35. Flowers of Sahyadri: a Critical Appraisal

2004·2 MB·

by  S M Almeida

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
rejuvenating plants’. Extensive documentation and detailed June 18,2002 APARNA WATVE
research is necessary to identify more plants in Indian floras 34/6,GulawaniMaharajRd.,
belongingtothis peculiarecological group. Pune411 004,Maharashtra, India.
REFERENCES
Gaff, D.F. & P.V. Bole(1986): Resurrection Grasses in India. Oecologia 74\ 133-136.
Porembski,S. & W. Barthlott(2000): Granitic andgneissicoutcrops(Inselbergs)as centresofdiversity fordesiccation-tolerantvascularplants.
Plant Ecology 151 19-28.
:
FLOWERS OF SAHYADRI: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL
35.
flowers of sahyadri, a handy field guide, by S.H. 3. Thecorrectname for‘Nana’ isperhapsLagerstroemia
Ingalhalikar is easy to carry and contains data on Powers of parviflora Roxb., which is erroneously called
500 species ofthe Western Ghats. The map highlights the L. lanceolata by T. Cooke and it is not L. lanceo/ata
geography ofthe areas covered; charts with scales are given Wall,exWight&Arn.(1834),alsoitisnotL microcarpa
foreasyreference.Theappendicesmakethereferenceseasier, Wight(1842).L microcarpaWightisadifferentspecies
fasterand comfortable. found only in South India.
However, Powers of many related species appear 4. Thecorrectnamefor‘Tupa’ (p.46,no.93)undergenus
identical, and it is sometimes difficult even for an expert to Canthium is Canthium umbellatum Wt. Sometimes it
namethe species correctly. Some ofthe pictures in the book is only recognised under varietal rank and Gamble
are misleading. Flowers like Pcrvettacrassicaulis(p. 56, no. identified itasavarietyofPlectroniadidyma Brandis.
382), Tithoniadiversifolia(p.70,no.465),Kleiniagrandiflora Brisden(in KewBull. 48: 762. 1993)hasretained itas
(p. 70, no. 302), Argyreia boseana, Argyreia involucrata Psydrax umbellata. (Wt) Brisden.
(p. 90,nos. 33,36),Argyreiasericea(p. 87,no. 38),Argyreia 5. Bombaxinsigne(p.47,no. 71)or‘Deo-savar’-Bothof
elliptica (p. 94, no. 35), Eriocaulon sedgwickii (p. 126, theseappeartobedoubtful. ItisdefinitelynotB. insigne
no.210),Smithiabigemma(p. 158,no.433),Smithiasetulosa ofWallich and its local name appearsto be a newone.
( p. 172, no. 436), Eriocaulontuberiferum (p. 140, no. 211), 6. The photograph of “Kabar” (p. 49, no. 99) called
Pulicariawightiana(p. 157,no. 404),Sonchusoleraceus(p. Capparis spinosa is that of Capparis murrayana
158,no.439),Seneciobombcry’ensis(p. 172,no.426),Senecio Graham. Capparisspinosa L. is a much larger leaved
edgeworthii(p. 105,no.427)can bemistakenforanyoftheir speciesfoundathigheraltitudes intheHimalayas. The
allies and vice-versa. There are several misidentifications in prostrate plant which is generally found on river-beds
the book which isunfortunate. Some are listed below: in Pune and Raigad districts is described by John
1. Physalisperuviana(p. 134, no. 391): The photograph Graham, a Presidency Postmaster of Bombay in his
isthatofNicandraphysaloides.Notonlyisthescientific Catalogue of Bombay Plants (1839). (see “Flora of
name but itscommon name also is erroneous. ‘Popati’ Maharashtra” by M.R.Almeida, Vol. I, pp. 46-7,t. 42,
isacommonnameusedforPhysalisspeciesandperhaps lowerfigure, 1996).
thishasbeencopiedfromthesourceofthemisidentified 7. “Pinela” (p. 103, no. 468): Trachyspermum
species. The common name is apparently not obtained roxburghianum is not the correct name for the plant
fromthelocalitywheretheplanthasbeenphotographed. found wild at Sinhagad, which is photographed. It is
2 Avicennia marina (p. 39, no. 46): This is probably a correctlycalled T. stictocarpum(Clarke)Wolf.
picture ofAvicenniaofficinalis, which is mentioned as 8. Capparis rotundifolia (p. 54, no. 98) is not a typical
a synonym ofA. marina. Both species are distinct and variety, but a local variety C. rotundifolia Rottl. var.
