Argyreia sharadchandrajii Lawand & Shimpale, 2021

Argyreia sharadchandrajii Lawand & Shimpale View in CoL , sp. nov. FiGS. 1 View FiG , 2 View FiG & 3 View FiG (e-h)

Similar to A. pilosa but can be distinguished by its prostrate habit, terete petioles, widely ovate to orbicular leaves, white sericeous indumentum on abaxial leaf surface, short peduncles, oblong or lance-ovate bracts, unequal sepals and larger berries (2–2.5 cm across). The differences between the two species are presented in Table 1 View Table 1 and pictorially represented in Fig. 3 View FiG .

Type: INDIA, Maharashtra, Kolhapur district, Alate, Alamprabhu Sacred Grove , 788 m, N 16°45’50.6", E 74°22’19.7", 17.09.2016, PR Lawand 077 (holo CAL!; GoogleMaps iso SUK!, BSI!) .

Prostrate shrubs. Stems trailing along ground, white to brown hispid, older semi-woody, c. 1 cm across, grooved, herbaceous towards apex, green, terete. Leaves simple, alternate; petioles 11–25 cm long, terete, densely white hirsute, longer than peduncles; lamina widely ovate to orbicular, 15– 24 × 12–25 cm, apex acute, base cordate, basal lobes rounded, indumentum hirsute on adaxial surface, densely white sericeous on abaxial surface, secondary veins 8–9 pairs, conspicuous on abaxial surface. Cymes axillary, sub-capitate, 3–12- flowered; peduncles 2–5 cm long, white hirsute, shorter than petioles (up to ¾ length). Flowers subsessile; bracts 2–3, one large foliaceous, oblong, 2–3.5 × 0.5–1.2 cm, small bracts lance-ovate, 1– 2.5 × 0.3–0.6 cm, 3-nerved, hirsute on both surfaces, more densely on abaxial surface. Sepals 5, unequal; outer 3 longer, 1.2–1.3 × 0.4–0.5 cm, apex acuminate; inner two c. 1 × 0.4 cm, narrowly oblong, apex acute, hirsute outside, glabrous inside, persistent, enlarge in fruiting. Corolla infundibuliform, rose-pink, 5–7 × 5–6 cm; throat purple, c. 1 cm wide, hirsute on mid-petaline bands outside; corolla lobes twisted in bud, lobes shallowly emarginate. Stamens 5, epipetalous, included within corolla tube, unequal, 2 longer 2–3 cm long, 3 shorter 1.5–2 cm long; filaments dilated and glandular hairy at base; anthers arrowshaped, 0.3–0.4 cm long, basifixed, pink. Ovary conical, 4-loculed, glabrous, encircled by annular disc; style single, 1.5–2 cm long; stigma biglobular, papillate, white. Berries rounded, 2–2.5 cm across, 1–4-seeded, glabrous, yellow when ripe. Seeds trigonal, white with visible hilum.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from July to September and fruiting from October to December.

Habitat: This species grows in open habitats and trails amidst grassland but remain rooted near shrubs.

Etymology: The specific epithet ‘ sharadchandrajii ’ is chosen after Shri. Sharadchandraji Pawar, former Union Minister of Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi for his valuable contribution to Indian agriculture.

Distribution: Known from a single locality ( Fig. 4 View FiG ) in the sub-ranges of Sahyadris (the Western Ghats), India.

Specimens examined: INDIA, Maharashtra, Kolhapur district, Hatkanangale , Ramling hills, 13.08.2017, P.R. Lawand 078 ( SUK); Ibid., 850 m, 28.09.2018, P.R. Lawand 079 ( SUK); Ibid., 03.10.2019, P.R. Lawand 089 ( SUK) .

Conservation status: At the type locality we could locate c. 100 mature individuals of this species occupying an area of 1.25 km 2. In the presence of little data on the distribution range, an IUCN category, Data Deficient ( DD) is assigned, according to IUCN Categories and Criteria ( IUCN, 2019).