Beilschmiedia keralana Robi & Balan

Beilschmiedia keralana Robi & Balan , sp. nov.

Fig.1 View Fig

Beilschmiedia keralana is morphologically similar to B. jacobii , but differs by its tree habit ( vs. shrubs), silky-pubescent terminal buds ( vs. rusty-tomentose), 10–13 mm long petioles ( vs. 5–8 mm long), leaves with attenuate or cuneate bases and wavy margins ( vs acute base and revolute), 7–11pairs of lateral veins ( vs. 5–7 pairs), orange flowers ( vs. pale-yellowish green), shorter pointed fruits covered with sparse lenticels ( vs. longer glabrous fruits with obtuse apices), and glabrous fruiting pedicels ( vs. lenticellate) (See Table 1 View Table 1 ).

Type: INDIA, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram district: Chemunji hills, ± 1400 m, 09.05.2019, A.J. Robi & Anoop P. Balan 100 ( holo MH!; iso BAM!, KFRI!) .

Trees, to 8 m tall; bark smooth; branchlets subterete, smooth and glabrous; terminal buds ovate, 2–3 mm long, acute, silky-pubescent. Leaves alternate to sub-opposite, thinly coriaceous; petioles 10–13 mm long, flattened above, rounded below, slender, glabrous; lamina elliptic-oblong, 5.5–8 × 2.5–3.5 cm, base attenuate or cuneate, margin entire, wavy, apex obtuse, not glaucous below; midrib flat above, prominent below, glabrous; lateral veins 7–11 pairs, faint adaxially, thin, raised abaxially, glabrous, looped towards margin; intercostae reticulate, prominent abaxially, faint adaxially. Inflorescences axillary, racemose, 1–1.5 cm long; peduncle densely silky-tomentose; bracts usually caducous, orbicular, densely silky-pubescent, ciliate along margins. Flowers 2–3 mm long, orange; tepals 6 in two whorls of 3 each, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, c. 2 × 1.5 mm, obtuse or slightly incurved at apex, equal, pubescent on both sides; stamens 9 in 3 whorls, outer 3, 1.5 mm long, purple; filament c. 1 mm long, linear, densely pubescent; anthers ovate, c. 0.5 mm long, obtuse at apex, 2-locular, introrse; middle whorl almost same as the outer; inner whorl 3, c. 1.5 mm long, latrorse, 2 glands at the base of the filament, free; glands orbicular, shortly stipitate; staminodes 3, cordate, c. 1 mm long, pilose at base; ovary ovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, glabrous; sparsely pubescent style; stigma capitate. Berries ellipsoid, c. 1.2 cm long, apex slightly pointed, glabrous, sparsely lenticellate; fruiting pedicels c. 5 mm long, thick, greenish, glabrous.

Flowering & fruiting: Flowering from November to January; fruiting from April to May.

Habitat: Occurs in montane evergreen forests at an altitudinal range between 1400–1600 m asl. This species is very rare in fragmented forests in Chemunji region of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.

Distribution: So far, known only from the Chemunji hills, Thiruvnanthapuram, Kerala, India.

Etymology: The specific epithet “ keralana ” is named after the area including Kerala State, India.

Conservation status: Very rare in its known distribution range and the population is restricted to one isolated location. The area of occupancy is estimated to be less than 10 Km 2. In the absence of detailed data on populations, the species is categorized as ‘Data Deficient’ (DD) ( IUCN, 2022).