arefoundinmarineswampsofKonkan. Thevernacular longispina (Hook. f. ex Cooke) Almeida, which was
name cited forthisspecies is incorrect. ‘Tiwar’ isused described as C. longispina Hook. f. & Thomson, in
for species of Barringtonia in coastal Konkan, both Flora of British India. In comparison with
for Barringtonia acutangula (‘Newar’ ofthe author) C. rotundifolia Rottl., which has rounded leaves and
and B. racemosa. Pronunciation ofmany local names short spines, this variety has ovate leaves with pointed
varies tremendously. Such names have to be verified apex and long sharp spines.
with some standard books before their application to a 9. Ceropegia sahyadrica (p. 119, no. 120) should be
newspeciesandaddingtothealreadyexistingconfusion. placed in the synonymy ofCeropegia lawii Hook.
480 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
2.
10. Barringtoniaspeciescollected atChowpatty, Bombay Ipomoeacampamdata(p. 77,no.285)or“Tambar-vel”:
(= Mumbai) is definitely not B. racemosa. It is an The correct name for this species is Ipomoea illustris
introduced species, native of Bengal and has been (Clarke)Prain. IpomoeacampamdataL. wasappliedto
planted along Marine Drive. Its proper identity is the species presently known as Thespesia populnea
Barringtonia asiatica (Linn.) Kurz, also known as Soland(Paras-bhendi).
B. speciosa Forst & Forst. This species is found in
Maharashtra only in cultivation. Barringtonia Following identifications are not convincing and need
racemosaisanendemicwildspeciesreportedbyDalzell afresh look:
&Gibsonand T. Cooke from Srivardhan. Somerecent 1. Marsdenia tenasissima Wt. & Arn. ‘Kesdodi’: The
collectors have gathered it from Uran, Khed, Thane, corolla isdescribedasgreenish-yellow,which isnotso
Malvan and Deobag in Maharashtra. in the photograph. This species has been reliably
reported from Dangs Forest. The plant photographed
Changes in local names, contradictory to the comes from Katraj and its identity needs rechecking.
traditionally used ones, have to be meticulously scrutinized The description matches with Cooke’s description of
before adoptingthem. the species, but disagrees with his photograph in
1. Nameslike‘Gojibha’ forAnisomelesmalabarica(p.50, respectofthe corollaand calyx.
no. 20)whilethe Sanskritname ‘Gojivha’ representsa 2. Oclma obtusata (p. 55, no. 367) equated with Ochna
different species will definitely cause confusion in squarrosa(Kanak-champa)reportedfromCastle Rock
identification. We mustgotowards standardization, be andGoa isobviouslyanerror. OchnaobtusataDC. isa
itthe scientific orcommon name ofthe species. tall shrubby plant sometimes attaining the height ofa
2. Local name “Koshta” for Costusspeciosus (p. 60. no. smalltree foundincultivation ingardensandveryoften
147) is also an improper application. This species in wrongly named as C. squarrosa DC. Plant found in
Marathiiscalled‘Pev’whichisusedinaMarathiproverb CastleRockandGoaisGomphiaserrata(Gartn.)Kanis.
also ‘Pev phutne’. Koshtha is a Sanskrit name for Neither the species nor the genus can be definitely
Saussurea koshtha (Saussurea lappa), a Compositae identifiedwithonlyflowersasshown inthephotograph.
plant found in the Himalayan region much reputed for 3. Ehretia aspera (p. 56, no. 201) is a doubtful
itsmedicinal and cosmetic properties. identification. E. aspera Roxb. hasbeen reported from
3. Withaniasomniferap.63,no.493:therearealreadyhalf Marathwadawith some certainty. Plants mentioned by
a dozen plants with the common name “Shankha- WoodrowandCookefrom Poonadistrict,appeartobe
1.
