﻿Six new species of Globba L. (Zingiberales, Zingiberaceae) from the Eastern Himalayas and Northeast India

﻿Abstract We describe six new species in the genus Globba L.: Globbacorniculatasp. nov., Globbapaschimbengalensissp. nov., Globbapolymorphasp. nov., Globbatyrnaensissp. nov., Globbajanakiaesp. nov., and Globbayadavianasp. nov. collected from the Indian part of the Eastern Himalayas (West Bengal) and Northeast India. We provide a detailed morphological description of all six species along with photographic plates, distribution maps, and tentative conservation assessments. We also provide a dichotomous identification key for all the Indian Globba species and discuss the newly described species in relation to those that are morphologically similar to them. Finally, we highlight the taxonomic collection challenges in the ecologically sensitive Eastern Himalayas and Northeast regions of India.


Introduction
Zingiberaceae is the largest family within the order Zingiberales, which comprises at least 114 genera and 4022 species (https://www.worldfloraonline.org/).Members of Zingiberaceae are tropical, perennial, rhizomatous herbs that usually grow in moist shady places (Saha et al. 2020).Globba L. is the fourth largest genus with about 136 species (POWO 2024; Fig. 1A) within Zingiberaceae, and it is one of the three genera within the tribe Globbeae, the other two being Gangnepainia K.Schum.and Hemiorchis Kurz (Cao et al. 2019).The genus Globba is distinguished from the other two genera by the presence of anther appendages, the absence of central stripe/point on labellum, the labellum being partially fused with the floral tube or free, the reflexed floral tube and flowering throughout the rainy season (Williams et al. 2004).Species within this genus are popular as ornamental plants, often known as: dancing girls, weeping goldsmith, snowball, singapore gold, white dragon, and ruby queen, all of which highlight the attractive and delicate flowers.The type species for the genus Globba -G.marantina L. was described by Linnaeus in 1771, and subsequent exploration of this genus can be accorded to Smith (1805) and Roxburgh (1820), followed by more regional-level studies throughout Southeast Asia (Sakai et al. 1999;Takano and Okada 2003;Williams et al. 2004;Sakai and Nagamasu 2006;Sakai et al. 2013;Sangvirotjanapat et al. 2019, 2020, Newman and Sangvirotjanapat 2023).Most Globba spp.are terrestrial, a few are lithophytes, and only one species is known to be epiphytic (G.bokorensis Nob.Tanaka & Tagane).Morphologically, vegetative traits do not vary as much as reproductive traits, as most of the species are small herbaceous plants with short stature and an understory growth habit.However, there is a high diversity in their reproductive traits, such as in inflorescence type and size, floral morphology (lateral staminode, labellum), presence of andromonoecy, and presence and morphology of bulbils.The flower is characterized by a long, curved filament with a terminal anther, having zero, two, four, or six appendages.Stigma is present between the anther lobes, and style is held in the ventral furrow of the filament.The anther appendages have been shown to be an important morphological trait that defines infrageneric taxonomy in Globba, and it has also been used along with molecular markers to identify both subgeneric and sectional delimitations (Williams et al. 2004;Sangvirotjanapat et al. 2019).
In recent years (2019-2022, Fig. 1A), an increased field exploration in Southeast Asia has led to a drastic increase in the number of species, making this region truly the center of diversity for this genus.In India, a total of 19 species (Suppl.material 1) have been documented, all of which are confined to the tropical forests of the Western Ghats across four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu), the seven states of Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura), Sikkim, and West Bengal (Alfred et al. 2019;Dalisay et al. 2022).
The northeast region of India is geographically seen as a 'gateway' for much of India's flora and fauna because it shares its geographic borders with China and Bhutan to the north and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the south and southeast (Chakravarty et al. 2012;Ashokan et al. 2022).It has been shown for the genus Hedychium J.Koenig (Zingiberaceae) that the multistage uplift of the Himalayas created new geophysical environments along with climatic changes such as an intensification of monsoons which led to high speciation rates in these newly created ecological niches (Ashokan et al. 2022).
Similarly, other gingers in the northeast region of India may also have witnessed high speciation events, making this region a unique habitat for diverse flora with a high level of endemism (Chatterjee et al. 2006;Ashokan et al. 2022).Based on floristic composition and local climate, the northeast region of India can be divided into two biogeographic zones: Eastern Himalaya and Northeast India (Fig. 3 based on Rodgers and Panwar 1988).The Eastern Himalaya region includes (from west to east) the Indian states of West Bengal (five northern districts including Darjeeling), Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh and the country Bhutan, and the region of Northeast India includes the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura (Fig. 3, Chatterjee et al. 2006).
Both of these regions have distinct climates, geology, topography, and floristic history.The state of West Bengal is further divided into five geographical regions: the Darjeeling, the Terai-Duars, the Western undulating highland plateau,  the North & Bengal plain, and the Delta (Fig. 3).Among these five vegetational zones, the Darjeeling-Himalayan zone belongs to the Eastern-Himalayan Hotspots zone, and it is the richest floristic zone of the state (Mitra et al. 2021).
In this study, we describe six new species of the genus Globba from the states of West Bengal (Darjeeling region), Meghalaya, and Mizoram in India.

