Morindopsis ashihoi (Octotropideae; Rubiaceae), a new species from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Summary During the most recent floristic surveys in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an interesting species of Rubiaceae was collected with features allied to representatives of the tribe Octotropideae. Initial identification showed that our material is characterised by having an inflorescence that is subtended by large boat-shaped floral bracts, a character that is unique to the genus Morindopsis . Interestingly, the genus is currently represented only by M. capillaris and after meticulous observation of our material and careful comparison with available herbarium sheets and the protologue, we found that our taxon showed a great disparity in various vegetative and reproductive features with M. capillaris . Thus we describe and illustrate a new species here — Morindopsis ashihoi , the second known species for the genus and a new record for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.