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Abhilash Kalathil Sethumadhavan, Alen Alex Philip, Arya Sindhu, Sojan Jose, Suresh Veerankutty
Keywords: n Abelmoschus ficulneusn , Malvaceae, Attappady, Palakkad, Kerala
Abelmoschus ficulneus (L.) Wight & Arn. is reported here as a new addition to the flora of Kerala. During floristic exploration, the authors collected the plant from Attappady of Palakkad district, in Kerala, the southern Western Ghats of India. A taxonomic treatment with detailed description, distribution, specimens examined, significance and a key for identification is provided.
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Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, University of Calicut, Palakkad, India