Materials and methods
Floristic surveys were conducted in the state of West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Mizoram during the monsoon months of August and September 2022, which is the flowering season for most of the Globba spp., and these surveys were also used to formulate the conservation assessment for all the six species described here.Morphological measurements for all six species were taken in situ from freshly dissected specimens, and from pickled flowers kept in Copenhagen solution using a digital caliper and under a stereomicroscope (Leica S8 APO), and also from digital images using the ImageJ software (Schneider et al. 2012).We also took morphological measurements from protologues, type specimens, and all available herbarium vouchers of the morphologically similar taxa (that is allied species) for comparative morphometrics with our new species.We have measured the flower length from the base of the ovary to the tip of the anther for all six newly described species.All herbarium vouchers and pickled specimens are deposited at BHPL (IISER Bhopal), and duplicates will be deposited at ASSAM (BSI Shillong).We examined specimens of Globba, including relevant type materials from the digitized herbarium collections of various international herbaria, such as E, K, and the JSTOR Global Plants collection (https://plants.jstor.org/),and all relevant Globba protologues were studied.The conservation status of the newly described species was evaluated based on guidelines listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2022), and terminologies for describing different morphological characters follow Gowda et al. 2012.Diagnosis.Globba corniculata is morphologically similar to G. ruiliensis and G. multiflora but differs in having sessile, oblong-narrowly ovate leaves, absence of inflorescence bracts and bracteoles, orange flower, cuneate labellum with cornicula (Fig. 4F), long pedicel, the presence of bulbils throughout the inflorescence vs. petiolate, ovate to narrowly ovate leaves, presence of inflorescence bracts and bracteole, yellow to orange flowers, and obcuneate labellum with cornicula.
Distribution and ecology.At present, G. corniculata is known only from the Takdah Forest in West Bengal, which is a tropical evergreen, lower montane forest at an elevation of ca.1220 m.It is terrestrial, mostly growing in open habitats along the edge of roads.The current location has ca.70 individuals within an area of ca.400 m 2 .Other sympatric ginger species were G. racemosa and Hedychium spicatum Sm.We have observed several species of bees and butterflies visiting the flowers of this species.
Phenology.Flowering and fruiting were observed in the month of August.
Etymology.The species epithet 'corniculata' refers to the presence of hornshaped structure at the base of labellum.
Informal conservation status.G. corniculata is known only from one population, which is a protected area with limited or no anthropogenic disturbance.The population was spread across 2-3 km along the edge of the road, where we counted 1500-2000 individuals.We surveyed six potential locations in Darjeeling, which is 50 km 2 around the type locality (Takdah forest) and could not locate any population in northern West Bengal.Based on the IUCN (2022) guidelines, we hypothesize that if a formal conservation assessment were performed, its conservation status would probably be Critically Endangered according to criteria B1.(a) (B1: extent of occurrence is less than 100 km 2 , a: = 1 location).Taxonomic notes.The new species is similar to the two species in flower color and presence of cornicula at the base of the labellum.The new species differs from G. ruiliensis in its large inflorescence 25-53 cm (vs.10-35 cm), short peduncle 1.8-2.3cm (vs.3-15 cm), glabrous rachis (vs.hirsute) and absence of inflorescence bracts (vs.present).The new species differs from G. multiflora in its large lateral staminodes 9-10 mm (vs.3-4 mm), length of lateral staminodes equal to corolla lobes (vs.shorter than corolla lobes), and production of bulbils throughout the inflorescence (vs.only at the lower portion of inflorescence).The detailed morphological comparisons between G. corniculata and G. ruiliensis, G. multiflora are presented in Table 1.

