Pedicularis artiae R.Kr.Singh, Kholia & Sudhakar

Singh, R. Kr., Kholia, B. S., Sudhakar, J. V. 2016. Pedicularis artiae, a new species of Orobanchaceae from Sikkim Himalaya, India. Kew Bulletin 71:36. DOI 10.1007/S12225-016-9649-2

Type

Type: India, Sikkim, North Sikkim Distr., Bridle road, old Bansoi, Lachen, 2300 m, 30 Sept. 2013, B. S. Kholia 38921 (holotype CAL; isotypes BSHC).

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, erect herbs, 25 – 60 cm high; stem cylindrical, solid, branched, glabrous below, wooly pubescent above; branches opposite or whorled; roots 6 – 11 cm long, curved, stout, woody, tuberous; rootlets woody

Morphology Leaves

Leaves whorled; radical leaves absent; cauline leaves 4 – 9 pairs, 0.6 – 2.5 × 0.3 – 1 cm, pinnatisect, subcoriaceous, ovate-oblong, obtuse, both surfaces hispid with short erect silvery hairs, petiolate; pinnae 4 – 7 pairs, ovate-oblong, irregularly dentate with wooly hairs in between teeth; teeth coarse, flattened, rounded to obtuse with serrate margins; petioles 0.3 – 1 cm long, faintly pubescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence many-flowered, lax racemes, pubescent with wooly retrose hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 1.2 – 1.8 cm long, bracteate, subsessile; pedicels c. 1 mm long, faintly pubescent; bracts 4 – 6 × 4 – 5 mm, ovate, foliaceous, sessile, both surfaces sparsely pubescent, dense bunch of wooly hairs present in between each pinnae

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 5 – 6 × 1.5 – 2 mm, obliquely cupular, anterior slightly cleft, 5-lobed; tube ovate-oblong, light greenish purple, strongly 5-grooved, glabrous; lobes 2 – 2.5 mm long, erect, broadly triangular, equal, margins densely ciliate, tips acute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 1.2 – 1.6 cm long, purple with white throat, glabrous throughout; tube 8 – 10 mm long, almost twice the length of calyx or slightly less, uniformly thickened, glabrous; galea sickle-shaped, incurved over labium, narrowed to form a long beak, gland dotted; beak 4 – 5 mm long, nearly straight, emarginate at the tip; labium 1.5 – 1.9 cm long, 3-lobed, gland dotted, slightly extended beyond galea, margins entire; lateral lobes 6 – 8 mm long, broadly triangular, tip acute-obtuse; mid-lobe 5 – 7 cm long, protruded, broadly ovate, almost ½ the size of the laterals, tip acute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens all equal, with different insertion points, 2 inserted at base of the corolla tube, one slightly lower than the other, other 2 inserted in upper half slightly below the throat of corolla tube, all glabrous; anthers 1.4 – 1.6 mm long, cells ovate, dorsifixed; filaments 7 – 9 mm long, ribbon-like, with prominent median rib, glabrous throughout; ovary 3.5 – 3.8 mm long, slightly obliquely ovate-elongate; style 2.3 – 3 cm long, simple, projecting out of galea or not, glabrous; stigma dotted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsules 7 – 9 mm long, oblong, tip acute

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1 – 1.5 mm long, many, oblong, pale

Distribution

India, Sikkim, North Sikkim district.

Ecology

Pedicularis artiae occurs in semi-shaded gentle slopes of evergreen forest, growing in boggy soils among mosses.

Conservation

We were unable to collect specimens of this species from anywhere else but the type locality, where at present, this species is represented by about 75 – 80 mature individuals. According to our current knowledge of the species and using the IUCN categories and criteria (IUCN 2012), Pedicularis artiae is currently classified as Endangered under criterion D.

Note

Flowering September – October; fruiting November – December. The species is named after Dr Arti Garg, a distinguished Scientist, for her immense knowledge and valuable contributions to the genus Pedicularis in India, presently working in the Botanical Survey of India. Pedicularis artiae is easily distinguished from the two allied species, P. heydei and P. porrecta by its large size, absence of radical leaves, greater number of cauline leaf pairs, many-flowered pubescent racemes having wooly retrose hairs, smaller calyx, labium larger with broadly triangular lateral lobes and broadly ovate mid-lobe, stamina insertion at different points with ribbon-like filaments and dotted stigma. Differences of the new species from the two allied species are shown in Table 1.