Alfred Joe

• PhD
• Professor at St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Irinjalakuda

Two new species of Zingiber viz. Z. cornigrum and Z. campanulatum from Arunachal Pradesh, NorthEast India are described. In addition to morphology, data from anatomy, pollen morphology and molecular biology are also used. A key to the Zingiber Sect. Cryptanthium from Northeastern India is provided.

Lysionotus gamosepalus W. T. Wang var. gamosepalus (Gesneriaceae) is reported for the fi rst time from India.

Henckelia collegii-sancti-thomasii, a new species of Henckelia is described here from Nirijuli, Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. Detailed description, its habitat and ecology along with color photographs are provided.

A new species of Globba, G. kanchigandhii, from North-East India is described, illustrated and compared with its allied species. A detailed description, illustration, photographs, distribution, ecology, phenology and relevant notes also provided. A comparison table is also provided.

BACKGROUND ‘Phytonutrients’ have been reported to exert an incredible impact on the healthcare system and offer medical benefits including the prevention or treatment of lifestyle‐associated diseases. We chose one of the most common and important plant families, Musaceae, for our present study and explored its antidiabetic potential. RESULTS Seeds...

Lysionotus bijantiae, a new species of Lysionotus is described from Potin, Lower Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. Detailed description, distribution along with color photographs are provided. A comparison chart of related species and a key to the taxa found in northeastern India are also provided.

Boeica clarkei, a new species is described from Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. This novelity resemble B. porosa but differ in having corolla externally pubescent, an inconspicuous disc and transversely dehiscing anthers. From B. multinervia it differs in being pubescent rather than woolly, and in having only 8–12 paired lateral leaf veins,...

Two recently published species of Musa, viz., M. indandamanensis and M. paramjitiana, are synonymized under M. sabuana and M. balbisiana var. andamanica, respectively based on critical study of types and specimens deposited in ASSAM, CAL, CALI, MH and PBL and careful observation of live plants in their natural habitats during the intensive field ex...

Impatiens rufescens var. agastyamalayensis was described based on a herbarium specimen of C.A. Barber collected in 1901 from Agastyamala. It has now been rediscovered from the same locality after more than a century. Present studies on fresh specimens revealed that the characters are strong enough to elevate the variety to species level, I. agastya...

Lysionotus gamosepalus var. biflorus, a new variety from northeastern India is described and illustrated with photographs. Information on its ecology is provided. The new taxon is morphologically similar to L. gamosepalus var. gamosepalus but can be easily distinguished by a combination of characters such as un-branched pair-flowered cyme, hairy co...

A new species of Ophiorrhiza is described from Arunachal Pradesh, North-East India. Ophiorrhiza debiana is compared with O. cordata, a Chinese species. Detailed description, distribution, ecology, phenology and relevant taxonomic notes are provided along with colour photographs.

In 2015, during a floristic expedition in northeastern India, a population of an unusual Zingiber Miller (1754: 525) was found near Durga Mandir, between Bomdilla and Balukpong, in West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. At a first glance the species clearly belongs to section Cryptanthium Horaninow (1862: 27) in having a procumbent peduncle. Deta...

A new species of Rubiaceae, Ophiorrhiza meghalayensis Hareesh, A.Joe, M.Sabu & L.Wu is described from Meghalaya, North-East India. This species is allied to Ophiorrhiza caudipetala Deb & Mondal and O. hirsutula Wight ex Hooker but can be distinguished from the latter by its triangular calyx lobes, corolla without villous ring within and deeply keel...

Impatiens arunachalensis, a new species of Impatiens is described from the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. Detailed descriptions, distribution, and discussion of ecology along with colour photographs are provided.

Musa velutina subsp. markkuana was published based on morphological characters. Present studies on anatomy of lamina, midrib, petiole, bract, fruit peel and seeds, palynology and micromorphology of seeds of M. velutina and M. velutina subsp. markkuana have revealed that the differences are strong enough to treat the subspecies to species level, M....

A detailed account of the genus Ensete (Musaceae) in India is presented, including a key to the two species known from the country. Updated descriptions and colour photographs of each species are provided, with notes on the phenology, ecology, distribution, cytology, morphological variation and uses. We also provide a brief history of the genus and...

Since the publication of Musa kattuvzhana K.C.Jacob, this taxon has not been recorded or included in any of the South Indian Floras. The correct identity of M. kattuvzhana is described here and Musa acuminata subsp. burmannica N.W. Simmonds and Musa banksii var. singampatti T.G. Nayar are reduced to synonymy. Detailed description, photographs and I...

Impatiens roingensis from Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, is described as new. A detailed description of the plants, their distribution and ecology along with colour photographs are provided for ease of identification.

Didymocarpus moellerii, a new species from northeastern India is described and illustrated with photographs. Information on its ecology is provided as well. The new species is morphologically similar to D. glandulosus and D. tonghaiensis but can be easily distinguished by a combination of characters such as glabrous peduncle, orbicular purple bract...

Zingiber Miller (1754: 525; Zingiberaceae) it is distinct from other genera of the family in having a single anther with a beak or horn-like appendage, wrapping around the upper part of style (Sabu et al. 2013). It is considered the largest genus in subfamily Zingiberoideae with 100–160 species globally and is distributed in tropical to warm-temper...

