Bonnaya sanpabloensis Y.S. Liang & J.C. Wang

Bonnaya sanpabloensis Y.S. Liang & J.C. Wang View in CoL , Australian Systematic Botany 27: 192. 2014. Type: PHILIPPINES, Luzon, Laguna Province, San Pablo City , 23.11.2007, Y.S. Liang 1534 (holo PNH; iso TAIF, TNM, TNU) Fig. 1 View Fig

Annual, erect to ascending (sometimes creeping) herbs, 25–30 cm long (rarely upto 1 m); rooting at lower nodes. Stems branched, usually quadrangular, glabrous, green to brown; internodes 2–4 cm long. Leaves sessile or subsessile, oblong-obovate to elliptic, 2–4 × 0.5–1 cm, obtuse or rarely acute at apex, acute at base, margins serrate with 7–15 pairs of teeths, glabrous on both surfaces, pinnately veined, secondary veins 9–11 pairs. Racemes lax, glabrous. Flowers 8–15 on each peduncle, with a subtending bract; bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm long in flowers, 6–8 mm in fruiting; pedicels ascending in flowers, almost vertical in fruits, 3–20 mm long in flowers, 10–20 mm long in fruits. Calyx deeply 5–lobed; lobes linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous, appressed in fruiting, 3–5 × c. 1 mm in flower, 4–6 mm long in fruiting. Corolla bi-lipped, 9–12 mm long, abaxially sparsely glandular, blue to purple, upper 2-lobed, 4–5 × 2–3 mm, lower 3-lobed, 3–4 × 3.2–4 mm, middle lobe elongated, with a white mark at the base. Stamens 2; filaments 1.3–2.2 mm long, pale blue to pale purple; anther 1.2–1.6 mm long. Staminodes 2, clavate, 5–6 mm long, lower half white and pilose, upper half glabrous and yellow. Ovary cylindrical, c. 2 mm long, c. 0.8 mm wide; style 5–6 mm long; disc yellow to greenish, adherent to ovary on ventral side. Capsules cylindrical, 1.3–1.8 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, acute at apex, slightly shorter than fruiting pedicels, 2–3 times longer than fruiting calyx. Seeds many, angular, brownish, 0.3–0.4 mm long, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, scrobiculate, with stellate projections and scattered mesh.

Flowering & fruiting: Throughout year.

Habitat: Grows along river beds at elevation ranging from 2000 to 2260 feet.

Distribution: Known from southern China, Thailand and the Philippines ( Liang & Wang, 2014) and now from Maharashtra, India.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Maharashtra, Kolhapur district, Ajara tahshil, Ajara village , 16°04′49″N, 74°12′36.8″E, 2165 ft., 29.10.2016, Sardesai & Shimpale 2145 (The New College Herbarium, SUK!); Sindhudurg district , Sawantwadi tahshil, Amboli village 15°57′10″N, 74°01′32″E, 2234 ft., 12.11.2016, Sardesai & Shimpale 2148 (The New College Herbarium, SUK!) GoogleMaps .

Notes: During the present study two different populations were noticed from similar habitats. The Amboli population showed brown coloured leaves and inflorescence with a few flowers whereas the Ajara population showed a dense inflorescence. Plants were growing associated with Bonnaya antipoda (L.) Druce, B. hyssopoides (L.) Haines, Cyperus sp. , Lindernia anagalis (Burm.f.) Pennell Ludwigia sp. and Panicum sp.

According to Liang and Wang (2014) the flowers are solitary and axillary or in terminal racemes in B. antipoda while always in terminal racemes in B. sanpabloensis . But Philcox (1968) noted that, the flowers are in racemes or solitary in the leaf axils and intermediate between these two types being quite frequent in B. antipoda . Hence the character of inflorescence is overlapping and cannot be considered as a diagnostic character for segregation of the species. However, B. sanpabloensis can be separated from the morphologically similar B. antipoda in having clearly vertical fruiting pedicel (vs. ascending pedicel), smooth pollen exine surface (vs. rough surface) and densely pilose, 5–6 mm long staminodes (vs. sub-glabrous, 3.3–4.3 mm long).