Plagiochila subtropica Stephani (Plagiochilaceae, marchantiophyta) new to Western Himalayas

Abstract

Plagiochila subtropica Stephani has recently been collected and identified from Gairsain, Garhwal region of Uttarakhand which turned out to be a new addition to the Hepatic flora of Western Himalayas. The species is well known to form characteristic diffused patches on tree trunks. The lateral lobes are prominently flattened, triangular-ovate, falcate, and irregularly dentate with a wider base. Asexual reproduction by fragmenting leaves as well as by producing leafy propagules from the ventral leaf surface. Earlier the species was reported and described from Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats of the country. The present report shows the rare occurrence of the species P. subtropica with an extended distributional range in Western Himalayas. A detailed taxonomic illustrated account based on Western Himalayan plants is being provided