Notes on taxonomic identity and history of M. rubra are provided and lectotype is designated here. Detailed description, photographs and illustration are provided for easy identification. M. laterita is treated as conspecific to M. rubra.

A new variety of Musa sikkimensis is described here as M. sikkimensis var. simmondsii. Notes on taxonomic identity and history of M. sikkimensis are provided. Isoneotype for M. sikkimensis and lectotype for Musa hookerii are designated. Detailed description, photographs and notes on distribution and ecology of both the taxa are provided for easy id...

India is considered as the centre of origin of bananas, both wild and cultivated. During the revision of the family Musaceae, as much of the specimens were collected from all over India and conserved in Calicut University Botanical Garden (CUBG), of which most of them are with high ornamental potential. This paper focuses mainly on such species whi...

Commelina africana L. Subsp. Zanzibarica Faden, a native of Africa is reported for the first time from Kerala, India. It also forms the first report of its occurrence in southern Asia. Detailed description, photographs and relevant notes are provided to facilitate easy identification.

The present day bananas (Musa cultivars) are derived from two wild species – Musa acuminata Colla and M. balbisiana Colla. Simmonds and Shepherd (1955) classified the cultivated bananas in to various genomic groups, such as AA, AAA, AB, AAB, ABB, BB, etc based on the morphological scoring method. Banana is one of the most important major fruit crop...

Marantaceae are one of the most derived families within the order Zingiberales (Kress 1990). The family comprises of around 550 species in 31 genera of small to moderate sized herbs distributed throughout the tropics, with the exception of Australia (Anderson, 1998). In Asia, the family comprises c. 55 species in eight genera distributed in lowland...

Musa mannii has been considered as extinct in the wild. There is no information on any collected specimen ever; the description by Baker in 1892 was based on a living specimen, and neotypification is based on a figure drawn of that living plant, published after description. Recently, M. mannii was rediscovered after a lapse of more than a century g...

Since the publication of Musa nagensium Prain in 1904, this taxon has not been collected from the Indian forests or misidentified under different species. Here, M. nagensium is rediscovered after a lapse of more than a century from North-East India. M. nagensium var. hongii is reduced to the synonomy of M. nagensium. Detailed description, photograp...

A new species of Musa belonging to the Sect. Musa from Meghalaya, NorthEast India is described as Musa cylindrica. A detailed description, distribution, ecology, phenology and key to the related species are provided.

Musa cheesmanii is rediscovered after 57 years. A note on its extended distribution is also discussed. Detailed description and photographs are provided for easy identification.

Musa balbisiana var. elavazhai, a new variety from South India is described here. A detailed description and photographs are provided for the easy identification of the variety.

Musa velutina var. variegata, a new variety from Assam, North-East India is described and illustrated based on morphology. This extremely rare variety was found only in Makum Area of Tinsukia District in Assam. A detailed description, distribution, ecology, phenology, illustration, colour plates and relevant notes are provided. A key to the Sect. R...

The family Musaceae are well known for the edible bananas (Musa cultivars). The genus includes seeded wild species and seedless edible cultivars. The present day cultivated bananas are derived from two wild species - Musa acuminata Colla and M. balbisiana Colla. Simmonds and Shepherd (1955) classified all cultivars in to various genomic groups, suc...

Since the publication of Musa ochracea by Shepherd in 1964, based on a specimen from an unknown locality, this taxon has not been collected from the wild. Here Musa ochracea is rediscovered after a lapse of about half a century from NorthEast India. Detailed description, illustration, photographs, distribution and ecological details are provided. I...

A wild banana species from West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India, belonging to section Rhodochlamys, is newly described as Musa arunachalensis. A detailed description, additional notes, illustration, phenology and photographs are provided.

The taxonomy of Musa flaviflora and M. thomsonii has been in a state of flux since their inception. Due to their close resemblance and lack of proper types and protologues they were treated as conspecific. Both species have been studied in detail based on live collection and protologues for their taxonomic status and circumscription. Here both the...

Musa chunii Häkkinen, a Chinese species with ornamental potential is reported for the first time from India. A detailed description, photographs, conservation measures and relevant notes on the species are provided.

Zingiber neotruncatum T.L. Wu et al., is being reported as a new addition to the Indian flora. A detailed description, illustration and photographs are provided for easy identification of the species.

A new subspecies of Musa velutina belonging to section Rhodochlamys from northeastern India is described and illustrated as Musa velutina subsp. markkuana. A detailed description, distribution, ecology, phenology and relevant taxonomic notes are provided.

One wild banana, Musa sabuana belonging to the Sect. Musa is newly described from Panchavati and Ramakrishnapur Dam area in Andaman Islands, India. This extremely rare new species is found only in Middle and Little Andamans. Additional notes, IUCN status, Phenology and photographs are also provided.

Phrynium nicobaricum Didr., an endemic species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands is lectotypified here. After detailed studies of the type images, protologues of P. paniculatum N.P. Balakr. along with the live collections, it is concluded that both are conspecific. Detailed description, illustrations and photographs are provided for the easy identif...