Ophiorrhiza radicans

Ophiorrhiza radicans Gardner ex Thwaites, Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 139 1859.;
 

Herbs, 20-30 cm long; stems creeping, rooting at the nodes, branching, densely pubescent. Leaves opposite, 1.3-4 x 1-2.5 cm, ovate, or ovate-orbicular, obtuse to acute at apex, rounded or cordate at base, glabrous above, pubescent on the nerves beneath; lateral nerves 3-5 on either side; petioles 0.5-1.5 cm long, pubescent; stipules persistent, 2-3 mm long, subulate, pubescent. Inflorescence terminal, corymbose cyme, 0.5-1.5 cm across, few flowered, contracted, pubescent; peduncles 2-2.2 cm long, slender, pubescent. Flowers 5-7 mm long, white; bracts and bracteoles similar, caducous, 2-3.25 mm long, linear, puberulous; pedicels 0.5-0.75 mm long, puberulous. Hypanthium 0.75-1 x 0.6-0.75 mm, obovoid, puberulous. Calyx lobes 0.5-0.8 x 0.25-0.5 mm, subulate, acute, puberulous. Corolla 4.25-6 mm long, infundibuliform, glabrous outside, villous at the middle of the tube within; lobes 1.25-1.5 x 1 mm, ovate, slightly curved inward and acute at apex, shortly keeled at back. Stamens adnate to the base of corolla or slightly above, inserted; filaments 1 mm long; anthers 1 mm long. Ovary 0.6-0.75 x 0.5-0.6 mm, obovoid; disc 0.3 mm high; style 1-1.25 mm long, glabrous; stigma 2-lobed, 0.75-1 mm long, lobes lanceolate, acute, glabrous. Capsules 2 x 3-4 mm, glabrous, locules ovate-oblong with straight tip; seeds 0.3-0.4 x 0.3-0.4 mm, 5-7-angular, glabrous, brown; wall of the areole thin with a number of tubercles on it.
Flowering and fruiting: November
Evergreen forests
South India and Sri Lanka

Kindly see the attached pdf : Rediscovery of Ophiorrhiza radicans (Rubiaceae) from the southern Western Ghats, India’

This species O.radicans Gardn. was mentioned as an Extinct species in ‘1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants’ (Rao et al. 2003). It is really great that an extinct species was rediscovered.

The other thing which we conclude from it is that our field investigations are not sufficient to state any species as extinct in any document.

Hearty congratulations … It is a great feeling.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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