Introduction
The genus Senecio L. (Senecioneae: Asteraceae) is recognized for
its remarkable species richness, comprising approximately 1250 species
worldwide and exhibits a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, with its
primary centers of diversity found in southern Africa and south America
(Pelser et al. 2007). Senecio exhibits a remarkable diversity in
life forms ranging from annual to perennial herbs, shrubs, vines, trees
or epiphytes and its ability to thrive across a wide range of habitats
(aquatic to desert, from low altitudes to alpine and from arctic regions
to tropical areas) (Dana et al. 2021). The genus can be identified with
a set of characters such as presence of truncate style-branches with
short hairs on stigma, stamens with ecaudate anther bases (obtuse or
rounded) and balusterform filament collar (Nordenstam 2007).
Senecio is represented by 53 taxa (47 species and 6 varieties) in
India (Karthikeyan et al. 2020). Of these, 21 taxa are endemic to the
country (Singh et al. 2015). The distribution of Senecio species
in India is predominantly confined to two major regions, the Himalayas
and the Western Ghats. The Anjaneri Hills, located in the northern
Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India, are known for their rich floral
diversity (Auti et al. 2020). During botanical surveys conducted by the
authors in the Anjaneri Hills, a previously unidentified Seneciospecies was found. The plants resembled Senecio bombayensisN.P.Balakr., but further examination revealed significant differences
between the Anjaneri population and S. bombayensis . Accordingly,
this population is described here as a new species. Furthermore,
cytogenetical differences between the new species and S.
bombayensis are also discussed.