Venugopalan NAIR SARADAMMA ANIL Kumar

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Principal at Government College Kasaragod

During field expeditions, Asystasia dalzelliana specimens were collected from different geographical locations from the state of Kerala. The collected populations varied with respect to the color and size of the flowers. Subsequently, critical evaluation has been done using qualitative and quantitative traits. The DL3 and DL4 types were found to ha...

A new species of Stellaria (Stellaria nagae) is described. It resembles S. sikkimensis from which differs by the shape of sepal (oblong, exceeding the length of petals vs. ovate to lanceolate, equal or shorter than length of petal) , bract (linear, more than 4 mm vs. ovate-lanceolate, up to 8 mm), shape of capsule (oblong vs. ovate), seed surface a...

The genus Isachne includes grasses which are found particularly in wetlands. Most of the species included in the genus are either endemic or rare, one of the exception being Isachne globosa, which is found in almost all regions from where the other species have been reported. Their rarity and diminutive florets make it difficult for taxonomists to...

A new species of Allmania—Allmania janakiae—has been described from vegetational belts near the coastal areas of Kollam district of the state of Kerala. Floral traits like absence of bracteole, shape and length of bract, length of tepals, number of flowers per synflorescence, pollen morphology and lack of aril in the seed clearly delineates the new...

A new species, Impatiens minnamparaensis, belonging to section uniflorae is described and illustrated from southern Western Ghats of Kerala. It is morphologically similar to Impatiens sasidharanii but can easily be distinguished in having ovate-oblong leaf, milky white distal lobe of keel petal, red blotch on lower sepal, pollen architecture and ca...

Isachne henryi , a species reported from Wayanad district of Kerala is allied to I. miliacea which is currently a synonym of I. globosa. The taxonomic status of I. henryi collected from the type locality has been evaluated and compared with variant accessions of I. globosa . As per reports, the traits that differentiate I. henryi from I. globosa ar...

A new species of Stellaria from the Nelliyampathy hills of Palakkad district (Kerala, SW-India) is described and illustrated. The new species can be considered as part of the S. media group but differs from the various species with respect to bracts, sepals, petals, pollen morphology and seed surface architecture. Molecular analyses (ITS) confirmed...

A new species, Impatiens neo-uncinata, belonging to section Scorpioidae is described and illustrated from Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in the southern Western Ghats. It is morphologically similar to Impatiens unicinata, but can easily be distinguished in having milky white distal lobe of keel petal, deltoid shape of standard petals and 1–2...

The taxonomic status of Asystasia gangetica var. krishnae has been evaluated and compared with the closely resembling taxon A. intrusa (synonyms: A . gangetica subsp. micrantha and A. micrantha ). The trait that differentiates the two taxa, as per reports, is the occurrence of vertical violet‐black bands on the sides of anthers in the former taxon....

Some populations identifiable as Alternanthera flavescens were discovered in the Kerala region (SE‐India), representing the first record of the national Flora. A macro‐ and micro‐morphological description based on the plants found, as well as ecological notes, are given. The phenotypic plasticity observed was also discussed.

Amaranthus is a genus taxonomically complex because of its high morphological variability, which led to nomenclatural disorders, misapplication of names, and misidentifications. Floristic and taxonomic studies on this genus are still incomplete, and many questions remain open. Seed micromorphology has been shown to play an important role in the tax...

The variability shown by Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson has been thoroughly analyzed by considering gross and micromorphology. The species shows variability in flower color and leaf shape among the accessions collected from different geographical locations. However, the microspore sculpturing was found to be uniform and the seed surface archi...

Three new species of Polycarpaea , Polycarpaea barbellata , P. ebracteata and P. psammophila , are described from the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. The new species are allied to P. corymbosa and P. aurea but can be visibly distinguished by unique character combinations, viz. shape of sepal, petal, bract and bracteole and seed morphology. Deta...

