Mahakassapa Lepidagathis is a newly discovered (2022)
species similar to
Sabu's Lepidagathis. It is named
for Brahmana Pippali Manav, later known as Mahakassapa, a prominent
figure from ancient India and one of the principal disciples of Buddha.
It is a perennial, prostrate, sub-shrub. It differs from Sabu's
Lepidagathis in having inverted-lanceshaped leaves with tapering tip,
versus linear leaves with spiny tip. Flowers spikes are at branch-ends,
rarely in leaf-axils, velvet-hairy, 4-7 cm long, elongated spikes. In
Sabu's Lepidagathis flower-spikes are hairless, in leaf-axils, 2.0-2.8
cm long, compact, box-shaped. The plant has minutely velvet-hairy
bracts, large floral and small sterile bracts. Sabu's Lepidagathis has
hairless bracts, floral and sterile bracts alike. The plant has the
broader segment of bracteole lanceshaped versus inverted-lanceshaped
in Sabu's Lepidagathis. Mahakassapa Lepidagathis is found on the
plateaus of Satara
district and is endemic to the state of Maharashtra. Flowering:
February-May.
Identification credit: Sushant More
Photographed in Satara, Maharashtra.
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The flower labeled Mahakassapa Lepidagathis is ...