Lepidagathis mahakassapae

Lepidagathis mahakassapae Sushant More, Sharad Kambale, Mandar Sawant, Rohit Mane and Harshal Bhosale, Nordic Journal of Botany 2022;
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Lepadagathis spinosa : 7 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4)
Lepidagathis spinosa as seen on plateau near Zolambi at Chandoli.
Please confirm the species. 

Seems close to images of Siddarth Jude Machado at http://indiabiodiversity.org/observation/show/1740641          
But I am finding validation from anywhere else.
Pl. also check the description here (flower colour etc. looks different)             
Plant illustration confuses the matter further: 
This should be Lepidagathis bandraensis Blatt. (Though this name is unresolved, interestingly there are no specimens in Botanical Survey of India even not in BSI Western Circle Pune too.

I believe the plantillustrations link is actually of Lepidagathis scariosa Nees.
I used Gamble’s key to ID the observation here http://indiabiodiversity.org/observation/show/1740641
According to Gamble’s Key, the attached images from Chandoli seem to be L. spinosa

I agree with … for L.spinosa as per GBIF– specimen 1 and specimen 2

This is a recently described species from Maharashtra Lepidagathis mahakassapae 2022

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Posted in 2017 and described as a new species in 2022:
This plant was posted by Ushaprabha Page ji in eFI in 2017 as per details at Lepadagathis spinosa
This plant has now been described as a new species in 2022, as per details at Lepidagathis mahakassapae sp. nov. (Acanthaceae: Barlerieae) from the high elevated Lateritic Plateau of northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India– Sushant More, Sharad Kambale, Mandar Sawant, Rohit Mane and Harshal Bhosale, Nordic Journal of Botany 2022.
Again reinforcing the view that many new plants are posted here in eFI, much before being published as a new species.

Really heartening !!! Kudos to … and to eFI !!

 

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References:
Lepidagathis mahakassapae sp. nov. (Acanthaceae: Barlerieae) from the high elevated Lateritic Plateau of northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India– Sushant More, Sharad Kambale, Mandar Sawant, Rohit Mane and Harshal Bhosale, Nordic Journal of Botany 2022 (Abstract: Lepidagathis mahakassapae sp. nov., a monocarpic and endemic species of Acanthaceae, is described from Western Maharashtra, India. The new species is allied to L. sabui from Konkan, Maharashtra, but differs by having oblanceolate acuminate leaves, pubescent terminal elongated spikes, large floral but small sterile bracts and lanceolate broader segment of the bracteole. The stems of L. mahakassapae grows up to 250 cm in length while a few other prostrate species grows up to this length. Illustrations and colour photographs are provided for ease of identification)