Three new species of Polycarpaea (Caryophyllaceae) from Kerala, South India Author Arya, Sindhu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2029-2456 Department of Botany, University College, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala- 695 034, India Author Kumar, Venugopalan Nair Saradamma Anil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3809-2620 Department of Botany, University College, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala- 695 034, India vsanilbotany@gmail.com Author Pillai, Ambika Viswanathan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6807-0991 Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, University of Calicut, Palakkad, Kerala- 678001, India Author Alen, Alex Philip https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4164-7738 Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, University of Calicut, Palakkad, Kerala- 678001, India Author Sojan, Jose Department of Botany, Government College, Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala- 678104, India Author Suresh, Veerankutty https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7350-9236 Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, University of Calicut, Palakkad, Kerala- 678001, India text PhytoKeys 2022 2022-11-14 213 95 110 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.213.89875 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.213.89875 1314-2003-213-95 7E32F63E74E95B448C092BAF11F8506C Polycarpaea barbellata V.S.A. Kumar, S. Arya, V. Suresh & Alen Alex sp. nov. Figs 5 , 6 Type . India . Kerala , Palakkad district , Kuthanur , Chedukamala 10°41'42.6"N , 76°31'06.3"E , 150 m a.s.l. , 20 October 2021 , V.S.A Kumar , Suresh V & Arya S. , 3010 ( holotype UCBD! isotype UCBD!) . Figure 5. A habit B flower bud C internode D flower E bract F stipule G sepal H petal I stamen J gynoecium K capsule L seed. Photos by V.S.A. Kumar. Diagnosis. Polycarpaea barbellata is morphologically similar to Polycarpaea aurea with respect to yellow-orange color of sepals but differs with respect to stipules (oblong, parted into 3 with a long acicular structure in the center and other two parts barbellate vs. lanceolate parted into 2, free, with no central structure), Inflorescence (dense cyme vs. lax cyme), bract (linear, white, acicular apex vs. lanceolate-ovate, greyish-brown, acuminate apex), bracteoles (Capillaceous with acicular apex vs. ovate lanceolate with acute apex), petals (wedge shaped, whitish-lilac vs. broadly ovate-oblong, yellowish-brown), Gynoecium (spheroidal, yellowish green reduced vs. conical, short yellow), capsule (style not persistent, tip not recurved, 2-3 seeded vs. style persistent, tip recurved, 5-many seeded). Figure 6. Polycarpaea barbellata A habit B flower bud C flower D capsule E bract F stipule G petal H stamen I gynoecium J seed. Illustration by Ambika Viswanathanpillai. Description. Annual herbs, erect or sub-erect, branched from the base 10-15 cm high. Stem terete, sparsely villous, nodes red swollen, internodes 1.5-2 cm long. Leaves whorled, sessile, lanceolate-oblanceolate, green, 1.3-2.1cm long, base round, margin smooth or wavy, apex acute or acuminate, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial surface pubescent; lamina 1-2 veined, prominent on abaxial side; stipules prominent, oblong, parted into 3 (2 equal barbellate parts), central part has a long acicular structure ca. 1 mm long, fused at the base (1-1.2 x ca. 0.4 mm), base golden yellow, smooth; margin entire, apex acicular, milky white. Inflorescence terminal, branched regular dense cyme, ca. 4.5 cm long; Bracts linear - lanceolate, 0.8 - 1.0 mm, white, equal or sub-equal to the length of the sepal; base smooth, margin entire, apex acicular. Bracteole capillaceous with acicular apex, holding the bracts in position. Flowers 4-6 per cyme, 3.5-3.8 mm long; pedicels 1.5-2.3 mm long, green villous. Sepals 5, fused at base, ovate (1-1.2 x ca. 0.8 mm), entire at the margin, acute to obtuse at apex, white, non-membranous base round, midrib faint. Petals 5, broadly wedge shaped (0.5-1 x 0.5-0.6 mm), margin entire, completely enclosing the ovary, 1/3 as short as sepals, whitish-lilac. Stamens 5, forming a ring with petals and encircling the ovary, ca. 0.9 mm long; anthers yellow, ovate, basifixed. Ovary 1-loculed, shortly stipitate, spheroidal, yellowish green, 1.2-1.3 x 1-2 mm, glabrous, placentation free central; style 0.01-0.03 mm, shorter than the ovary; stigma capitate. Capsule oblate-prolate (1.4-1.6 x ca. 0.6 mm), shortly stipitate, style not persistent, tip not recurved, 3-valved, breaks along the suture, brownish, scarious along margin. Seeds (2-3) ovate (0.1-0.15 x 0.1-0.2 mm), yellow with striations. Micromorphology of the seed is ovate-sub-orbicular in its outline with depressions all over the seed surface. The margin is entire and the epidermal cell pattern is faintly angular. Striations are also faint (Fig. 7I, J ). Figure 7. SEM of seeds ( P. corymbosa ) A seed B seed surface C, D P. palakkadensis E, F P. ebracteata G, H P. psammophila I, J P. barbellata K, L P. aurea . Phenology. Flowering and fruiting during August-December. Etymology. Latin barba, stiff hairs, suffix ella, diminutive, and -ata, possession, alluding to barbellate nature of stipules, a diagnostic character. Habitat and distribution. The primary habitat of Polycarpaea barbellata is the hillock terrains in Palakkad district (Kerala granite outcrop in the northern side of Palakkad gap, the largest break in the Western Ghats having an arid climate with seasonal fires). Polycarpaea barbellata is also seen associated with Polycarpaea corymbosa , Fimbristylis sp. and Indigofera enneaphylla (Fig. 8 ). Figure 8. Distribution map of Polycarpaea ebracteata , P. psammophila and P. barbellata . Conservation status. The present study could report two populations with 20-35 individuals each. We consider that further evidence is needed to determine the new taxon's conservation status because Polycarpaea barbellata could be found in other regions in Southwest (and India as a whole). As a consequence, the new species is now categorized as DD (Data Deficient) by the IUCN ( IUCN 2021 ). Additional specimens examined. India . Kerala , Palakkad district , Kuzhalmannam , Kariyanchirachola , 2 November 2021 , Suresh V. & Sojan Jose, 3077 (UCBD!); 10 November 2021 Alen Alex Philip & Suresh V. , 3084 (UCBD!) . Taxonomic notes. In India, the genus Polycarpaea is represented by seven species ( Arya et al. 2021 ). The proposed three new species are closely allied to Polycarpaea corymbosa ( Linnaeus 1753 : 205) Lamarck (1792 : 129) and Polycarpaea aurea that has wide distribution along with P. palakkadensis . The new species also resembles Polycarpaea palakkadensis superficially but differs distinctly with respect to characters summarized in Table 1 . Table 1. Morphological comparison between Polycarpaea ebracteata , P. psammophila , P. barbellata with P. corymbosa , P. aurea and P. palakkadensis .

