A new species of Syzygium (Myrtaceae) from the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Peninsular India

A new species of Myrtaceae, Syzygium agastyamalayanum M.B.Viswan. & Manik., sp. nov., is described here from the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in the Agastyamalai hills of the Southern Western Ghats in Peninsular India. This species is allied to Syzygium zeylanicum (L.) DC. var. zeylanicum by habit being trees, opposite leaves, terminal and axillary umbellate panicular type of inflorescence, flowers in umbellules, funneliform hypanthium, 4- or 5‑merous sepals and petals, many stamens of different lengths, 2-locular ovary with many ovules and 1-seeded berries but differs by leaves being obovate, obovate-oblanceolate or elliptic, acute at base, obtusely acute or subacute, rarely retuse at apex; secondary veins 14-20 pairs, without shorter intermediaries, uniform, prominent, brochidodromous; intramarginal vein prominent; petioles short, turgid, up to 4 mm long; hypanthium brown-punctate; sepals semi-circular, rounded at apex; petals reniform-orbicular, cordate or rounded at base, undulate at margin, obtuse at apex, punctate; berries subglobose or globose, 14.5-15 mm across, pink to dark black, glabrous; and seed c. 10 × 8 mm. Using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, the conservation status of the species is assessed as critically endangered based on the field data.