Peucedanum vasudevanii K. M. P. Kumar, Rampradeep, Hareesh, Jabeena & Maya, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Prabhukumar, Konickal Mambetta
name: Rampradeep, Rajamani
name: Hareesh, Vadakkoot Sankaran
name: Jabeena, Manjakulam Khadhersha
name: Maya, Chandrasekharan Nair
name: Balachandran, Indira
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Apiales
Apiaceae
Peucedanum
Peucedanum vasudevanii

description: Peucedanum vasudevanii K.M.P.Kumar, Rampradeep, Hareesh, Jabeena & Maya sp. nov. (Figures 1 & 2)   
 Diagnosis:— Peucedanum vasudevanii described here is similar to P. pradeepianum by having angular stem, decompound leaves, inflexed petals, pink, broadly conical stylopodium, deflexed style, ellipsoid mericarp and 3–4 lateral vittae but differs from the latter in having hirtellous stem (vs. glabrous), basal lanceolate leaflets (vs. obovate), oblong, purple involucre bracts (vs. broadly ovate, pale brown), subequal rays (vs. distinctly equal), hirtellous hairs on rays (vs. glabrous), purple anthers (vs. yellow), mericarp of 10–12 × 8–9 mm (vs. 4–6 × 3.5–4.5 mm) and six commissural vittae (vs. four). The detailed distinguishable characters are tabulated in Table 1.   
 Type: — INDIA. Kerala: Palakkad district, Nelliyampathy forest, Mattumala hills, ± 1450 m, 17 July 2014, K. M. Prabhukumar 7842 (holotype, LWG, isotypes, MH, CMPR, GVCH).   
Slender, erect, hirtellous, one-stemmed perennial, 30–40 cm tall herb. Root-stock rigid, 2.5–3.5 cm in diameter. Stems 1.7–2.2 cm diam. at base, solid, angular, green with purple ridges. Leaves 3.6–8.8 cm long, opposite, (with) venation faint brochidodromous, decompound; leaf sheath 5–7.5 mm long, grooved with purple striations; petiole 1.4–2.3 cm long, angled, hirtellous; leaflets of two types, basal leaflets lanceolate, deeply serrate and mucronate sometimes apex incised; upper leaflets elliptic, serrate, mucronate; rachis sheathing at base. Inflorescence compound umbel; umbels 3–4 rayed; rays subequal, 3.9–4 cm long; involucre bracts 1–3, 1.3–1.7 × 1–1.3 mm, oblong, purple; involucel (secondary involucre) 4, 1.1–2.8 mm, ovate, unequal, entire, acute-acuminate, persistent, purple, pubescent on both sides; flowers inconspicuous, 2.2–2.4 mm in diam., all perfect, pedicel 1.6–1.7 mm long, terete, subequal; sepals 0.5–0.6 mm, oblong-elliptic, fused, lobes prominent, margin entire, lilac; petals 1.2–2 mm long, obovate, acute, strongly inflexed, white to creamy white; stamens spreading, filaments white, 0.8–1 mm long; anthers 0.3× 0.4 mm, oblong or sub-globular, purple, dorsifixed; stylopodium c.0.75× 1 mm, broadly conical, pinkish; styles c. 0.5 mm long, slender, deflexed. Mericarp 10–12× 8–9 mm, ellipsoid, ridge 1–1.5 mm wide; vittae prominent, 6 on commissural and 3–4 on lateral surfaces.  
 Phenology:— June to October   
 Habitat:— Peucedanum vasudevanii grows in open grasslands associated with Chlorophytum malabaricum Baker (1876:331), Eriocaulon pectinatum Ruhland (1903:85), Henckelia incana (Vahl 1804: 88) Spreng. (Sprengel 1824:38) and Impatiens viscosa Beddome (1859: 68) in Mattumala hills, Nelliyampathy ranges of the Anamalai, southern Western Ghats of Kerala.   
 Distribution:— Currently, the taxon is known only from Nelliyampathy hills in Kerala.   
 Etymology:— The new species is named after the Late Professor R. Vasudevan Nair (Department of Botany, Govt. Victoria College, Palakkad), an eminent taxonomist, plant illustrator, and an inspiring teacher for his outstanding contribution to the field of Angiosperm taxonomy.   
 Additional specimens examined: — INDIA: Kerala. Palakkad district, Nelliyampathy hills, Chakkaliyampara, 10˚31′38.5″ N, 76˚40′19.4″ E, 1033 m, 06 July 2019, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 2133 (CALI, GVCH).
description: Published as part of Prabhukumar, Konickal Mambetta, Rampradeep, Rajamani, Hareesh, Vadakkoot Sankaran, Jabeena, Manjakulam Khadhersha, Maya, Chandrasekharan Nair & Balachandran, Indira, 2024, A new species of Peucedanum (Apiaceae: Apioideae) from south India, pp. 74-78 in Phytotaxa 644 (1) on pages 74-77, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.644.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/13214441