pushpi”. Thereisastandardizedname“Ashwagandha” Ehretialae\’isRoxb. Ingalhalikar’slocalityscrubforests
used almost universally for this species. ofplains, isnotcleartome. Ifhemeantcoastalplainsof
4. Ceibapentandra(p. 28, no. 109): Common names for Konkan then it could be E. indica (Denst. ex Kostel.)
thisspecies are mentioned as“Shalmali” and “Pandhri Almeida&Almeida.The identitycanbeconfirmedonly
Savar” butthe correct common name is “Kapok”. It is fromtheleaf.
anAfrican species, only found in cultivation and does 4. Rivea laotica (p. 59, no. 412) is Rivea ornata (Roxb.)
not occur in India naturally (as mentioned in the Choisy. A species from Laos, which is confused with
distribution). Shalmali is a Sanskrit name forBombax R. ornata and has been renamed as R. laotica by
ceibaL.whichiscalled ‘SemuP inHindiand“Simili” in Ooststroom(1957). Babu infloraofdehradun(1957)
Oriya. Similipal is inMayurbhanj districtinOrissa. hasconfusedthenomenclatureofour Indian plantwith
5. Holarrhenapubescens (p. 75, no. 265) is ‘kala kuda’ thatspeciesandV.N. Naik(1998)has followed Babu.
and not ‘pandhra kuda’. 5. Bombyxmicranthus(p. 1 14,no.72)‘Pandhari-Jasvand’:
This generic segregation is not recognised by any good
Someplantnamesconventionallyused inourold floras taxonomic work. Even Bombycidendron Zollinger &
have been proved incorrect. Some examples from the field Moritze(Blumea 14:53, 1966)isnotrecognisedasagenus
guidearecitedbelow: andhasbeentreated assynonymouswith Hibiscus Linn.
Correct name for Impatiens oppositifolia (p. 159, no. 6. Crotalariahebecarpa(p. 171, no. 153) iscertainlynot
275) is /. rosmarinifolia Retz. Originally named a Crotalaria L. The name accepted here is based on a
I. oppositifolia Linn. (1753) based on van Rheede’s latersynonym ofHalliahirta Willd. The currentname
figurein HortusMalabaricus,theplantisidentifiednow forthis is Goniogynahirta(Willd.)Ali. (SeeAlmeida,
asLindernia oppositifolia (L) Mukherjee. in FloraofMaharashtra,VoI. II,pp. 83-4, 1988).
1 Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004 481
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
7. Kleiniagrandiflora(DC.)Raniisaspeciesofrestricted 4. The correct name for the plant named Exacum
distribution in Maharashtra. The only specimens tetragonum (p. 153, no. 221) is E. bicolorRoxb. This
available are from Purandhar, leaves of which are species from Western Ghats was misidentified as
roundedatthetip in additiontotheabsenceofinflated E. tetragonumbyGraham. E. tetragonumisaseparate
pappusspecifiedbyDalzellandGibsonwhiledescribing species not found in Konkan region, but present in
a new species from Katraj and other areas in Poona otherpartsofMaharashtra likeVidarbha.
district, with inflated pappus. In addition to Dalzell & 5. E- 6. Murrccya paniculata L. and M. exotica L. are
Gibson’s characters I have found that leaves in this distinct taxa at least on varietal level. M. exotica L. is
taxonareobtuseattheapex,notvisibleinthepicture in called‘Kamini’undercultivation. Ithasglazedpolished
the book. foliage and more fragrantflowersand somewhatblunt
8. Boerhaviafruticosa Dalz. & Gibs. The photograph is fruit at the apex. Its fragrance is believed to have
perhapsofB. chinensis. Proper locality ofthis plant is aphrodisiacproperties, particularlyforwomen.
not mentioned. Some recent authors have equated
B.fruticosawithB.grandifloraA. Ricb.,anAbyssynian Ruleofpriorityintaxonomicnomenclaturegovernsthe
species. legitimacy of the correct names. The following are a few
9. Cyathocline purpurea (Don) Kuntze pictured has exampleswherethisrule shouldbeapplied:
pinkish red heads. C. purpurea is reported to have 1. Centauriummeyeri(p. 106,no. 1 11)‘Luntak’-Correct
purple flowers and two varieties ofthis species have nameC. centauroides(Roxb.)Rao&Hemadri.
