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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Note Strobilanthes affinis (Acanthaceae): a new addition to the flora of Manipur, India Sanjeet Kumar & Rajkumari Supriya Devi 26 December 2020 | Vol. 12 | No. 17 | Pages: 17366–17369 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4750.12.17.17366-17369 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2020 | 12(17): 17366–17369 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4750.12.17.17366-17369 #4750 | Received 08 December 2018 | Final received 12 July 2020 | Finally accepted 27 November 2020 N o t e Strobilanthes afnis (Acanthaceae): a new additon to the fora of Manipur, India Sanjeet Kumar 1 & Rajkumari Supriya Devi 2 1 Ambika Prasad Research Foundaton, First Floor, Sarswat Tower, Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751006 India. 2 Biodiversity & Conservaton Division, Regional Centre, Ambika Prasad Research Foundaton, Imphal, Manipur 795001, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected] The genus Strobilanthes Blume (1826: 781) from the appeared like a small hill at the periphery of a human family Acanthaceae (Wood & Scotland 2009) is a genus inhabitaton which might have been used in the past of perennial fowering herbs and shrubs with about 453 as a sacred place where local deites may have been species worldwide (Biju et al. 2017; Mabberly 2017; worshipped. It was a moist shady place with huge aged Thomas et al. 2019, 2020; Wood et al. 2019). In India, the trees sheltering and nurturing vegetaton beneath. A genus is represented by ca. 150 species (Scotland 1998; signifcant patch of blue coloured herbs with a height Gopalan & Chitra 2008; Karthikeyan et al. 2009; Wood of 45–85 cm were blooming with bright blue coloured 2014; Biju et al. 2017), and it is found mostly in evergreen fowers in the area of around 4.5–6.5 m2 on the slopes of forests. The name Strobilanthes is derived from the a small hillock. Afer careful observaton in the feld, the Latn word “Strobilos” meaning cone and “anthos” frst author confrmed that the specimen belongs to the meaning fower or shoot. For the frst tme, the genus genus Strobilanthes but confused it with S. auriculata or was scientfcally described by Christan Gotried Daniel S. jeyporensis. Afer a detailed study of the specimen’s Nees Von Esenbeck in the 19th century for the plants morphology (Image 1) and pollen morphology (Image 2), which bloom afer long intervals, while some species of and comparison with S. kunthiana, it was confrmed that Strobilanthes bloom annually (Preethi & Suseem 2014; the collected species was S. afnis. This specimen was Josekuty et al. 2016, 2017, 2018; Augustne et al. 2017). again confrmed by professor John Wood, University of The genus is distributed in the tropical regions of Asia Oxford, United Kingdom. Afer confrmaton, literature startng from Afghanistan through India and Southeast survey and critcal characterizaton, it was notced that Asia to Australia (Josekuty et al. 2018). During 2017– collected plant had been earlier reported from China 2018, while surveying foral diversity around Imphal, (Wood et al. 2003) and the species was also collected Manipur, when the weather was clear and the vegetaton by J.D. Hooker and T. Thomson from Meghalaya as S. was on the verge of blooming, an excitng view of a blue acrocephala more than 10 decades ago. Therefore, it patch of herbs was recorded. The site was an isolated was concluded that the present specimen that was place near an abandoned old temple-like structure. It collected is identfed as S. afnis and reported here for Editor: K. Haridasan, Pallavur, Palakkad, Kerala, India. Date of publicaton: 26 December 2020 (online & print) Citaton: Kumar, S. & R.S. Devi (2020). Strobilanthes afnis (Acanthaceae): a new additon to the fora of Manipur, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(17): 17366–17369. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4750.12.17.17366-17369 Copyright: © Kumar & Devi 2020. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Core works of APRF, India. