Litsea vagamonica (Lauraceae): a new species from southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India

Abstract

A new species in the family Lauraceae, Litsea vagamonica is described and illustrated from the Vagamon Hills, Kerala, India. The new species is similar to Litsea wightiana, from which it differs by its glabrous branchlets, thinly coriaceous leaves, glabrous on both surfaces, with acute to acuminate apex, glabrous petioles, densely puberulent brachyblasts, fulvous-tomentose involucral bracts, the inner ones with 6-nerves, stamens with stipitate glands, presence of a pistillode in male flowers, an ellipsoid, sparsely pubescent ovary in female flowers, and an ellipsoid fruit with puberulent fruit cupule on a glabrous, 0.9–1.2 cm long pedicel.