Corresponding author: C.N. Manju (
Academic editor: M. von Konrat
Four taxa,
During our recent exploration in the
Main stem long, creeping on bark, 3–5 cm long, scale leaves present, branches yellowish green to brownish, primary branch 5–7 cm long, secondary branches up to 2 cm long, mostly with flagelliform branches, flagella 2.5 cm long, erect to drooping, leaves oblong-lanceolate, lax erect-spreading, 2.5 × 0.9 mm, leaves on main shoot lax, ovate, long acuminate, acumen 0.9 mm long, two very short distinct costa at base, leaves on main shoot and secondary branches dense, patent to squarrose, complanate, plicate, tip tortuose in some leaves, long apiculate, margin denticulate at tip, recurved below, cells at acumen elongate linear, up to 50 µm long, thick walled above, middle cells 60–70 µm × 20–25 µm, less thick but with porose walls below, 35–45 µm × 28–35 µm, costa and cells at stem attachment yellowish brown, alar cells not prominently differentiated in size but with deep brown, rectangular porose cells, 40–45 × 25–35 µm, porose in some cells, leaf insertion to the stem is U shaped; cells at flagella almost same size and shape; sporophyte not seen (
It is distributed in the shola forests (Southern montane wet temperate forests) of New Amarambalam of Kerala and Mukuruty National Park of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats of India.
It was found growing as epiphytic on branches of trees of shola forest.
It is named in honour of Professor (Dr.) P.V. Madhusoodanan, for his meritorious contribution towards botany, especially on lower groups of plants of Southern India. He retired recently from the Department of Botany of University of Calicut, and now continues his research as an Emeritus Scientist in the Malabar Botanical Garden (MBG), Kozhikode. It is he who inspired the present authors to undertake studies on the bryophytes and pteridophytes.
Comparison of the morphological features of
Characters |
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Primary branches | long drooping | elongate | short | short |
Secondary branches | short | hanging | dendroid | long, drooping |
Flagelliform branches | frequent | frequent | absent | absent |
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Shape | Oblong lanceolate, long acuminate, complanate plicate | Ovate-lanceolate, acumen short | Ovate, long acuminate, complanate plicate | Lanceolate, not plicate |
Apices | some leaves tortuose at tip | leaf tip not tortuose | some leaves tortuose at tip | Tip involutus; not tortuose at tip |
Costa | Two short, distinct in both main and secondary branches | Very short two costa, not distinct | Single, reaching a little more than half the length in the secondary branch leaves | Single, reaching the middle of leaf, distinct in main and secondary branches |
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Shape | elongate linear | elongate linear | elongate | elongate |
wall | highly porose in its lateral wall and in the middle layer, pores rounded | thick walled, porose, rounded | slightly thick walled above, weekly porose above and less thick but porose walls below | Thin walled above and middle, thick porose |
alar cells | not prominently differentiated in size but with brown cells, rectangular porose cells | differentiated with deep brown, rectangular porose cells | Tinted, less thick cells, rectangular | thick porose walls, tinted, rectangular |
1a | Leaves complanate plicate, acumen long, 1 mm | 2 |
1b | Leaves not plicate, acumen very short, 02-0.6 mm | 3 |
2a | Costa in the primary and secondary branch leaves single, reaching a little more than half the length; flagelliform branches absent |
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2b | Costa in the primary and secondary branch leaves double, short, restricted to alar region; flagelliform branches frequent |
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3a | Plants smaller, 4 cm long; leaf tip narrow subulate |
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3b | Plants robust, 8–10 cm long; leaf tip involutus |
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We express our sincere thanks to the staff members of the Kerala Forest Department of the Nilambur Division, and the fellow team members of the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS), Kozhikode for extending support during the field study. We are also grateful to the authorities of the Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College (ZGC), Kozhikode for encouragement. The first author acknowledges Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment (KSCSTE), Thiruvananthapuram for the fellowship. Open access to this paper was supported by the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Open Access Support Project (EOASP).