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SAXIFRAGA MINUTISSIMA, A NEW SPECIES FROM THE GARHWAL HIMALAYA, INDIA, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TAXONOMY OF THE GENUS SAXIFRAGA (SAXIFRAGACEAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2012

R. J. Gornall ,
D. S. Rawat  and
Zhuoxin Zhang
R. J. Gornall
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. E-mail for correspondence: rjg@le.ac.uk
D. S. Rawat
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263 145, Uttarakhand, India.
Zhuoxin Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. E-mail for correspondence: rjg@le.ac.uk
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Abstract

Saxifraga minutissima D.S.Rawat, a new and extremely small species of Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae), is described from the Garhwal Himalaya, India. It differs from all other species of Saxifraga, except Saxifraga bicuspidata, in having five stamens and lacking petals. It can be distinguished from Saxifraga bicuspidata in having leaves and sepals entire. The finely striate pollen exine pattern of Saxifraga minutissima indicates that the species belongs to Saxifraga section Ciliatae. Its prostrate, axillary leafy shoots and lack of crisped, rufous hairs strongly suggests a place in Saxifraga subsection Serpyllifoliae, where one of its closest relatives may be Saxifraga stella-aurea.

Keywords

PollenSaxifraga minutissimaSaxifraga section Ciliatae subsection SerpyllifoliaeSaxifragaceaeSaxifragellaseeds
Type
Articles
Information
Edinburgh Journal of Botany , Volume 69 , Issue 2 , July 2012 , pp. 211 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 2012

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