Specimens
Notes.G. ruiliensis is distributed in Yunnan province, China and G. multiflora is distributed in Meghalaya, Assam, and Sikkim states, India and Bangladesh (Fig. 5).Ligule length (mm) and indumentum 3, densely pubescent 2, margin ciliate 1-1.Diagnosis.G. paschimbengalensis is morphologically similar to G. andersonii but differs in having off-white flowers with a faint tinge of yellow, deeply notched ligule with unequal lobes (Fig. 6C) reduced or no peduncle vs. white flowers, ligule with equal lobes and with peduncle.
Distribution and ecology.G. paschimbengalensis is recorded only from Latpuncher, Darjeeling district, West Bengal, where we observed ca.30 individuals in an area of an estimated 400 m 2 .G. paschimbengalensis is lithophytic, mostly growing along the edge of roads at an elevation of ca.1200 m.We have observed bumblebees visiting the flowers of this species.
Phenology.Flowering and fruiting were observed in the month of August.
Etymology.The species epithet refers to the Indian state of West Bengal, where this species was found.
Informal conservation status.We have only found one population that was not in a protected area.The population was spread across a 20-25 m 2 area Taxonomic notes.The new species is similar to one species in inflorescence length, presence of inflorescence bracts, and absence of bulbils.This species differs from G. andersonii in having unequal lobes, deeply notched ligule (vs.equal lobes and slightly notched), absence of peduncle (vs.presence of peduncle), and large lateral staminodes 7.8-8.8mm (vs.5-6 mm).The detailed morphological comparisons between G. paschimbengalensis and G. andersonii are presented in Table 2. Diagnosis.G. polymorpha is morphologically similar to G. andersonii but differs in having pale yellow flower, densely pubescent ligule with long white hairs (Fig. 7C), red or green-colored bracteole, large anther (4-5 mm) vs. white flowers, ligule pubescent externally, white color bracteole and small anther (1.5 mm).
Distribution and ecology.G. polymorpha is recorded only from Pankhabari, Darjeeling district, West Bengal.At Pankhabari, we have observed ca.21 individuals in a ca.400 m 2 area.G. polymorpha is lithophytic, mostly growing along the edge of roads at an elevation of ca.600 m.We observed floral color polymorphism in this species, with red bracteole and yellow bracteole individuals growing within the same population.We have observed different species of bees and butterflies visiting the flowers of this species.
Phenology.Flowering and fruiting were observed in the month of September.
Etymology.The species epithet refers to the floral color variation due to bracteole color variations among individuals within the same population, which can be seen in Fig. 7A (top left and bottom left).Taxonomic notes.The new species is similar to one species in inflorescence height, sessile leaves, densely pubescent peduncle, and absence of bulbils.This species differs from G. andersonii in its large ligule 1.5-1.8mm (vs.0.8-1.2mm), pale dull yellow flowers (vs.white), and large anther 2.5-3 mm (vs.1.5 mm).Detailed morphological comparisons between G. polymorpha and G. andersonii are presented in Table 2.
Distribution and ecology.At present, we have seen G. tyrnaensis in the Double decker bridge, Tyrna village, and Thangkharang Park, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya.We have observed 150-200 individuals in Tyrna village and 10-15 individuals in Thangkharang Park, and the overall area of these two populations is ca.400 m 2 each.G. tyrnaensis is terrestrial mostly growing in understory habitats inside forests at an elevation of ca.731 m.We have observed different species of bees visiting the flowers of this species.
Phenology.Flowering and fruiting were observed in the month of July.
Etymology.The species epithet refers to the type locality for this species, which is at the Tyrna village, Cherrapunji, Meghalaya.
