Geranium ocellatum var. albiflorum Imtiyaz Hurrah, Ajendra Bagri & Vijay Wagh 2022, var. nov.

Geranium ocellatum var. albiflorum Imtiyaz Hurrah, Ajendra Bagri & Vijay Wagh var. nov. (Figures 2–6)

Geranium ocellatum var. albiflorum is similar to the type variety G. ocellatum var. ocellatum but differs in having petals with white coloured base (vs dark purple base), inflorescence dichasial (vs monochasial inflorescence) and peduncle (0–) 1–4.5 cm long (vs (0–) 1–8 cm long).

INDIA, Uttarakhand, Garhwal, Tehri, Kandi Bagriyonki, 15 April 2020, 30 ◦ 12’47.87’’N, 78 ◦ 34’58.66’’E, 1608 m, Ajendra Singh Bagri & Ankit Singh, 320297 (holotype LWG! isotype LWG!)

Annual, herbaceous. Rootstock compressed not bulbous not turnip shaped, many shoots arising from rootstock, taproot vertically elongated, with many fibrous roots. Stem upto 26 cm long, ascending, bearing ca 0.4 mm long, retrorse, not appressed, eglandular hairs, patent 1.7–3 mm long, pilose, eglandular hairs and upper part of shoot with usually dense, spreading 0.1–0.4 mm long glandular hairs also. Stipules 4–5 × 1.4–1.7 mm, light reddish, lanceolatesubulate, with acuminate-caudate apex, ciliate along margins (cilia ca. 0.25 mm long), abaxially with eglandular hairs, adaxially glabrous. Leaf basal ones in persistent rosette, cauline opposite; petiole 0–9 cm long, covered with 0.1–0.4 mm long, retrorse, not appressed, eglandular hairs, patent 0.7–2.6 mm long, pilose eglandular hairs and spreading intact, 0.1–0.3 mm long, dense glandular hairs; lamina 1–2.2 × 1.6–3.5 cm, polygonal-orbicular, palmatipartite, ratio of main sinus length/middle segment length (0.75–0.81), 3–5 segments, middle segment obtriangular-obtrullate, width at base 2–5 mm, 5–13 lobes, shallowly incised, both surfaces with short eglandular hairs and dense hairs mainly along veins abaxially, pilose, sparse hairs adaxially. Inflorescence dichasial cyme, cymules either solitary with 1 or 2 flowers or grouped in umbel form with short or no peduncle; peduncles (0–) 1–45 mm long, covered with retrorse, not appressed, 0.1–0.3 mm long, eglandular hairs and 0.1–0.6 mm long, spreading, dense glandular hairs; bracteoles 1.5– 3.5 mm long, lanceolate, with 0.1–0.4 mm long cilia and few patent, 0.7–2.6 mm long hairs along margins, abaxially with short eglandular hairs and adaxially glabrous; pedicel 0.3–3.0 cm long, indumentation same as peduncles. Flowers actinomorphic, both chasmogamous as well as cleistogamous. Sepals 4–5.1 × 1.8–3.9 mm, ovate, not accrescent, mucro 0.5–1.0 mm long, partly hairy, margins without cilia except apical part, abaxially with 0.1–0.4 mm long, eglandular hairs, few patent ca. 2.8 mm long eglandular hairs and 0.2–0.5 mm long, glandular hairs prominently along veins, adaxially glabrous. Petals five, imbricate, 8–8.7 × 6.1–6.7 mm, cordate, with white base, emarginate apex, notch ca. 0.15–0.35 mm deep, both surfaces glabrous, few cilia along margins at base, 1–2 mm long. Stamens 5 or 10 in 1 or 2 whorls; chasmogamous flowers with 10 filaments, lanceolate-subulate, flattened 2.1–3.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, base dilated tapering smoothly towards apex, glabrous on both side, cilia along margins absent; anthers 0.85– 0.1 mm long; cleistogamous flowers with 5 filaments, not more than 3 mm long, subulate, glabrous. Nectaries globose and glabrous. Gynoecium 3.3–3.9 mm long. Fruit 1.3–1.7 mm long; mericarps 2.1–2.3 mm long, with slightly beaked apex, surface glabrous, with 8–10 ridges 0.1–0.25 mm apart; rostrum 1.1–1.4 mm long, puberulent, narrowed apex (0–)0.5– 0.15 mm long; stigmatic remains (≤ 0.5–) 0.9–1.3 mm.

Flowering & Fruiting: Flowering March–May and fruiting April–June.

Habitat & distribution: The species grows on hill slopes of pine forests, on road margins and in low grassland vegetation at an elevation of 1500–1700 m a.s.l. The associate species to Geranium ocellatum var. albiflorum are Bidens pilosa Linnaeus (1753: 832), Potentilla indica (Andrews) Wolf (1904: 661); Geranium nepalense Sweet (1820: 12), Stellaria media (L.) Villars (1789: 615) and Viola canescens Wallich (1824: 450). The new variety is known only from the type locality, Kandi Bagriyonki, Uttarakhand state, in India. Therefore, it is a circumscribed endemism, same feature was also observed in other hot spots in the world (e.g. Comes 2004, Nowak et al. 2011, Wagensommer et al. 2020), some of which with biological properties may be useful for mankind (e.g. Lozano et al. 2005, Perrino et al. 2021).

Etymology: The variety epithet ‘ albiflorum ’ refers to the character of the corolla which in the variety is white coloured at base.

Preliminary IUCN conservation assessment: Geranium ocellatum var. albiflorum is known from the type locality (Kandi Bagriyonki, Uttarakhand state, India) and consists of a population of about 43 individuals in a single location on an area of about 2 km 2. Further, more survey was conducted in nearby areas without success. The new variety is under threat due to habitat loss because of anthropogenic activities and forest fire. Based on ‘ Extent of Occurrence’ (Criterion B1: EOO <100 km 2) and ‘ Area of Occupancy (Criterion B2: AOO <10 km 2) together with a single location (subcriterion ‘a’) and continuing decline in extent of occurrence and area of occupancy (subcriterion ‘b’ (i,ii)) and in addition a very small restricted population with number of mature individuals <50 (Criterion D) the new variety is assessed here as ‘Critically Endangered [CR B1 ab(i,ii)+ B2 ab(i,ii)+D]’ (IUCN 2019).