First molecular and morphometric investigations for the genus Allmania are presented. A new species of Allmania from the granite hillocks of Palakkad district (Kerala state, India), is described as A. multiflora. It differs from A. nodiflora by shape and length of tepals, diameter of the gynoecium, diameter and hairiness of seeds, length of bracts,...

Emilia lateritica, a new species of Asteraceae from lateritic plateaus of Kasaragod District of Kerala, India, is described and illustrated. It is allied to E. sonchifolia and E. scabra. Notes on its phenology, distribution and conservation status are provided.

Impatiens thulunadensis Sindhu Arya, Biju & V.S.A. Kumar sp. nova (Balsaminaceae) is described from the wetlands of Kasaragod District of Kerala, India. It resembles especially I. kodachadriensis, but differs from it by, e.g., being restricted to muddy places at low elevations, flower colour and shapes of floral parts.

Miliusa agasthyamalana (Annonaceae), a new species from the Western Ghats, India is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to M.paithalmalayana and M. wightiana. Detailed notes on the species along with its color photographs and illustrations are provided.

Few populations of Amaranthus deflexus L. were observed in Kerala region (SE-India), contributing the first record of this species to the national Flora. A morphological (macro and micro) description of the species, as well as ecological data are given. A note on the phenotypic plasticity exhibited by the taxon is also provided.

Asystasia dalzelliana var. alba, a new variety of the family Acanthaceae is described and illustrated from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala, India. The new variety differs from the typical variety with respect to color of flowers and lack of black blue bands on the anthers. Critical notes along with conservation status of the new variety are pr...

Isachne veldkampii var. malabarica, a new variety is described from the wetlands of Kasaragod, Kerala. It can be distinguished from Isachne veldkampii Bhat & Nagendran by the presence of two types of leaves - ligulate and nonligulate,1–4 spikelets in each panicle branch and 2 florets which are either both pistillate, both bisexual or upper pistilla...

A new species of Ophioglossum from the Western Ghats of Kerala (India)-Ophioglossum madhusoodananii-is described and illustrated. Morphological description as well as original photos and illustrations are given. O. madhusoodananii is similar to O. costatum from which it differs by the shape of rhizomorph and tropophyll, position of sporophore, ster...

Polycarpaea palakkadensis, a new species of Caryophyllaceae from the hillocks of Palakkad District (Kerala, India) is described and illustrated. P. palakkadensis is morphologically similar to P. rangaiahiana from which differs in having fused ovate bracts, capilliform bracteoles, linear stipules, ovate-cordate petals, filaments much shorter than an...

Three new species of Impatiens , Impatiens achudanandanii , I. danii , and I. shailajae , are described from Thiruvananthapuram and Idukki districts of Kerala state (SW-India). Impatiens achudanandanii is similar to I. courtallensis and I. herbicola ; I. danii to I. goughii and I. shailajae is to I. minae and I. scapiflora . The newly described tax...

Indobanalia thyrsiflora is an endemic species occurring in peninsular India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu States) and Sri Lanka. A nomenclatural study of the basionym Banalia thyrsiflora, published by Moquin-Tandon in Candolle’s Prodromus (year 1849), is carried out and the name is lectotypified on a specimen deposited at P (bar...

A new species of Lepidagathis (Acanthaceae) discovered from the lateritic plateau of Kasaragod, near Ananthapuram Lake temple

Genetic variability of Solanum species of Kerala have been studied through ISSR analysis

Foliar features of Alternanthera species have been studied

Nutritional qualities of tomato and cherry tomato have been compared

A new species of Solanum discovered from India

Pollen morphology of Solanum species of Kerala compared through SEM analysis

Stomatal variations of Solanum species of Kerala studied through l;light microscopy and SEM

SEM and FTIR spectral studies of Solanum diphyllum

Foliar fingerprinting of Solanum species of Kerala

Floral morphometrics of Solanum species of Kerala have been analysed

Assessment of genetic variability of Solanum species of Kerala using RAPD markers

DNA, protein content and alkaloid of accessions of solanum torvum have been evaluated

Three populations of Amaranthus powellii were discovered in Kerala region (SE-India), representing the first record of this species for the national flora. A morphological description based on the Indian plants, as well as ecological data are given. A preliminary list of all the Amaranthus species occurring in India, which was never published durin...

