Boeica arunachalensis - Arunachal Boeica

Arunachal Boeica is a newly described (year 2020) species of Boeica from Arunachal Pradesh. It is an erect undershrub, prostrate at base, with stem brownish, 80-120 cm long. Flowers are borne in leaf-axils, in drooping, much branched, 70-100-flowered panicles, carried on flower-cluster-stalks 13-25 cm long. Flower-stalks are 2-8 mm long, pinkish, hairless. Flowers are pink to dark pink with dark red throat, 8-10 mm long, hairless, 2-lipped; tube 1.5-2 mm long; upper lip 2-lobed, 3.5-4 x 4.5-5 mm, obovate, tip rounded; lower lip 3-lobed, 6.5-8 mm long, tip rounded; lateral lobes elliptic-obovate; midlobe obovate-nearly round. Stamens are 4; filaments 0.8-1 mm long, white, hairless, adnate to the base of flower; anthers as long as filaments, brownish-red, style 4-5 mm long, hairless, white. Sepal-cup is divided to the base, pink; sepals 5, 1-1.5 x 0.5-0.8 mm, ovate, entire, tip pointed. Leaves are alternate, leaf-stalk 1-1.5 cm long, hairy, channelled; blade elliptic, 14-24 x 5-8 cm, tip pointed to shortly tapering, base narrowed or wedge-shaped, margins shallowly finely toothed, above green, below pale yellowish, hairless above, below velvet-hairy or woolly, densely on midrib and veins; lateral veins 16-24 on each side of the midrib, impressed above, prominent below. Capsule is oblong, 1.2- 1.4 cm long, greenish-brown, velvet-hairy or woolly. Arunachal Boeica is endemic to Papum Pare District of Arunachal Pradesh. Flowering: August-October.