Two new epiphytic species of Impatiens L. (Balsaminaceae) from the southern Western Ghats, India Author Saravanan, Thokuluva Santharam 0000-0003-1765-0408 Lead Botanical Garden, National Orchidarium & Experimental Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Yercaud - 636 602, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India; & rammaheshsaran @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1765 - 0408 rammaheshsaran@gmail.com Author Kaliamoorthy, Seventhilingam 0000-0001-7017-8144 Lead Botanical Garden, National Orchidarium & Experimental Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Yercaud - 636 602, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India; & skmoorthybsi @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 7017 - 8144 skmoorthybsi@gmail.com text Phytotaxa 2022 2022-06-21 552 1 107 114 journal article 78752 10.11646/phytotaxa.552.1.10 9cb93d9c-72db-40d4-9ec5-0ec45d65e0ac 1179-3163 6673132 Impatiens kurichiarmalayana Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy , sp. nov. ( Figure 2 ) Impatiens kurichiarmalayana is similar to I. mankulamensis K. M. P. Kumar, R. Jagad. & Nagaraj (2017: 281) and I. panduranganii K. M. P. Kumar, R. Jagad. & G. Prasad (2017: 285) in having common characters viz., rosulate leaves, umbellate cyme inflorescence, unequally bilobed wing petals and shorter basal lobes. But differs from I. mankulamensis by having ovate-lanceolate leaves ( vs elliptic, lanceolate-oblanceolate in I. mankulamensis ), lateral sepals white with dark purple tinges at the apex ( vs white with brown tinges at tip in I. mankulamensis ), dorsal petal white ( vs pale purple in I. mankulamensis ), presence of dorsal auricle ( vs absence in I. mankulamensis ) and absence of spur ( vs present in I. mankulamensis ); Impatiens kurichiarmalayana also differs from I. panduranganii by having white flowers with dark purple spot at the base of the wing petals ( vs white with light purple dots in I. panduranganii ), dorsal petal keeled at apex ( vs not keeled in I. panduranganii ), distal lobe spreading and broadly obovate ( vs not spreading and shoe shaped in I. panduranganii ), lower sepal white with yellow mark at middle and dark brown streaks horizontally ( vs white with yellow tinges in I. panduranganii ) ( Table 2 ). Type :— INDIA . Kerala : Wayanad District , Kurichiarmala Reserve Forest , 11º36’2”N , 75º57’57”E , 1200–1320 m , 11 December 2019 , Saravanan & Kaliamoorthy 136030 ( holotype & isotype MH !) . Epiphytic tuberous herbs. Stem simple, erect, to 19.5 cm tall, succulent, yellowish green in lower portion, distally reddish purple, leaves bearing portion greenish, glabrous. Tubers ca 0.9 × 0.5 cm , oblong, pale brownish white. Leaves crowned at top; lamina 0.9–2.6 × 0.4–1.2 cm , elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, obtuse or apiculate to retuse at apex, attenuate at base, apiculate-crenate at margins, light green and hairy only on nerves adaxially, purplish green and glabrous abaxially; lateral nerves 3–4 pairs; petioles 1.1–2.5 cm long, purplish, glabrous. Inflorescence a subumbellate racemes; peduncle 7.5–9.7 cm long, 3–4-flowered, dark purplish red, glabrous. Flowers 1.7–1.9 cm across, white with dark purple spots at base of distal and basal lobes, glabrous; pedicels ca 0.9 cm long, purplish green, glabrous; bracts ca 0.4 × 0.1 cm , ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate and mucronate at apex, concave, pale greenish with purple lines, glabrous; lateral sepals ca 0.5 × 0.2 cm , elliptic-oblong, acuminate and mucronate at apex, slightly concave, mid nerve pale purplish with dark purple apex; dorsal petal ca 0.6 × 0.3 cm , broadly ovate-orbicular, obtuse, concave, margins wavy, dorsally keeled; keel mucronate at apex; mucro ca 0.1 cm long; wing petals unequally 2-lobed, 1.5–1.7 × 0.5–0.7 cm ; claw 0.3–0.4 cm long, glabrous; basal lobe much smaller than distal lobe, ca 0.5 × 0.2 cm , triangular-ovate in outline, acute-acuminate at apex; distal lobe ca 1.2 × 0.5 cm , broadly obovate, obtuse to truncate at apex, notched towards inner side much below the apex; dorsal auricle ca 0.1 cm long, triangular, obtuse at apex, yellowish; lower sepal saccate, ca 0.6 × 0.4 cm , ca 0.2–0.3 cm deep, ovate, obtuse and mucronate at apex, white with yellowish mark at middle, and dark purple streaks horizontally; spur absent; stamens ca 0.4 × 0.2 cm , slightly curved; filaments 5, ca 0.3 × 0.1 cm , creamy white; anthers ca 0.1 × 0.1 cm ; ovary ca 0.2 × 0.1 cm , glabrous. Capsules 0.7–1.0 × 0.2–0.3 cm , ellipsoid-clavate, greenish, glabrous; seeds minute, 0.1 cm long, sub-globose, pale yellow, with short white hairs scattered all over the surface. Phenology:—Flowering & fruiting: June–September. TABLE 2. Distinguishing characters of Impatiens kurichiarmalayana , I. mankulamensis and I. panduranganii .

