Achyranthes species

 

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in Mahabaleshwar- Nov’09?;

Achyranthus species for ID 291109 SMP1 – efloraofindia | Google Groups

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I think this is Prickly chaff flower, (Achyranthes aspera).
Family-Amaranthaceae.

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Achyranthes coynei

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I wonder whether a plant Endemic to Western Ghats can be expected in Western Himalayas.

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Why not sirji, when we can get many Himalayan plants in Western Ghat at higher elevation, so it is possible, infact A. coynei is also found at higher elevation.. or more detail study required..

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Yes many Himalayan Plants are found in Western Ghats and vice versa, but when we say an endemic plant, its occurrence in another place is always interesting, for the plant may no longer be called as endemic to Western
Ghats, if it occurs naturally in another far separated region. That is why I wanted this identification to be verified carefully. Could you kindly give a key separating it from A. aspera and bidentata? as I am not familiar with
this species. It should help. May be we can then request Alok ji to focus on those parts of the plant. It would be a great discovery to have this species in Himalayas.

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Sirji, In Maharashtra there is more than 6 species of Achyranthes.

But to seperate A. coynei from A. aspera and A. bidentata

1. Flowers compactly arranged, Leaves margin magenta colour, flower magenta color…. A. coynei
1. Flowers sparsely arranged on rachis, flowers greenish colour.          2
2. Leaves apex round or ovate, outer bracts without two dentation….    A. aspera
2. Leaves apex acuminate, outer bracts with 2 teeth like projection…   A. bidentata

While identifying specimens of Achyranthes with A. coynei, especially from regions outside of Maharashtra and Karnataka where it is endemic, we have to be doubly sure about its identification. Perhaps The paper supplied by ….. in another thread should help. As it appears, A. coynei is closer to A. aspera var. porphyristachya (and not A. aspera var. aspera, which is much smaller plant scarcely exceeding 1.2 m in height and leaves usually smaller than 12 cm), but is more taller
(2-4.5 m tall as against 1.3-1.8 m), much more branched, leaves reaching 25 cm in length (like var. porphyristachya), subglabrous above, pubescent beneath especially along veins, inflorescence axis is robust (and not slender) and densely pubescent. The real difference I think is the larger flowers with  up to 8 mm long (as against up to 5 mm in A. aspera) rosy or purplish and spreading at anthesis (with spread almost 2 cm). Interestingly the purplish leaf margin mentioned by H S in the key does not figure in the original description.

…. plants has densely hairy thicker leaves like A. aspera. 

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I think this thread was left without conclusion
I am attaching few pics of the plant shot from Chakrata recently. And i guess A aspera but with magenta tinge
Pls clarify 

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Is it Achranthes coynei: Photographed on Friday 3rd Feb., 12, at Matheran.

We also found similar plant in Chakrata it seemed to be simply pink flowered A. bidentata

A. coynei should be like a larger form of A. aspera, reaching 3-3.5 m in height, flowers pink, larger (2 cm across when fully open), and very long inflorescence (35-60 cm long) and fimbriate staminodes.

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Sir, this was not that much tall. Probably around one and half feet. This plant was observed between the shade of two large boulders (rocks).

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Is it Achyranthes coynei: Photographed on Friday 3rd Feb., 12, at Matheran.

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The infl is too short for A. coynei. We found plants of A. bidentata with similar short inflorescence and pink flowers in Chakrata trip. A. coynei is rather gigantic form of A. aspera.