Rediscovery of Rubus sikkimensis Hook. f. from Northeast India and lectotypification of its name

Abstract

Rubus sikkimensis Hook. f. is an endemic species of eastern Himalaya, described from Sikkim by J. D. Hooker in 1849. Since then, the species was never collected from India until its rediscovery from Sikkim in 2019 after a gap of 170 years. Another collection from Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India, made by the author in 2021, is reported here as a new distributional record. A detailed description of the species with lectotype designation, photographs, and comparison with allied species are provided to facilitate its easy identification.

Keywords

• arunachal pradesh
• himalaya
• lectotype
• raspberry
• sikkim