taxonID	type	description	language	source
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	materials_examined	Type: — INDIA. Tamil Nadu: The Nilgiris Distr., Way to Nadugani-Mukurthi National Park, 11 ° 15 ′ 13.94 ″ N, 76 ° 29 ′ 13.50 ″ E, ± 2223 m, 29.11.2022, M. Murugesan & B. Karthik 148115 (Holotype MH; Isotypes MH).	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: — Small tree with glabrous branches (vs medium to large tree with villous branches); leaf margins crenulate, each crenulate tooth with a blunt tip, glabrous abaxially with 4 – 6 pairs of lateral veins (vs leaf margins serrulate, each serrulate tooth with sharp tip, midrib sparsely long-hairy with 7 – 13 pairs of lateral veins); calyx lobes equal, glabrous and pinkish along margins, hairy in middle of abaxial side (vs calyx lobes unequal, glabrous or sparsely appressed-hairy, greenish along margins); style hairy, curved and constricted at middle (vs style glabrous except at base, style curved without constriction); fruits 7 – 10 mm long, globose or cylindrical to ellipsoid with blunt apex (vs fruits 1.2 – 1.4 cm long, broadly cylindrical to ellipsoid or oblongoid, truncate at ends) (Figure 3).	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	description	Description Large shrub to small tree, up to 4 m high. Bark grey, young branchlets light greenish yellow, glabrous, covered with pulvinate leaf scars, twigs have discontinuous growth. Leaves simple, alternate-spiral, exstipulate; lamina 5 – 9 × 2 – 3.5 cm, elliptic, shortly attenuate towards base, crenulate along margin, acute-acuminate at apex, mid vein prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, secondary veins abaxially prominent, lateral veins 4 – 6 - pair, convergent towards apex with intramarginal venation, terminal vegetative juvenile leaves abaxially pubescent also covered by bract-like scales, densely pubescent abaxially. Petioles 1 – 1.5 cm long, brown, canaliculate near the base on adaxial side, glabrous. Inflorescence in axillary spikes on young and rarely on mature branches; sometimes flowers subsessile. Peduncles 1 – 5 cm long, pubescent at flowering, glabrescent during fruiting. Bracts 3.5 – 4.5 × 2.5 – 3 mm, ovate to cymbiform. Bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, 1 – 2 × 1 – 1.5 mm, caducous, brown, acute at apex, truncate at base, ciliate along margin, concave, appressed sericeous adaxially, glabrous abaxially. Flowers 3 – 9 in cluster on a spike, 6 – 7.5 × 7 – 8 mm. Calyx tube green, ca. 2 mm long, glabrous, 5 - lobed; lobes deltoid, 1 – 1.5 × 1 – 1.5 mm, glabrous and green to pinkish at margins, sparsely hairy from middle to apex abaxially. Corolla white, 3 – 4.5 × 3 – 3.5 mm, deeply 5 - lobed; lobes connate at base, elliptic, obtuse or subobtuse at apex, 5 - veined. Stamens 55 – 70 in 4 or 5 irregular series, uppermost series extending beyond corolla, 1 – 6 mm long; filaments equally wide from base to apex; anthers ca. 1 mm long. Style 2 – 3 mm long, shorter than corolla, constricted at middle; stigma capitate. Disk 5 - glandular, stellate-hairy. Fruits 7 – 10 × 4 – 6 mm, globose or cylindrical to ellipsoid with blunt apex, not grooved. Flowering & Fruiting: October – December.	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	etymology	Etymology: The new species named after the type locality, Sispara Ghats of Mukurthi National Park, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	biology_ecology	Habitat & Ecology: Daphniphyllum neilgherrense (Wight) Rosenthal (1919: 7), Eurya nitida Korthals (1841: 115), Hedyotis sisaparensis Gage (1906: 244), Berberis nilghiriensis Ahrendt (1945: 1), Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hasskarl (1842: 35), Rubus ellipticus Smith (1815: 16) and Myrsine wightiana Wallich ex de Candolle (1834: 106).	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Mukurthi National Park, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India (Figure 2).	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
EC2E87D3FFC4825FD8FFFCF1FCCEFEF1.taxon	conservation	Conservation status: During the present study, the authors have observed seven individuals of this new species, on the way to Nadugani-Mukurthi National Park covering about 2 km 2 geographical areas. Therefore, it is provisionally assessed here as Critically Endangered [CR, D], according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2022).	en	Karthik, B., Murugesan, M., Anusuba, V., Premkumar, M., Tharani, R. (2023): Symplocos sisparensis (Symplocaceae), a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Phytotaxa 589 (1): 83-90, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.589.1.8