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the director, Insttute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal; Dr. S.B. Ummalyma, Dr. S.S. Thorat, & Dr. B.G. Somkuwar, IBSD, Imphal; and the local communites of the study area. The authors are also thankful to Smt. Padma Mahant, director, Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Thiruvananthapuram and Smt. Lekshmi R, Eravikulam Natonal Park, Munnar, Kerala. 17366 J TT Strobilanthes afnis - new additon to the fora of Manipur Kumar & Devi the frst tme from Manipur as an extended distributon. Descripton: Herbs, 50–82.5 cm tall with many During our feld survey of the fora of Manipur (24.916 branches. Stems angular (quadrangular) with white N & 93.961 E, 803m), some unidentfed species of the pubescent, hairs. Leaves ovate-elliptc, 7–5 x 4–3 cm to genus Strobilanthes were collected. The specimens 9–0 x 6–3 cm. Leaves simple, petole, 3.5–4.3 cm long. were packed in cloth bags and brought to the laboratory Inforescences axillary or terminal,3.0–7.5 cm. Each for analysis. The relevant foras were consulted for inforescence has two fowers that have bloomed, afer confrming its identty. A thorough review of the drying another couple of fowers bloom. Flowers size, literature, detailed morphological and consultaton of 1.9–2.3 cm long, 1.2 x 1.2–2.0 x 1.8 cm wide. Floral herbarium provided by professor Wood revealed that bracts imbricate with large-celled trichomes. Corolla the specimen was Strobilanthes afnis (Grif.) Terao violet or bluish-violet. Stamens 4 and glabrous, 5.0–2.2 ex J.R.I.Wood J.R.Benn. The mountng of herbarium mm. Fruits capsule, pubescent, four seeded, 4.0–7.0 specimens was accomplished using standard taxonomic mm. Seeds brown ovate (Image 1). procedure (Jain & Rao 1977; Bridson & Forman 1998). Flowering & Fruitng: August—March The voucher specimens (APRF-MAN-BCD/2018-0004) Distributon: China and India (Manipur, Meghalaya). were deposited in the “APRFH” Herbaria, Ambika Prasad Specimen examined: APRF-MAN-BCD-2018-004, Research Foundaton, Odisha, India. The photographs India, Manipur, Imphal, 24.9160N & 93.9610E, 803m, of the diagnostc characteristcs were taken by Stereo Kumar Sanjeet 012 (Holotype APRFH) (Image 4). Microscope, (Leica MC 120 HD). Habitat & Ecology: The collected species is Strobilanthes afnis found on a small hill top of Manipur Taxonomic enumeraton State. The collected area lies in the Indo-Burma Strobilanthes afnis (Grif.) Terao ex J. R. I. Wood J. Biodiversity Hotspot region. It was observed that R. Benn the habitat is Moist-deciduous vegetaton. The most Image 1. Floral parts and morphology of collected Strobilanthes afnis. © Sanjeet Kumar Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2020 | 12(17): 17366–17369 17367 J TT Strobilanthes afnis - new additon to the fora of Manipur Kumar & Devi In the present study, however, it was observed that it fowers from August to March. It was also observed that Sida acuta is the main associate fora of the collected species. As it is found only one region of Manipur, it should be assessed for threat status using categories of IUCN, and take necessary conservaton acton. References Augustne, J., E.J. Josekuty & P. Biju (2017). Strobilanthes sainthomiana - a new species of Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae) from Western Ghats, India. Taiwania 62(1): 63–66. htps://doi. org/10.6165/tai2017.62.63 Biju, P., E.J. Josekuty, D. Rekha & R.I. John (2017). Strobilanthes jomyi (Acantheceae), a remarkable new species from South Image 2. Pollen of collected Strobilanthes afnis India. Phytotaxa 332(1): 075–080. htps://doi.org/10.11646/ phytotaxa.332.1.8 Bridson, D. & L. Forman (1998). The Herbarium Handbook. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, 334pp. common associated herbs and climbers are Passifora Gopalan, R. & V. Chithra (2008). Strobilanthes pothigaiensis foetda, Solanum nigrum, Sida cordifolia, Cissampelos (Acanthaceae) - a new species from Southern Western Ghats, India. pareira, and Phyllanthus retculatus with some tree Kew Bulletn 63(3): 499–501. htps://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-008- 9042-x species like Bombax ceiba and Pongamia pinnata. It was Jain, S.K. & R.R. Rao (1977). A Handbook of Field and Herbarium found in 6.09 x 9.14 – 4.57 x 7.01 m area of a hill top of Methods.