Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth, Enum. Pl.

Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth, Enum. Pl. View in CoL 3: 12. 1841. Ambrosina retrospiralis Roxb., Hort. Bengal. 65. 1814. Type: INDIA, Bombay, Maharastra, 1867, N.A. Dalzell s.n. (Holo K [ K000950317 digital image!]). Figs. 1 View Fig & 2 View Fig

Herbs, amphibious, monoecious, c. 25 cm tall. Rhizome prostrate, 4–5 cm long; roots fibrous. Leaves in a basal rosette; petiole sheathing; lamina linear, 8.5–14 × 0.8–1.3 cm, apex acuminate, margins wavy, green to pink. Inflorescence a spadix, solitary; peduncle short 0.6 – 1.7 cm long. Spathe 11–25.5 cm long, whitish outside; limb 3–6 cm long and c. 0.5 cm broad, spirally twisted, light green, elongated to variable spots on the wall, collar absent; tube 9 – 23.5 cm long and c. 0.5 cm broad; kettle 1.5–3 cm long, swollen, constricted near male flower, inside purple; flap whitish with small purple spots. Spadix c. 1.6–1.8 cm long inside kettle. Female floriferous region at the baseconsist of a single whorl of 5–6 upright pistils; pistils syncarpous, light yellow; stigma globose, free; interstice naked with a fragmented stripe of pink color on the surface. Male floriferous region apical, yellowish, partially covered by flap arising from base of tube; male flowers naked. Capsules ovoid, 1.5–1.8 cm long; seeds many, ellipsoid, small.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering November to

March and Fruiting January to April.

Habitat: Amphibious, occurring submerged in running fresh water or on the bank.

Distribution: Nepal (new report), Bangladesh, India and Myanmar ( POWO, 2023).

Specimens examined: NEPAL, Province-1, Morang District, Pathari-Sanischare Municipality–01,

Bhulke, 26.667261 N, 87.561801 E, 120 m,

11.01.2023, S. Rai, R. Ojha, B. Gautam & N. Koirala

BP03 (KATH, TUCH, TURH).

Conservation status: Globally the plant is categorized as Least Concern (Lansdown et. al., 2023). In Nepal,

the present species is only known from Bhulke,

Wetland” and is under the threat due to habitat degradation by recreational activities in the wetland. Notes: This genus is easily differentiated among other genera of Araceae in Nepal having spiral shaped limb of spathe, long cylindrical tube formed by fused spathe, short rounded basal kettle without fusion of spathe enclosing small spidax and male flowers are covered by small flap. The lone species, C. retrospiralis recorded now is closely related C. crispatula var. crispatula . However, the leatter can be distinguished by longitudinal lines on the limb and denticulate margin of leaves as opposed to elongated to variable spots on tge limb and entire margins of leaves in C. reteospiralis (Bastmeijer, 2019) .