Sonerila periyarensis sp.nov.-A new species of Melastomataceae from Kerala, India

Sonerila periyarensis, a new taxon was collected from the forest of Gavi, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India is described. Sonerila periyarensis is similar to S. zeylanica and S. nairii but differs from it by having erect, translucent lesser- branched stem, ovate or ovatelanceolate leaves with white-long glandular hairs adaxially, axillary condensed cyme with pink flower, funnel-shaped calyx tube with ovate-obovate petals and scattered glandular-hairy capsule. This combination of characters makes determining the relationships of S. periyarensis difficult.