Impatiens megamalayana, a new species from Tamil Nadu, India is described and illustrated. This species is characterized by a ridged stem, ensiform and villous leaves, a wrinkled boat-shaped lower sepal with outwardly curved tip, ornamented seeds and strictly ovate pollen grains. This combination of characters makes determining the relationships of I. megamalayana difficult. The floral structure of I. megamalayana is closely allied to I. herbicola Hook.f. and I. inconspicua Benth. in Wall., the latter with three varieties, but it differs by several unique vegetative and floral features. Impatiens megamalayana is assessed as Critically Endangered in accordance with the IUCN guidelines. The habitat of the species is severely affected by landslides. As a result, effective strategies should be developed to protect I. megamalayana from exinction.
Impatiens palniensis and I.tamilnadense are two new species described and illustrated from the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. Impatiens palniensis collected from Palni hills (Kodaikkanal Wildlife Sanctuary) whereas I. tamilnadense from Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. The detailed description of both taxa along with diagnostic characters between closely allied species, conservation status, pollen morphology and colour photographs are provided.
Syzygium bharathii, a new species from Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India is described. This species is closely allied to Syzygium benthamianum and Syzygium agastyamalayanum but differs from both by having a cylindrical stem with red young shootlets, glabrous leaves with wavy margin, quadrangular peduncle, large sized flower, inwardly curved filaments, narrow pyriform hypanthium, obovate, subglobose, ellipsoid fruits and ovate-obovate seeds. This combination of characters makes determining the relationships of S.bharathii difficult.
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