Type:— INDIA: Kerala: Palakkad district, Kurissumala, Nelliyampathy hills, 10°31’28.9”N, 76°40’04.6”E, 950 m, 22 June 2019, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 2062 (Holotype: MH; Isotype: CALI, LWG)

Diagnosis:— Glycosmis nelliyampathiensis Jabeena & Maya sp. nov. morphologically shows similarities with its allied species G. angustifolia but differs from the latter by its unifoliolate leaves (vs. pinnate leaves), elliptic leaflets (vs. lanceolate), 1–4 flowered monochasial cymose inflorescence (vs. compound racemose), hairiness at apex of corolla lobes (vs. glabrous), sub-capitate stigma (vs. obtuse) and ellipsoid-oblong fruit (vs. globose or sub-globose).

Description:— Small tree up to 4 m high. Stem terete, younger parts minutely hairy. Leaves born on an articulated petiole, unifoliolate (rarely 2-3 foliolate), up to 5-leaflets in juvenile shoots; leaflets alternate; petiolule 0.3–0.5 cm, grooved above; lamina 7–9 × 3–4 cm, elliptic, acute at base, entire at margin, obtuse at apex, minutely hairy beneath, glabrous above, pellucid gland dotted, midrib prominent, lateral veins obscure. Flowers in axillary 1–4 flowered monochasial cyme, actinomorphic, 0.7–0.8 × 0.4–0.5 cm, bisexual, pentamerous, fragrant. Sepals 5, green, gamosepalous, ca. 0.1 cm long, ovate, acute at apex, outer surface with rusty puberulent hairs, imbricate. Petals 5, 0.5 × 0.2 cm, ovate, obtuse at apex with hyaline hairs, white, imbricate. Stamens 10, all fertile, outer longer 0.3–0.4 × 0.08–0.12 cm, inner shorter 0.15–0.23 × 0.08–0.12 cm; anthers oblong, yellow, adnate, with an apical gland; filaments broad, white, glabrous. Ovary 3-loculed, seated on a swollen gynophore broader than the ovary, ca. 2× 1.5 mm, ovoid, gland-dotted, glabrous; style thick, small; stigma sub-capitate; ovule 1 in each locule, pendulous. Fruit a berry with a remnant persistent style, 1-seeded, ca. 1 × 0.7 cm, ellipsoid-oblong, gland dotted, creamy turning pink, glabrous. Seed ca. 0.8 × 0.5 cm, glabrous.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting during June–September.

Etymology:— The specific epithet is named after the type locality, Nelliyampathy hill ranges in Palakkad District, Kerala, India.

Distribution and ecology:— Specimens of the new species were collected from four different locations of Nelliyampathy hills of Kerala viz., Keshavanpara, Kurissumala, Mattumala and Chakkaliyampara at an elevation of 950–1100 m. The new species is found growing in semi-evergreen forests along with Clausena indica (Dalzell 1851: 33) Oliver (1861: 36) and Aglaia edulis (Roxburgh 1824: 430) Wallich (1840: 26), and each population consists of 5–8 mature individuals. Currently, the taxon is known only from the hill ranges of Nelliyampathy and exhaustive explorations in Western Ghats are inevitable to confirm the distribution and status assignment.

Additional specimens examined:— INDIA. Kerala: Palakkad District, Nelliyampathy hills, Mattumala, 10˚32′31.8″ N, 76˚42′05.2″ E, 951 m, 15 May 2019, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 1794 (CALI); Chakkaliyampara, 10˚31′38.5″ N, 76˚40′19.4″ E, 1033 m, 06 July 2019, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 2125 (CALI); 26 August 2019, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 2339 (MH); Keshavanpara, 10˚31′31″ N, 76˚39′47″ E, 960 m, 20 August 2020, Jabeena M.K. & Maya C. Nair 4160 (LWG)