India. • Karnataka State, Kodagu District, Mandalpatti, alt. 1240 m, 12°32'23.02"N, 75°42'10.66"E, 28 April 2013 (fl.), N.V.Page 28413 (holotype: MH!; isotypes MH!, JCB!)

Euonymus pushpagiriensis can be distinguished from other species of Euonymus from the Western Ghats based on its sub-sessile leaves (petiole ca. 1 mm long) and ovate lamina with rounded to sub-cordate base. In contrast, all the other species of Euonymus from the Western Ghats of south India exhibit leaves with a distinct petiole (greater than or equal to 3 mm length) and elliptic, rarely ovate lamina with obtuse, acute or cuneate base.

E. pushpagiriensis (Figs 1–4) is morphological closely related to E. angulatus (Figs 5, 6) in having leaf margins entire and young branches and peduncles four angled. It can be easily distinguished from the latter, based on petiole length which are less than or equal to 1 mm (as opposed to petioles more than or equal to 3 mm in E. angulatus), rounded to sub-cordate leaf base (leaf base acute or obtuse, but never rounded in E. angulatus) and inflorescences borne in the axils of terminal pair of leaves (inflorescences extra-axillary or from the axils of older leaves from the last year’s growth in E. angulatus). Morphological differences between these two species are provided in Table 1.

Figure 1. 

Euonymus pushpagiriensis A branches with light brown young and dark green mature leaves B abaxial surface of a leaf with sub-sessile nature, rounded leaf base, entire leaf margin, inconspicuous nerves and acuminate leaf apex with obtuse tips. Note the ducurrent nature of petiole which forms narrow wings extending along the inter-node. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Figure 2. 

Euonymus pushpagiriensis A branches with inflorescences borne in the axils of terminal pairs of leaves B dichasial inflorescences showing the four angled primary and secondary peduncles. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Figure 3. 

Euonymus pushpagiriensis A five-merous flowers with pentagonal disc, five angled ovary and stamens B immature capsule. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Figure 4. 

Euonymus pushpagiriensis A branch with mature dehisced capsule B dehisced capsule with two arillate seeds in a cell C seeds with aril removed. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Figure 5. 

Euonymus angulatus A dorsal view of branch with young inflorescences B ventral view of branches with mature inflorescences. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Figure 6. 

Euonymus angulatus A inflorescences showing the drooping or pendulous nature B flowers C fruit. Photographs by Navendu Page.

Understorey, evergreen shrubs or small trees, up to 3 m tall. Twigs glabrous, narrowly 4-winged, quadrangular in cross section, bud scales minute, usually persistent at nodes. Leaves opposite, lamina glabrous, thick, coriaceous, 3.5–5.5 × 1.5–2.7 cm, ovate; base rounded or subcordate; apex acute to acuminate, rounded at the tip; margin entire, obscurely revolute; petiole stout, ca. 1 mm, decurrent in to the wings of the stem; mid-vein distinctly raised adaxially, as well as abaxially; lateral nerves inconspicuous, 4–7 on each side of mid-vein, looping at the margin. Inflorescences compound dichasium, solitary, borne in the axils of the terminal leaves; primary peduncles four angled, 1.3–1.7 cm long; secondary peduncles up to 0.5 cm long; bracts at the base of primary and secondary peduncles, lanceolate,1–1.5 mm long. Flowers 6–15 per inflorescence, 5-merous, ca. 7 mm in diameter; sepals subequal, subround, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 mm, margin erose; petals subround, 2–2.5 × 2.5–3 mm, red, margin white, finely crenulate; disc 5-lobed, ca. 2.5 mm in diameter; stamens 5, inserted in the middle part of the lobes of the disc, filaments subsessile; ovaries superior, 5-angled, stigmas round, short; ovules 2 per cell. Capsules obovoid, with 5 angles and shallowly grooved, apex concave, 1.4–1.6 × 1.1–1.3 cm, opening into 5-lobes at maturity. Seeds (1) 2 in each cell, ellipsoid, 5–6 × 4–5 mm, orange, partially covered by orange arils at base.

India. • Karnataka State: Kodagu District, Pushpagiri Peak, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary 12°39'42"N, 75°41'05"E, alt. 1550 m, 29 xii 2015, N.V.Page 291215 (JCB).

Euonymus pushpagiriensis is so far known from two localities and is endemic to the Kodagu District of Karnataka.

The species is distributed in the understorey or the edge of montane evergreen ‘Shola’ forests between 1200 to 1550 m elevation. The species was found to be growing in association with Nothopegia sp., Actephila excelsa, Memecylon sp. and Syzygium lanceolatum, amongst others. The species on both occasions was observed growing at the crest of the west-facing slopes of the Western Ghats.

Euonymus pushpagiriensis produces young leaves in the month of January. Flowering was observed from late April to May while the fruiting period starts from June and the fruits mature in the months of December and January.

The specific epithet refers to the type locality of species – Pushpagiri which is the name of the second highest peak in Kodagu District and the fourth highest peak in the State of Karnataka and also the name of the Wildlife Sanctuary in which the peak the located. The species is, so far, known only from Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjacent areas.

The species is currently known from two locations within the Kodagu District of Karnataka State. The Area of Occupancy (AOO), as per the IUCN Red List guidelines, is estimated to be 8 km². Based on the geographic range (Criteria B2), the species qualifies for the Critically Endangered category. However, the species does not meet two of the three conditions required for to qualify for the threatened category. It satisfies only the condition (a) which is that of the number of locations being less than five. There is no evidence to suggest a continuous decline (condition b) or extreme fluctuations (condition c) in range size or number of locations. Hence, Euonymus pushpagiriensis is provisionally assigned ‘Near Threatened’ category.