Informal conservation status.We have documented G. tyrnaensis from two populations within the state of Meghalaya: at Double decker bridge (Cherrapunji district) and near Thangkharang Park (Cherrapunji district).Both populations were in community-protected areas with limited anthropogenic disturbance.The first absence of inflorescence bract (vs.present).The detailed morphological comparisons between G. tyrnaensis and G. orixensis are presented in Table 3. Diagnosis.G. janakiae is morphologically similar to G. orixensis and G. macroclada but different in having short inflorescence, absence of inflorescence bracts, petiolate lamina, short filament, large anther, heart-shaped labellum with cornicula (Fig. 10F) vs. large inflorescence, presence of inflorescence bracts, sessile lamina, large filament, small anther, and labellum without cornicula.
Phenology.Flowering was observed in the month of July.
Etymology.The species is named in honor of Dr. E. K. Janaki Ammal.She was a pioneering Indian woman botanist who challenged the norms of caste, gender and race.She was critical about deforestation carried out to make way for development projects and advocated preservation of native plants.
Informal conservation status.Globba janakiae is currently known from one population in Double decker bridge (Cherrapunji district) within the state of Meghalaya, wherein the population was spread across 2-3 km along the edge of the road and has approximately 5-6 individuals.We surveyed seven potential locations in Meghalaya, which is 50 km 2 around the type locality (Double decker bridge) and could not locate any population.Based on the IUCN (2022) guidelines, we hypothesize that if a formal conservation assessment were performed, its conservation status would probably be Critically Endangered according to criterias B1. bracts (vs.present), and large anther 3.8 mm (vs. 2 mm).This species is different from G. macroclada in its short ligule 1 mm (vs.2-3 mm), small size inflorescence 4-6 cm (vs.15 cm), and short anther 3.8 mm (vs. 6-7 mm).Detailed morphological comparisons between G. janakiae and G. orixensis are presented in Table 3.
Notes.G. macroclada is distributed in Nepal and West Bengal, India, and G. orixensis is distributed in Bangladesh, Assam and Odisha states, India, and Myanmar (Fig. 11).Diagnosis.Globba yadaviana is morphologically similar to G. rahmanii, G. expansa and G. lancangensis but clearly different in pod shape fruit (Fig. 12I), absence of andromonoecy, reduced peduncle, large inflorescence, short calyx vs. oblong, globose ellipsoid fruit, presence of andromonoecy, large peduncle, small inflorescence, and large calyx.
Distribution and ecology.At present, we have seen this species in Reiek Tlang road, Mamit, Mizoram.We have observed ca.30 individuals in an overall area of ca.400 m 2 .This species is lithophytic, mostly growing along the edge of roads with an elevation of ca.300 m.We have observed different species of bees and butterflies visiting the flowers of this species.We have observed ants as seed dispersal for this species.
Phenology.Flowering and fruiting were observed in the month of August.Etymology.This species epithet is in the memory of the late Mr. Rajesh Yadav, who was the father of the first author and was instrumental in the author's progress in science and education.
Informal conservation status.This species is currently known from 4-5 small populations across Reiek-Tlang road (Mamit district) within the state of Mizoram, wherein each population is spread across 1-2 km along the edge of the road and has approximately 30 individuals each.Although this species is known only from the type locality, it could be more widespread in neighboring countries with similar habitats, we, therefore, assess it as Data Deficient (DD).One species, G. platystachya, is not included in the above taxonomic key since anther characters were not described in its protologue, and anther characters are very critical for subgeneric classification in Globba.To the best of our knowledge there has been no subsequent record of this species.Since the description of this species is incomplete, we did not include it in this dichotomous key.

