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The Curculigo brevifolia resurrected here based on morphological, cytological, and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Curculigo brevifolia morphologically resembles C. orchioides but differs in having bulbils at the tip of leaves for vegetative reproduction, leaves elongated falcately shaped, beaked fruits. Cytological parameters, karyotype formula, total haploid genome length (THL), values of CVCL, MCA also supported the distinctness of C. brevifolia and C. orchioides. Phylogenetic analysis based on cpDNA data resulted in the recognition of three clades and strongly supported the revised systematics of Hypoxidaceae. The resurrected species nests within the Curculigo clade of Hypoxidaceae and display a close phylogenetic affinity with newly added Curculigo species and C. orchioides.

Bentinckia is a genus of flowering plants which is an unplaced member of the tribe Areceae (Arecaceae). Two species are recognized in the genus, viz. B. condapanna Berry ex Roxb. from the Western Ghats, India, and B. nicobarica (Kurz) Becc. from the Nicobar Islands. This work constitutes taxonomic revision, cytogenetics, molecular phylogeny, and biogeography of the Indian endemic palm genus Bentinckia. The present study discusses the ecology, morphology, taxonomic history, distribution, conservation status, and uses of Bentinckia. A neotype was designated for the name B. condapanna. Cytogenetical studies revealed a new cytotype of B. condapanna representing 2n = 30 chromosomes. Although many phylogenetic reports of the tribe Areceae are available, the relationship within the tribe is still ambiguous. To resolve this, we carried out Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis using an appropriate combination of chloroplast and nuclear DNA regions. The same phylogeny was used to study the evolutionary history of Areceae. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Bentinckia forms a clade with other unplaced members, Clinostigma and Cyrostachys, and together they show a sister relationship with the subtribe Arecinae. Biogeographic analysis shows Bentinckia might have originated in Eurasia and India.