A new species of Stellaria (Caryophyllaceae, Alsinoideae, Alsineae) from Uttar Pradesh, India

A new species of Stellaria—Stellaria baileyii—from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to S. sikkimensis and S. nagae in overall habit and ovate-elliptic shape of leaf. It differs from Stellaria nagae with respect to shape of bracts (oblong-oblanceolate ca. 1 mm vs. linear 3.7 mm, shape of sepal (lanceolate vs. oblong), actinomorphic flowers (vs. zygomorphic), petals not bifid (vs. petals bifid), pyriform capsule (vs. narrowly ovoid to elliptical), rugose seed surface architecture (vs. spinulose) and pollen with sunken pores (vs. pores prominent). It differs from S. sikkimensis with respect to shape of bract (oblong-oblanceolate ca. 1 mm long in S. baileyii vs. ovate-lanceolate up to 8 mm in S. sikkimensis), shape and length of sepal (linear-oblanceolate exceeding the length of petals by 2 mm vs. ovate to lanceolate equal or less than 1 mm shorter than the length of petal), petals (not bifid, slightly fused in the rim of petal vs. bifid, fused till mid region of the petal), seed surface architecture (tubercles minute with no papillae vs. tubercles short flat topped with abundant papillae), pollen morphology (visible frequency of pores 6–7, ektexinous bodies absent vs. visible frequency of pores 14, ektexinous bodies free). Detailed description of the species along with colour photographs and Distribution maps are provided.