Osbeckia yercaudensis (Melastomataceae) a new species from the Eastern Ghats, India Author Saravanan, Thokuluva Santharam Lead Botanical Garden, National Orchidarium & Experimental Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Yercaud- 636 602, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India Author Kaliamoorthy, Seventhilingam Lead Botanical Garden, National Orchidarium & Experimental Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Yercaud- 636 602, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India text Phytotaxa 2023 2023-02-07 583 3 292 296 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.583.3.8 journal article 54921 10.11646/phytotaxa.583.3.8 24943948-3a16-4621-9941-5acf214a5f19 1179-3163 7621554

TABLE 1. Morphological comparison of Osbeckia yercaudensis and related species.

Characters	Osbeckia yercaudensis	Osbeckia mehrana	Osbeckia wightiana
Height	Up to 60 cm tall.	Up to 3 m tall.	Up to 3 m tall.
Stems	Densely covered with patent, ascending long hairs.	Densely covered with sub-patent, ascending long hairs.	Thinly clothed with appressed short bristles.
Leaves	0.9–2.4 × 0.6–1.6 cm, both surfaces	1.5–4.6 × 0.8–3.0 cm, covered with	3.1–7.1 × 2.1–3.5 cm, covered with
	densely covered with ascending to patent, thin long hairs.	ascending to sub-patent hairs adaxially, patent hairs abaxially.	dense silky sub-patent hairs adaxially, flexuous hairs abaxially.
Inflorescence	2–3-flowered terminal cymes; pedicels 0.7 cm long.	5–7-flowered terminal or axillary panicles; pedicels 0.2–0.5 cm long.	3–7-flowered terminal cymes; pedicels 0.1–0.3 cm long.
Hypanthium	1.2 × 1.5 cm, densely covered with stellate, stalked emergences; intersepalar emergences 0.3 cm long, persistent in fruits.	0.6 × 0.5 cm, densely covered with patent hairs and stellate emergences; intersepalar emergences 0.2 cm long, caducous.	1.3 × 1.2 cm, densely covered with large emergences mixed with small hairs and bristles; intersepalar emergences 0.25 cm long.
Sepals	0.7 × 0.3 cm, oblong to slightly falcate, apex irregularly emarginate with long hairs.	0.5 × 0.2 cm, triangular, apex acute with long hairs.	0.4 × 0.3 cm, subulate, apex with stellate emergences.
Stamens	Filaments 1.1 cm long; anthers narrowly ovate to oblong, 0.9 cm long, pore oblique on ventral side; connective prolonged into a small, indistinctly lobed collar.	Filaments 0.6 cm long; anthers narrowly ovate, 0.5 cm long, pore oblique on ventral side; connective prolonged into a small collar with small dorsal and ventral lobe.	Filaments 1.2 cm long; anthers narrowly oblong, 0.9 cm long, pore oblique on dorsal side; connective prolonged into a small, indistinctly lobed collar.
Ovary	0.9 cm long, densely covered with hairs at apex.	0.5 cm long, anther pockets and crown covered with ascending hairs.	0.8 cm long, anther pockets covered with appressed hairs, crown ciliate.
Style	2.1 cm long; stigma capitate and papillose.	1.7 cm long; stigma capitate and papillose.	1.5 cm long; stigma swollen.
Capsules	1.1 × 1.0 cm; seeds cochleate or U shaped, margins minutely toothed, pale straw-coloured when young, blackish at maturity.	1.0 × 0.8 cm; seeds curved and muricate.	0.8 × 0.6 cm; seeds curved.
Phenology	September–February.	November–April.	July–April.