A note on the taxonomic collection challenges in the ecologically sensitive Eastern Himalayas and northeast region of India, and recommendations:
In the past few decades, the Eastern Himalayas and the Northeast India are two biodiversity-rich regions that have been constantly threatened by rapid development projects.The effects of ecological destruction caused in this region need special mention and attention because these regions are among the least explored areas in India for their flora, fauna, ecology, and evolutionary patterns, and they remain one of the most challenging regions for collection-based studies, both logistically and politically.Based on our decade-long experience of working in this region, we discuss below two main challenges in collection-based floristic and taxonomic studies: 1) access to study areas and associated logistic challenges, and 2) safety in the field.
1) Access to study areas-The only mode of transportation within Northeast India is by road, with a single rail line that connects Guwahati (Meghalaya) to Tinsukia (Arunachal Pradesh).The roadways within Northeast states are well-connected, but they are difficult to traverse due to poor road quality, and unpredictable landslides that can completely isolate large parts of this region for an indefinite time (Fig. 14).Lastly, the lack of frequent public transportation means that fieldwork can only be carried out using privately hired vehicles, which significantly increases fieldwork budgets.
One of the forest types that is challenging to access in the northeastern states is the sacred groves (Fig. 14E).Sacred groves cover over 40000 hectares of natural forest area across five states (Upadhyay et al. 2019) and they represent a valuable practice in conserving biodiversity, where local communities preserve a specific site untouched out of reverence for religious or cultural reasons.This conservation method is essential in protecting threatened flora and fauna from extinction as well as preserving socio-ecologically important species.While it is possible to access most sacred groves via research permits from the indigenous guardian communities, collecting samples within the groves is restricted.This presents a significant challenge in identifying species from these sacred groves since voucher collections from these locations are prohibited.Other logistic challenges include scarcity of paid accommodations and access to basic amenities such as electricity for drying herbarium specimens.The high humidity in this region makes it difficult to dry specimens, especially in areas like Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, where rainfall can reach up to 450 inches (11430 mm).Finally, the absence of a continuous electrical power source also means that charging of field equipment such as cameras, GPS devices, power banks, and mobile phones becomes challenging here.
2) Safety in the field-The safety of researchers has been a major concern in the northeastern states due to the combination of natural disasters and political conflicts.This region shares political boundaries with five countries, making it a politically sensitive area, especially in regions closer to the political borders.
The Northeast states are biodiversity corridors between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia (Ashokan et al. 2022, Prasanna et al. 2020).With the region's needs to focus on development, it is very critical to take active measures in documenting the biodiversity present in this area.Our discovery of six new species highlights the importance of documenting and preserving the flora of this biodiverse region.Here, we have briefly discussed the research challenges in this region to highlight and emphasize the need for an active dialogue towards building local facilities for taxonomic studies such as botanical gardens, herbaria, and tissue collections.Based on our studies in the northeast region we suggest that a collective effort from local communities, researchers, taxonomists, forestry personnel, and policymakers are the need of the hour in order to mitigate biodiversity loss in this region.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.A yearly trend in the number of reported Globba spp.B, C nomenclatural status (B), and type of taxonomic transfer (C) in Globba.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Comprehensive map showing the distribution of all type localities for Globba spp. in Asia.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Map illustrating the Eastern Himalayas hotspot zone (highlighted in blue) and the various states of Northeast India.The states from which species are described in this study are highlighted in yellow.Additionally, the state of West Bengal is divided into five geographical regions, represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Table 1 .
Comparison of morphological characteristics of G. corniculata sp.nov.with G. ruiliensis and G. multiflora.Characters not described in the original protologue or in subsequent descriptions of the same species are alternatively marked as not known.

Figure 14 .
Figure 14.Images depicting common logistic hurdles in field collections when working in the Northeast states of India A Willong Road, Manipur B mining in Cherrapunji road, Meghalaya C forest clearing, on the way to Thanamir, Nagaland D stone cutting Ziro road, Arunachal Pradesh E Mawphlang Sacred Grove, Meghalaya F roadblock because of a landslide in Lachen, Northern Sikkim.Photographs A, D by Ajith Ashokan B by N S Prasanna C by Aleena Xavier E, F by Y. Ritu.

Table 2 .
Comparison of morphological characteristics of G. paschimbengalensis sp.nov.and G. polymorpha sp.nov.with G. andersonii.Characters not described in the original protologue or in subsequent descriptions of the same species are alternatively marked as not known.

Table 3 .
Comparison of morphological characteristics of G. tyrnaensis sp.nov.and G. janakiae sp.nov.with their two closely related taxa.Characters not described in the original protologue or in subsequent descriptions of the same species are alternatively marked as not known.

Table 4 .
Comparison of morphological characteristics of G. yadaviana sp.nov.with G. rahmanii, G. lancangensis and G. expansa.Characters not described in the original protologue or in subsequent descriptions of the same species, are marked as not known.