Characters	Polycarpaea ebracteata	Polycarpaea psammophila	Polycarpaea barbellata	Polycarpaea corymbosa	Polycarpaea palakkadensis	Polycarpaea aurea
Leaves	Verticillate	Whorled	Whorled	Opposite or apparently whorled	Verticillate (erroneously given as Pseudoverticillate in Protologue)	Opposite decussate
Stipules	Ovate-obovate, 0.2-0.8 mm, apex acute base yellowish or greenish, setae absent, white	Linear to Lanceolate, 5-8 mm, base golden yellow with unicellular setae, apex often bifurcated, branches acicular at apex, milky white	Oblong, parted into 3 (2 equal parts), central part has a long acicular structure ca 1 mm long, fused at the base 1-1.2 x ca. 0.4 mm, base golden yellow,, apex acicular, milky white	Lanceolate, long, 5 mm, base without setae, hyaline	Linear-lanceolate, 1.2 - 2 mm, base without setae, apex acute, creamy white	Lanceolate, acuminate at apex, ca. 3 mm long, base without setae, colourless or yellowish-brown, slightly silvery
Inflorescence	Regular branched lax cyme	Irregular branched lax cyme	Regular branched dense cyme	Irregular branched dense cyme	Irregular, dense cyme	Regular lax cymes
Bract	Absent	Lanceolate-oblanceolate, exceeding the length of the sepal; base smooth, margin entire, apex acuminate.	Lanceolate, equal or sub-equal to the length of the sepal; base smooth, not fused.	Lanceolate-ovate, shorter than the sepal.	Ovate-oblong (erroneously given as linear-lanceolate in protologue), fused at the base, creamy white.	Ovate-lanceolate, not fused at base, grey with a faint brownish tinge.
Bracteole	Absent	Linear with acicular apex	Capillaceous with acicular apex	Lanceolate with acute apex	Capillaceous, not prominent	Ovate-lanceolate
Sepal	Ovate 1.3-1.4mm, entire at the margin, acute or obtuse at apex, white, non-membranous base round, midrib faint.	Obovate-oblanceolate 2.3 -2.6 mm, acute or obtuse at apex, white.	Ovate 1-1.2 mm, acute to obtuse at apex, white, non-membranous base round, midrib faint.	Lanceolate, acuminate apex, hyaline, membranous.	Ovate-oblong, entire margin, acute or blunt apex, white.	Ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate at apex, scarious, bright orange-reddish.
Petal	Ovate 0.1-0.3 mm, oblong to round at apex, partially enclosing the ovary, 1/4 as short as sepals, dark red-brown.	Ovate-oblate 1-1.3 mm, keeled, pointed upward at apex, partially or completely enclosing the ovary.	Broadly wedge shaped 0.5-1 mm completely enclosing the ovary, 1/3 as short as sepals, whitish-lilac.	Broadly ovate round at apex; silvery white to pink or purplish red.	Ovate-cordate, fimbriate margin, round to mucronate at apex, dark red - brown.	Oblong-obovate, margin entire, obtuse at apex, yellowish-brown.
Stamens	0.2 mm long, filament inconspicuous	0.3 mm long; filament longer than anther.	0.9 mm, filament same length as anther.	2 mm, Filament equals the length of anther.	0.1 mm, filament very short	1 mm, filament as long as anther
Gynoecium	Spheroidal	Spheroidal	Spheroidal	Ovoid	Oblate spheroid	Conical
Capsule	Style not persistent ovoid 3-valved, breaks along the suture, brownish,	Style persistent, Oblate-prolate, tip not curved after dehiscence 4 valved.	Style not persistent, 3 valved, tips straight after dehiscence	Style persistent, tips not curved, 3 valved	Style not persistent, 4 valved, smooth, tips not recurved after dehiscence	Style persistent smooth, shining, glabrous, tips recurved after dehiscence
Seed	3-4 seeds, yellow to brown no striation	20-25 seeds yellowish brown, smooth	2-3 seed, ovate yellow with striations	5-13, brown, reniform	1-2 Ovoid-elliptical creamy white	5-many seeded, reniform brown