Dipcadi ursulae var. alba H. Rodrigues, S. R. Dutta & Chakral, var. nov.
Creators: name: Rodrigues, Hensal Salvador
name: Dutta, Suchandra Ranjit
name: Chakral, Kiran Gangadhar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Asparagales
Asparagaceae
Dipcadi
Dipcadi ursulae
Dipcadi ursulae blatt. var. alba h.rodrigues, s.r.dutta &amp; chakral

description: 2. Dipcadi ursulae Blatt. var. alba H.Rodrigues, S.R.Dutta & Chakral, var. nov. (Fig. 1, 3)   
 Type:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Thane, Mama-Bhanja Hill, 09 August 2021, H. Rodrigues & Chakral 212401 (Holotype CAL!; Isotypes RDNCP!, VCH!, BLAT!).   
Diagnosis:—Leaves canaliculate-linear, with central white band, persistent in infructescence; flowers campanulate-urceolate, pure white in dense raceme, floral tube with or without constriction, sweet odour; outer tepal lobes spreading; bracts acuminate; pistil stipitate; fruits as long as broad; seeds shiny black.  
Bulbs tunicate, ovoid-ellipsoid, neck absent, 1.0–1.8 × 1.0– 1.9 cm. propagating vegetatively by bulblets and splitting of the mother bulb. Roots fibrous, fleshy, arise from the basal disc. Leaves 2 to 7, 10–55 × 0.4–1.2 cm, linear, channelled or not, glabrous, green with central white band, basal underground portion white, apex involute, leaves shorter than inflorescence, 2 to 7 persistent in infructescence, 6 veined. Scape 1 (or 2), 10–45 × c. 0.3 cm long, glabrous, terete and green; raceme, 3–17 cm long, dense. Pedicel 8–11 × c. 1 mm long. Bract 12–25 × 7–8 mm long, green coriaceous with scarious margins that clasp the pedicel, base ± triangular, apex 7–10 mm, acuminate, completely scarious in infructescence, 5–7 nerved. Flowers 2 to 18 per scape, 19–21 mm long, tubular-urceolate, pure white, fragrant daynight; perianth arranged in two rows of 3 each, outer perianth c. 3 mm longer than inner perianth; perianth tube c. 5.0 × c. 4.0 mm, white; outer perianth lobes 10–12 × 4–5 mm, oblong, recurved c. 10 mm, white, tip hooded and papillose, 7 to 8 nerved; inner perianth lobes 9.0–10 × 3.5–4.0 mm, recurved c. 6 mm, deltoid with rounded apex, white, tip papillose, 7 to 8 nerved, perianth tube half smaller than the perianth lobes. Stamens 6, c. 6.5 mm long; filaments c. 4.5 × c. 1.0 mm, narrowing towards the apex, white, adnate to perianth; anthers c. 3 × c. 0.6 mm, sagittate, apiculate, dorsifixed, yellow, projecting out of tube 0.1–0.2 mm at anthesis, dehiscing longitudinally, filament twice as long as anther. Pistil c. 12 mm long; ovary tricarpellary, 4–5 × c. 2 mm, trigonous near cylindrical, green, stipitate, stipe c. 1 mm long, conspicuous septal nectary present in the ovary; style 6–7 × c. 1 mm, glistening white, cylindrical with longitudinal striations, style as long as the ovary; stigma 0.1–0.2 mm, thicker than the style, 1–1.2 mm in diameter, white, papillose, vaguely trigonous, each lobe is bilobed, the trilobed condition observed when the pistil is young, with 3 nectar droplets at the angle of the stigma lobes that project out of tube at anthesis. Fruit loculicidal capsule,, 7–9 × 9–10 mm, longer than or equal to the length, dehiscing longitudinally, pericarp thick, green when young and thin, light yellowish-green-brown at maturity, bracts persistent. Seeds, c. 4.5 × 4.5 mm, superposed, orbicular-ellipsoid, compressed with slightly raised margin; shiny black, 9 to 12 per locule.  
Distribution:— INDIA, Maharashtra: Thane district, Mama-Bhanja Hill.  
Habitat:—Growing on open rocky slopes of the plateau.  
Phenology:—July–August.  
 Etymology:—This varietal epithet is named ‘alba’ after the unique pure white flower colour which is different from the Dipcadi ursulae.   
 Associates:— Senecio bombayensis Balakrishnan (1970: 61), Ceropegia attenuata Hooker (1851: 867), Smithia sensitiva Aiton (1789: 496), Neanotis lancifolia (Hooker 1880: 73) Lewis (1966: 39), Cyperus nemoralis Chermezon (1921: 553), Celosia argentea Linnaeus (1753: 205), and species of Ischaemum Linnaeus (1753: 1049), Vigna Savi (1824: 113), Justicia Linnaeus (1753: 15), Cyanotis Don (1825: 45).   
 Key to the Dipcadi ursulae group   
 1. Leaves canaliculate to flat with central white band, leaf width up to 1.2 cm, ovary stipitate............................................ D. ursulae   
 1. Leaves strap shape without a central white band, leaf width 3.5–3.7 cm, ovary sessile................... D. longiracemosum (stat. nov.)   
 Key to varieties of D. ursulae   
 1. Flowers in a lax raceme, tubular without constriction, white with green or brick red band on perianth lobes, tepals recurved; 0–3 leaves persistent in infructescence.................................................................................................................. D. ursulae var. ursulae   
 1. Flowers in a dense raceme, campanulate-urceolate with or without constriction, pure white, tepals spreading; all leaves persistent in infructescence................................................................................................................................. D. ursulae var. alba (var. nov.)
description: Published as part of Rodrigues, Hensal Salvador, Dutta, Suchandra Ranjit & Chakral, Kiran Gangadhar, 2024, Systematic study in Dipcadi ursulae (Asaparagaceae, Scillioideae) from Maharashtra, India, pp. 241-260 in Phytotaxa 653 (3) on pages 251-252, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.653.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13217005