Scientist, Dr. LalJi Singh from the Botanical Survey of India has discovered a genus of Mistletoe found in the Nicobar Island. The new genus name, Septemeranthus is derived from a Latin word ‘Septem’ meaning ‘seven’ for the 7-merous nature of the flower. It was discovered with only single species and recognized as a monotypic genus. Its type species is named Septemeranthusnicobaricus L.J. Singh after the name of its natural habitat, Nicobar Islands. The details of the discovery were published in the Journal of Botanical Taxonomy and Geobotany, FeddesRepertorium 132:193–203, 2021.
Botanical Scientist Dr. LalJi Singh said taxonomically the new genus belongs to Loranthaceae under the sandalwood order Santalales, which is of widespread importance. The family Loranthaceae is currently represented by 9 genera including this new genus, Septemeranthus in India.
The new genus, Septemeranthus is distinguishable from previously known genera of loranths in having the heart-shaped leaves with extended drip tip, camptodromous venation and 3-7 pairs of lateral nerves, racemose inflorescence with unpaired flowers (3-7 flowered) sometimes a solitary flower, 7-merous flowers with 5 persistent bracts having conspicuous margins, urceolate ovary, fruits, and seeds. The 7-merous corolla with 5 bracts of the new genus has not been recorded in any other previously known genera of the Loranthaceae family.
Mistletoe is relevant to several aspects and play important role in various ways such as ecologically important as keystone species, food for frugivorous birds, medicines. Discoverer of this new genus, Dr. LalJi Singh during the field studies found the birds consume viscous seeds of this new genus and seeds have the potential of pseudoviviparous germination that deposit on the leaves and branches of their mother and host plants both where starts the life cycle all over again said, discoverer of this genus.
Besides Septemeranthus, genus, Dr. Singh has also been discovered two endemic species Macrosolenandamanensis and Scurrulaparamjitii under the family Loranthaceae. More recently, a new species in the hemiparasitic family Loranthaceae have also been discovered from the Nicobar Group of Islands and it is named as Dendrophthoelaljii in the name of the discoverer (Dr. LalJi Singh, an eminent Botanist) of genus Septemeranthu. Brief about this mistletoe species have been published in Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 2021, 14(3): 452 – 459. Currently Loranthaceae family constitutes three endemic species and one endemic genus under the Loranthaceae family of hemiparasitic plants in the Islands.