A new species of Alternanthera from Kerala (SW-India), named Alternanthera indica, is described and illustrated. A detailed description, photographs, and drawings are provided. The new species resembles A. carcasana, A. paronychioides var. robusta, A. pungens, A. sessilis, and A. tenella for sharing habit and sessile synflorescences, but it differs...

Ludwigia venugopalanii , a new species of Ludwigia from Western Ghats, Kerala (Southwestern India), is described and illustrated. The new species Ludwigia venugopalanii is morphologically similar to L. palustris from which it differs by alternate phyllotaxy, length and pubescence of calyx tube, absence of bracteoles, shape of ovule and capsule morp...

Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis, a new species of Acanthaceae is described and illustrated from the lateritic plateau of Kasaragod district of Kerala, India. The new species resembles L. keralensis. Critical notes along with conservation status of the new species is provided.

The genus Amaranthus is represented by 18 species in India. Recently a new species viz. Amaranthus saradhiana has been erected from Kerala (Arya et al., 2019). During an extensive field exploration at various geographical locations in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, the authors came across the species A. saradhiana. The specimens were collected fro...

A new species of Utricularia named U. kamarudeenii, from the paddy fields of Kottayam district of Kerala, India, is described and illustrated. The new species resembles U. aurea but differs from it in the length of spur with respect to lower lip, deeply bilobed lower lip, presence of one type of trap having basal mouth without appendages and hexago...

A new species of Amaranthus from Kerala (SW-India)-Amaranthus rajasekharii-is described and illustrated. Macro-and micro-morphological descriptions (with SEM analysis of pollen and seed), as well as original photos and drawings were provided. The new species is similar to A. dubius, from which it differs by stem color, inflorescence structure, gyno...

A new species of Amaranthus from the southern region of Kerala, India is described and illustrated as Amaranthus saradhiana sp. nov. SEM analysis of pollen and seed architectural patterns together with FTIR spectral banding discriminates the taxon from its morphologically allied species, A. spinosus. Detailed description including distribution with...

Morphological features of foliar trichomes have been successfully employed in classification of diverse groups of plants. The present study evaluates the taxonomic value of trichomes in 17 taxa of Solanum L. using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Both glandular and non-glandular trichomes were observed on the leaves which showed variations in their de...

Seed micromorphology can provide stable marker characters valuable for authentication at different level of identification in taxonomic hierarchy. Spermoderm sculpturing patterns of 16 taxa of Solanum were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to analyse their unique features useful in taxonomic studies. Considerable diversity was n...

The systematic analysis between 15 different species and one species with two accessions in Solanum has been carried out and need all over revisions and investigations. In continuation to our previous morphometric analysis, currently stomatal variation is analyzed using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In addition to classical ano...

Pollen morphology of 18 taxa of Solanum from Kerala has been analyzed on an evolutionary perspective on palynological relationship shared by the wild taxa and the cultivated ones. The exine ornamentation in wild germplasm ranges from spinulose (S. mauritianum Scop. and S. wendlandii Hook.f) to granulose (S. giganteum Jacq. and S. trilobatum L.), fr...

Solanum is the largest and cosmopolitan taxa in Solanaceae with about 2000 species worldwide. The genus is represented by about 30 species distributed in different districts in Kerala. This investigation report for the feasibility of using the foliar epidermal characteristics such as foliar trichomes, stomatal index and vein islet numbers as a taxo...

Micromorphology of vegetative and reproductive plant organs is the object of research to resolve the taxonomic problems of critical species and genera. Trichomes are distributed at the surface of aerial plant parts, having various functions and are extremely variable in their presence across plant, location on plant organs, density, form, etc., and...