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A New Species of Kobresia (Cyperaceae) from Meghalaya, India

Bikash Janaa,b,* and Venkatachalam Sampath Kumarb

aDepartment of Botany, Santal Bidroha Sardha Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya, Goaltore, Medinipur, West Bengal, 721128 INDIA;

bBotanical Survey of India, Central National Herbarium, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103 INDIA*Corresponding author: bikash.janadp@rediffmail.com

(Accepted on February 19, 2017)

Kobresia khasiana Jana & V. S. Kumar (Cyperaceae) is described as a new species from the Khasia hills, Meghalaya, India. The new species can be differentiated from its allied species K. laxa Nees by its cauline and flatter leaf blades that overtop the inflorescence, oblong and partially opened prophyll, and by the absence of racheola. This is the first distributional record of the genus other than Himalayas in India. Brief description, phenology, habitat, distribution and illustrations are provided.

Key words: Cyperaceae, Kobresia, Meghalaya, new generic report, new species.

J. Jpn. Bot. 92(2): 94–98 (2017)

Kobresia Willd. comprises ca. 65 species, distributed in Northern Hemisphere, especially in the higher altitudes of Himalayas (Govaerts et al. 2007); a few are found in Europe and America (Mabberley 2008). In Asia, it is mainly distributed in India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Malaysia. There are 41 species and one variety found in India (Jana and Srivastava 2014), but confined only to Himalayas. During the revision of Kobresia in India, the authors came across a specimen (C. B. Clarke 43305) collected from Nungpo in Khasia hills of Meghalaya was identified as Carex stramentitia Boott. The main distinguishing character between Carex L. and Kobresia Willd. is one sided opening of prophyll in Kobresia and completely closed or sometime small bifid groove in Carex. Since the above said specimen possesses the clear one-sided prophyll opening, a character of Kobresia rather than Carex and it is described here as a new species. Review of literature (Clarke 1894, Karthikeyan et al. 1989,

Kükenthal 1909, Rajbhandari and Ohba 1991, Noltie 1994, Srivastava 1996, Shuren and Noltie 2010) and morphological characters reveal that this is a new species, closely related to K. laxa Nees, but differs in having cauline and flatter leaves blades that overtop the inflorescence, oblong and partially opened prophyll and absence of racheola.

Kobresia khasiana Jana & V. S. Kumar, sp. nov. [Figs. 1, 2]

Allied to Kobresia laxa Nees, but differs by having cauline and flatter leaf blades that overtop the inflorescence (basal and shorter leaves not overtop the inflorescence in K. laxa), oblong and partially opened prophyll (linear completely opened prophyll in K. laxa), and the absence of racheola (present in K. laxa).

TYPE: INDIA. Assam, Nungpo, 2500 ft., 4 Apr. 1886, C. B. Clarke 43305 (CAL 513265–holotype!; Fig. 3).

Rhizome short. Culm 71 × 0.3–0.4 cm, obtusely angular, striate. Leaves basal and

98 植物研究雑誌　第 92巻　第 2号 2017年 4月

ReferencesClarke C. B. 1894. Kobresia Willd. In: Hooker J. D. (ed.),

Flora of British India 6: 696–702. L. Reeve & Co. Ltd., London.

Govaerts R., Simpson D. A., Bruhl J., Egorova T., Goetghbeur P. and Wilson K. 2007. World Checklist of Cyperaceae: Sedges. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Jana B. and Srivastava R. C. 2014. Genus Kobresia Willd. (Cyperaceae) in India. Indian J. Pl. Sc. 3: 91–111.

Karthikeyan S., Jain S. K., Nayar M. P. and Sanjappa M. 1989. Kobresia Willd. Florae Indicae Enumeratio—Monocotyledon. pp. 58–60. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.

Kükenthal G. 1909. Cobresia Willd. In: Engler A. (ed.), Das Pflanzenreich 38 (IV. 20): 40–48. Engelmann-Cramer, Weinheim.

Mabberley D. J. 2008. Mabberley’s Plant-Book. A Portable Dictionary of Plants Their Classification and Uses. Third Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Noltie H. J. 1994. Kobresia Willdenow. Flora of Bhutan 3(1): 333–352. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh.

Rajbhandari K. R. and Ohba H. 1991. A revision of the genus Kobresia Willdenow (Cyperaceae) in Nepal. In: Ohba H. et al. (eds.), The Himalayan Plants. 2: 117–167. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo.

Shuren Z. and Noltie H. J. 2010. Kobresia Willd. In: Wu Z. Y., Raven P. H. and Hong D. Y. (eds.), Flora of China 23: 269–285. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Srivastava R. C.1996. Cyperaceae. In: Hajra P. K. and Verma D. M. (eds.), Flora of Sikkim 1: 198–237. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.

According to IUCN category it should be treated as Data Deficient (DD).

Etymology: The species named after its place of collection.

Notes: This is the first species of Kobresia in India which is occurring from other than Himalayas. It is interesting that the normal altitudinal range of distribution of Kobresia is above 3000 m, but this species growing below such altitudinal range. Much more floristic survey is required for ecological study of this species.

Key to Kobresia khasiana and K. laxa1a. Leaves basal and cauline, exceeding culm;

prophyll oblong, only open at apex; racheola absent .......................................... K. khasiana

1b. Leaves basal, never exceeding culm; prophyll linear, open from apex to base; racheola present ................................. K. laxa

Authors are grateful to the Director, Botanical Survey of and Scientist ‘E’ & HoO, Central National Herbarium for providing necessary facilities to carry out this work.

B. Janaa,b，V. S. Kumarb：インド・メガラヤ州産のヒゲハリスゲ属（カヤツリグサ科）の 1新種　インド・メガラヤ州の Khasia hillsからカヤツリグサ科の Kobresia khasiana Jana & V. S. Kumarを記載した．本新種は近縁な K. laxa Nees.から，茎葉の葉身が花序よりも長くかつ扁平で，前葉が楕円形で先端に開口部があり，racheolaを欠くことで区別できる．これはインド

ではヒマラヤ地域以外での初めての記録となる．ここでは本新種を記載するとともに図示した．（aインド・ウエスト ベンガル Santal Bidroha Sardha

Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya 植物学部，bインド・植物調査所国立中央標本館）