Arisaema saddlepeakense, a new species of Araceae from India

Arisaema Mart. is represented by ca 170 species mostly reported from China, Japan, India and a few from Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, Sumatra, Borneo, Arabian Peninsula, tropical and northeast Africa, eastern North America to Mexico. In India it comprises nearly 40 species represented in North and Eastern Himalayan region, Nilgiri and Travancore in South India. Chatterjee (1954) and Hara (1971) have given an account of Arisaema from India and Burma.
Arisaema saddlepeakense was collected by one of the authors during botanical exploration to Saddle Peak in North Andaman Islands. This plant is one of the smallest of all Arisaema spp., growing on exposed rocky cliffs supporting sparse vegetation of stunted shrubs under semi-shade moist conditions. A perusal of the literature and herbaria reveals that this plant represents a hitherto unrecognized species.