No abstract

The genus Glyphochloa (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Andropogoneae: Rottboellinae) is endemic to peninsular India and is distributed on lateritic plateaus of low and high altitude in and around Western Ghats and the Malabar Coast. The genus presumably originated and diversified in the Western Ghats. Species relationships in the genus Glyphochloa were deduced here based on molecular phylogenies inferred using nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences and plastid intergenic spacer regions (atpB-rbcL, trnT-trnL, trnL-trnF), and new observations were made of spikelet morphology, caryopsis morphology and meiotic chromosome counts. We observed two distinct clades of Glyphochloa s.l. One of these ('group I') includes Ophiuros bombaiensis, and is characterized by a single-awned lower glume and a base chromosome number of 6; it grows in low elevation coastal areas. The other clade ('group II') has a double-awned lower glume, a base chromosome number of 7, and is restricted to higher elevation lateritic plateaus; G. ratnagirica may belong to the group II clade, or may be a third distinct lineage in the genus. A sister-group relationship between group I and II taxa (with or without G. ratnagirica) is not well supported, although the genus is recovered as monophyletic in shortest trees inferred using ITS or concatenated plastid data. We present a key to species of Glyphochloa and make a new combination for O. bombaiensis.

A new species, Pinda shrirangii Gosavi & Chandore, is described and illustrated from a high-elevation region of northern Western Ghats, India. The new species is closely allied to the only other species in the genus, Pinda concanensis (Dalzell) P.K.Mukh. & Constance which was also described from the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra state of India. Coloured photographs and illustrations are provided to facilitate the identification.

Dimeria andamanica (Poaceae) is herein described and illustrated as a new species. It is known from relict region of Chidiya Tapu, South Andaman of the Andaman Islands, India. The new species belongs to the Dimeria sect. Loriformes and is closely related to D. fischeri, but differs by the characters of raceme-rachis 1.5–2 mm wide, spikelets 6–7 mm long, lower glume 5–5.5 mm long, upper glume 5–6 mm long, lower lemma 3.5–4 mm long, upper lemma 4–5 mm long, upper floret palea present and anthers 1.5–2 mm long.