eng Oriental Scientific Publishing Company Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia 0973-1245 2025-06-25 22 2 535 541 10.13005/bbra/3381 55483 article Fouzia Hilal 1 Jithesh Krishnan Ramakrishnan Nair 1 Department of Botany, NSS College, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. Dalzellia ubonensis M. Kato (2006), previously known only from Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, is reported here for the first time from India, specifically from the Kallar River in the Vadasserikkara Range, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. Detailed morphological examination revealed key diagnostic traits—absence of roots, broad crustose shoots, rosette leaf arrangement, and numerous ovules—that match the protologue of D. ubonensis and distinguish it from other Indian congeners, particularly Dalzellia gracilis. For molecular confirmation, genomic DNA was extracted and the plastid matK region was amplified and sequenced. BLASTn analysis showed ≥98% sequence identity and 100% query coverage with reference Dalzellia sequences in GenBank, corroborating its identity as D. ubonensis. This integrative taxonomic approach—combining classical morphological taxonomy with DNA barcoding—confirms a significant range extension for the species and represents the first verified record of D. ubonensis in India. This finding highlights the floristic uniqueness of Kerala’s riverine ecosystems and underscores the need for targeted exploration and conservation of aquatic Podostemaceae taxa in understudied regions of the Western Ghats. https://www.biotech-asia.org/vol22no2/dalzellia-ubonensis-podostemaceae-a-new-record-for-india-evidenced-by-morphological-characters-and-phylogenetic-analysis/ Chloroplast; Dalzellia; Genome; Morphology; Phylogeny; Podostemaceae