Characters	Impatiens kurichiarmalayana	Impatiens mankulamensis	Impatiens panduranganii
Habit	Epiphytic herbs	Lithophytic herbs	Lithophytic herbs
Leaves	0.9–2.6 cm long, elliptic, ovate- lanceolate	4.1–9.1 cm long, elliptic, lanceolate-oblanceolate		2.6–4.1 cm long, elliptic-ovate
Peduncles	7.5–9.7 cm long, 3–4-flowered inflorescence	5–10 cm long, 4–5-flowered inflorescence		4–6 cm long, 3–4-flowered inflorescence
Flowers	1.7–1.9 cm across, white with dark purple spots at the basal and lateral lobes	1.5–2.4 cm across, white with dark purple spots at the base of lateral petals		1.8–2.1 cm across, milky white
Lateral sepals	Elliptic-oblong, white with dark purple tinges at apex	Elliptic-orbicular, white brown tinges at apex	with	Elliptic-oblong, white with green tinges at apex
Dorsal petal	Broadly ovate-orbicular, white, keeled	Broadly ovate-orbicular, purple, keeled	pale	Elliptic-ovate, white, not keeled
Wing petals–distal lobe	Broadly obovate, white with dark purple spots, spreading	Semi-flabellate, pale purple, not spreading		Shoe shaped, white with light purple dots, not spreading
Dorsal auricle	Present, yellow	Absent	Present, yellow
Lower sepal	Ovate, white with yellowish mark at middle and dark purple streaks horizontally, not spurred	Oblong, white with dark purple streaks, spurred		Elliptic-navicular, white yellow tinges, not spurred	with
Seeds	Sub-globose, yellowish, white hairs all over the surface	Ellipsoid, both ends fringed with white hairs		Ovoid-ellipsoid, both ends fringed with white hairs

Ecology:—Growing on moss covered wet tree trunks in evergreen forests, in association with Bulbophyllum fischeri Seidenf. (1974: 202) , Eria albiflora Rolfe (1893: 170) and Oberonia brunoniana Wight (1851: 1622) , at an elevation of 1319 m . Conservation Status:— Impatiens kurichiarmalayana is only known from the type locality with about 10–15 mature individuals. The population is well conserved within the boundaries of protected forest areas. However, considering the lesser number of individuals in a single population size distributed in an area of hardly 0.3 km , the species described here is assessed as Critically Endangered (CE) by applying the criterion d ( IUCN 2019 ). Etymology:—The specific epithet is named after the type locality, Kurichiarmala evergreen forests, Wayanad district, Kerala , India . Notes:— Impatiens kurichiarmalayana shows also similarities with I. travancorica Bedd. (1874: 29) , in having a rosulate leaves, sub-umbellate raceme inflorescence, white flowers with dark purple patches near the base of the wing petals, sub-globose seeds with short hairs all over, but differs by its habit (Epiphytic tuberous herbs in I. kurichiarmalayana vs annual herbs in I. travancorica ), size and shape of the lateral sepals (elliptic-oblong in I. kurichiarmalayana vs obliquely ovate in I. travancorica ), dorsal petal (broadly ovate-orbicular in I. kurichiarmalayana vs cucullate in I. travancorica ), dorsal auricle (present in I. kurichiarmalayana vs absent in I. travancorica ) and spur (absent in I. kurichiarmalayana vs present in I. travancorica ).