NeBIO I www.nebio.in I September 2019 I 10(3): 168-174 RESEARCH ARTICLE Taxonomy of endemic dwarf grass Oropetium villosulum Stapf ex Bor, an overlooked cohabitant of Oropetium thomaeum (L.f.) Trin. Nagaraju Siddabathula1, Ravi Kiran Arigela1*, Rajeev Kumar Singh2 & P.V. Prasanna1 1Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India Campus, Attapur Village, Hyderabad - 500048, Telangana 2Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, TNAU Campus, Lawley Road, Coimbatore - 641003, Tamil Nadu Email:
[email protected] ABSTRACT The endemic dwarf grass Oropetium villosulum Stapf ex Bor hitherto known strictly from the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra is reported here as an addition to the flora of Telangana based on collections from Ranga Reddy, Vikarabad and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts. This species coexists with its closely allied species, O. thomaeum and both species also produce flowers and fruits during the same period. Detailed descriptions and coloured photo plates of dissected microscopic floral parts of these two species are provided here to distinguish them unambiguously. Furthermore, lectotype for the name O. thomaeum (L.f.) Trin. (≡ Nardus thomaea L.f.) is designated. KEYWORDS: Endemic, Hyderabad, lectotype, Poaceae, Telangana, Vikarabad. Introduction different localities, Ananthagiri Hills (Vikarabad district), The members of family Poaceae (with about 740 genera) Ramannapeta (Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district), Tolichowki and constitute one of the most fascinating groups of flowering plants Rajendranagar (Ranga Reddy district). After detailed studies of with wide, ubiquitous distribution and immense diversity. The protologue, relevant literature (Linnaeus filius, 1782; Hooker, genus Oropetium Trin. (subfamily Chloridoideae) consists of 6 1896; Cooke, 1908; Blatter and McCann, 1935; Bor, 1950, 1960; species and is distributed in Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indian Jain, 1967) and the type specimens (available online), the identity subcontinent to Indo-China (POWO, 2019).