7 mm, shortly acumiate, creamy white, glabrous, membranous; bracteoles 2, 0.7 – 0.9 × 0.1 – 0.3 mm, ovate, mucronate, creamy, glabrous, membranous. Perianth segments 2 – 3 × 0.7 – 0.9 mm, ovate, apex shortly acuminate, creamy, glabrous, membranous. Stamens 5, dorsifixed; anthers 0.12 – 0.14 × 0.16 – 0.18 mm, yellow; filament 0.6 – 0.8 × 0.03 – 0.05 mm, 1/ 2 in length of ovary, translucent; staminodes 5, 0.1 – 0.2 mm, shorter than filaments. Ovary 0.8 – 2 × 0.6 – 2 mm, apex obcordate, base cuneate, green, scatteredly pubescent, compressed. Style 0.1–0.3 × 0.7 – 0.8 mm long, glabrous; stigma bilobed, 0.7 – 0.9 × 0.16 – 0.18 mm, sticky, brown. Fruit indehiscent utricle, 0.6 – 0.8 × 0.7 – 0.9 mm, broadly obvoid, apex obcordate, base cuneate, cream to pale green, and usually flushed pink, compressed, surface colliculate. Seeds 0.7 – 0.8 mm long, smooth, compressed, broadly obvate, apex rounded, brown, glabrous.
Distribution:― Alternanthera kanhae could be collected from only one location, Sabarmati estuary, Mota Kalodara, Anand district.
Habitat:― Alternanthera kanhae was collected from the sandy beach of Sabarmati estuary.The associated species are Phyla nodiflora (Linnaeus 1753: 20) Greene (1899: 46), Glinus oppositifolius (Linnaeus 1753: 89) A. DC. (1901: 559), Ammannia baccifera Linnaeus (1753: 120), Glinus lotoides Linnaeus (1753: 463–464), Amaranthus spinosus Linnaeus (1753: 991), Cyperu srotundus Linnaeus (1753: 45), Cynodon dactylon (Linnaeus 1753: 58) Persoon (1805: 85) and Rumex dentatus Linnaeus (1753: 226).
Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting all across the year.
Etymology:— The new species is named after the almighty Lord Krishna, who is endearingly called Kanha.
description: Published as part of Vanzara, Akash G., Katara, Ilesh & Nagar, Padamnabhi S., 2021, Alternanthera kanhae (Amaranthaceae), a new species from Sabarmati Estuary of India, pp. 21-28 in Phytotaxa 500 (1) on pages 25-26, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.500.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/5424379