Sourthern Regional Centre, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Dipcadi coimbatorensis, a new species from the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of the Western Ghats area of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to D. saxorum Blatt. but differs in its larger bulbs, longer scape, longer leaves, fewer-flowered raceme, longer pedicel and bract, longer outer and inner perianth tubes and lobes, longer filaments, longer pistil and capsule; thicker and coriaceous pericarp, smaller seeds, sessile ovary and unlobed stigma.

Psydrax ficiformis (Hook, f.) Bridson (Rubiaceae) is rediscovered after a century from Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu state, India. Detailed taxonomy and first photographs of the live plant are provided. A new combination is proposed for Canthium lanceolatum Arn. under the genus Psydrax Gaertn. and first time detailed taxonomic description is provided. Two names, Canthium ficiforme Hook. f. and C. lanceolatum Arn. are lectotypified here and images of the lectotype specimens are also given.

A new species, Pseuderanthemum arunachalense from eastern Himalaya, India is described and lectotype for Pseuderanthemum album, P. leptanthum and Sphinctacanthus parkinsonii are designated here. The new species is easily distinguished from its allied species, P. leptanthum by its broad oblanceolate or broad elliptic, longer leaves, longer inflorescence, rachis stipitate glandular hairy, smaller peduncle, stipitate glandular hairy, pedicel stipitate glandular hairy and calyx stipitate glandular hairy, smaller flower, corolla tube broadly ovoid, shorter than limb, limb 1-lipped, smaller lobes, the entire abaxial surface and the base of adaxial surface densely stipitate glandular, smaller filaments, smaller style and smaller capsule.

The Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar falls in the foothill’s ranges of Himalayan Siwalik on the bank of river Gandak. The landscape encompasses mosaic of the cliffs, gorges, hills, ridges, streams, valleys, dense forests, open forests, grasslands, swamps and riparian forests, a very distinct from other parts of the state. The forests have combination of bhabar and terai tracts. This Tiger Reserve was constituted as 18 th reserve under Project Tiger of Government of India on 11 th March 1994. It is situated between 83°0 50′ and 84°0 10′ east longitude and between 27°0 10′ and 27°0 03′ north latitude and spreads over an area of about 899 sq. km. Valmiki National Park is situated with an area of 335 sq. km within the core area of the Tiger Reserve. Valmiki Tiger Reserve and National Park is the only Tiger reserve and National Park in Bihar. This Tiger Reserve is named after the great poet sage Valmiki because it is believed that the sage Valmiki wrote the epic Ramayana in Sanskrit here. This book reports the occurrence of about 1100 plant species in wild in this Tiger Reserve. Taxonomic description of 941 species belonging to 562 genera under 135 families of angiosperms are provided with current nomenclature, habitat, phenology, economic uses and contains the map of the area and photographs of plants. Artificial keys to the families, genera, species and infraspecific taxa are provided for easy and correct identification. In this book about 112 names have been synominized, 420 names lectotypified, 7 names neotypified and 25 new combinations were proposed. About 65 taxa were reported as new records for the flora of Bihar state.

Boeica arunachalensis, a species new to the science from eastern Himalayan state of India, Arunachal Pradesh is described. Coloured photo plate and micrograph of new species and its allied species B. fulva Clarke are provided. Identity of B. griffithii Clarke is discussed and lectotype are designated here for B. filiformis Clarke, B. fulva Clarke, B. griffithii Clarke, B. hirsuta Clarke and B. porosa Clarke.

This paper deals with the correct identity of Sonerila speciosa Zenker because this species has been identified with different names in Indian herbaria. A detailed description, geographical distribution, ecological aspects, typification, new synonyms and photos of the species in the field are provided for first time here. The conservation status, following IUCN recommendations, is also provided based on field, herbarium and literature study.

Pedicularis denudata Hooker is rediscovered from Arunachal Pradesh after a lapse of about 135 years confirming the second locality for India. This species is known to India and Nepal, represented only by a few herbarium specimens. Extended taxonomical description, habitat, phenology and color plates with the first available live photographs are provided.

Based on detailed study of type specimens, other herbarium specimens, field study and relevant literature, the recently described new species Henckelia collegii-sancti-thomasii A. Joe, D. Borah, Taram & Sandhya is treated here as a synonym of little known, narrow endemic species H. hookeri (C.B. Clarke) D.J. Middleton & Mich. Möller of Northeast India. Detailed description, phenology, habitat, geographical distribution and coloured images of the species are provided. The conservation status, following IUCN recommendations, is also provided based on the study of literature, herbarium data and field observations.

Four species of Pedicularis L., namely P. longiflora var. tubiformis (Klotzsch) P.C. Tsoong, P. megalantha D. Don, P. pantlingii Prain and P. trichoglossa Hook. f. are reported here as new records for the flora of Arunachal Pradesh state. The present collection of P. pantlingii from Arunachal Pradesh, now becomes the second distributional locality in India. Original coloured and natural photographs are provided here for the first time for this species. P. pantlingii subsp. brachycarpa P.C. Tsoong ex C.Y. Wu & H. Wang and P. pantlingii var. chimiliensis Bonati are synominized here under species proper P. pantlingii.

Cremanthodium indicum D.Borah, R.Kr. Singh & Thungon (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), a new species from Eastern Himalayan state Arunachal Pradesh, India is described and illustrated. The new species is allied to Cremanthodium nobile (Franch.) Diels ex H.Lév. in having elliptic-obovate basal leaves, solitary, nodding capitula and hemispheric involucre, but differs by densely pale yellow tomentose stem, stem leaves 5-9, 1.6-2.1 cm distant, outer phyllaries 2.3-2.8 mm wide, inner phyllaries elliptic, 3-5 mm wide, apex acute, ray lamina creamy, oblong, 2-2.3 cm long, apex truncate, distinctly 3-dentate, ray tube 1.5-2 mm long, tubular florets creamy, 8-9 mm long and pappus 6-8 mm long.

During floristic expeditions in Khasia hills region of Meghalaya state in August 2018, a remarkable species of Didymocarpus was collected from rocky crevices at an elevation of 950 m on the way to Cherapunjee, East Khasi Hills district. After detailed study of Didymocarpus species of India, including protologues, type specimens, other herbarium specimens and relevant literature (Clarke, 1884; Weber et al., 2000; Sinha & Datta, 2016; Pandey et al., 2020), it is identified as Didymocarpus hookeri C.B. Clarke, an endemic and rare herb. This species is known in India from Assam and Meghalaya by type collections and few herbarium specimens. It was reported last time by N.L. Bor from Cherra road, Meghalaya in the year 1937. The present collection from East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya is a rediscovery of this species after a lapse of about 81 years.

Neopicrorhiza minima, an endemic and rare herb of Bhutan is reported for the fi rst time from India (Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh state). The species was known only from the type localities in Bhutan since 1933. It grows in boggy soil among mosses and grasses, near water bodies of Himalayan Alpine grassland, in association with Cassiope fastigiata, Corydalis cashmeriana, Galearis roborovskii, Gentiana pedicellata, Saxifraga hispidula, Saussurea obvallata. Extended taxonomic description, habitat, phenology, notes and colour photographs are provided.

One neotype, three second-step lectotypes and fourty lectotypes are designated for fourty four names in Indian Impatiens to fix the identity and to avoid the misapplication of names. Thirty nine names are synonymized, after a detailed ecological study of live plants in the field and examination of herbarium specimens including types. Six new combinations with change in their status are proposed for six taxa.