been published by Rev. Fr. H. Santapau: alba (with 2. OsbeckiamuralisNaud.(1850)(p. 148,no.371)Correct
white heads) and bicolor (flowers purple and white nameO. truncataD. Don(1834).
mixed). S.R. Yadav has reported a new record of 3. Polygonum auriculatum Meissn. (p. 162, no. 399) is
Cyathocline from Maharashtra, a species published now correctly called Persicaria chinensis (L) Gross.,
from Calicut by Prof. Sivadasan and others. 1 doubt if whichisbasedonPolygonumchinensisLinn.,although
that is the plant photographed. 1 saw the report ofthis some taxonomists consider it as a variety ofLinnean
taxononly afterpublication ofthe 3rdvolumeof‘Flora species and not the typical variety.
Maharashtra’ by M.R. Almeida (see Vol. Ilia, p. 94-5, 4. Correct name for Hygrophila auriculata (p. 168, no.
2001). 268) is Hygrophila schulli (Buch.-Ham) Almeida &
Almeida.
Some examples ofwrongly synonymised cited names 5. CorrectnameforLavandulaIcrwiiWight(1849)(p. 168,
aregiven below: no.310)isL. gibsoniiGraham(1839).
1. Exacum petiolare Griseb. (p. 103, no. 219) and 6. Correctnames forParacaryopsiscoelestinum(p. 169,
E.pedunculatumL.aretwodistinctspecies.Thecorrect no. 379) and P. malabaricum (P. 154, no. 380) are
name for E. petiolare Griseb. (1845) is E. carinatum Adelocaryum coelestinum (Lindl.) Brandis and
Roxb. (1820). The two species can be distinguished A. malabaricum(Clarke)Brandisrespectively.
only on the basis oftheir leaves and number ofveins 7. Crotalaria retusa is found at sea level and has retuse
arisingfrom the base ofthe leaves. leafapex. The species found at little higher elevation
2. Haplanthusplumosa(p. 104,no.254) ‘Kesal-jakara’: If and also at Mahabaleshwar, Amboli, Matheran, is a
you consider Haplanthodes plumosa as distinct at bushy shrub havingacute ormucronate apices, named
species level, then H. tentacu/atus is not synonymous C. leschenaultii.
with it. H. plumosa does not have hard spines as in
H. tentacu/atus. But H. tentacu/atus has priority and Ingalhalikar’sterminologyforthedistributionofspecies
modem taxonomists consider H. plumosa as a variety isveryoftenconfusing, forexample:
ofH. tentacu/atus. a. Occasional in deciduous forests in hilly areas of
3. Caralluma adscendens (p. 120, no. 101) is not the slopes. (Occasional in deciduous forests on slopes of
correctnamefortheplantphotographed. C. adscendens hills?)
Haworth isataxonrelatedtoCarallumafimbriataWall. b. Occasional in dry deciduous forests of plains
Graham in Catalogue of Bombay Plants named it (Occasional on the plains in dry deciduous forests?)
C.fimbriataWall.,butlaterauthorsacceptitonvarietal Distribution ofsome ofthe species isbasedon limited
levelandcallitC. adscendensHaw.var.fimbriata(Wall.) fieldexperienceandcouldbemisleading.Oneexampleshould
Gravely& Mayurnathan. suffice:
482 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 101 (3), Sep-Dec 2004
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Santalum album (p.43, no. 419) - Habitat is given as p. 51. Dendropthoe - Dendrophthoe
drydeciduousforestsinplains. Thisisnotanendemicspecies p. 75. gigantia - gigantea
in Sahyadris. It is planted and occurs under cultivation in Flowering periods represented in colour can be true
plains as well as in mountainousterrains. onlytothe limited localities thathe hasmentioned. They are
The spelling ofplant names needs correction, such as: farfromthegeneral floweringpatternsofmanyofthespecies
given.
p. 17. Moulluva Moullava
p. 17.Neaotis Neanotis April6,2002 S.M. ALMEIDA
p. 18. Wadelia Wedelia BlatterHerbarium,
p. 34. Albizzia lebbek A/bizia lebbeck St. Xavier’sCollege, MahapalikaMarg,
p. 50. Boerhaavia Boerhavia Mumbai400001, Maharashtra, India.
ERRATA
Vol 101(2), 2004
pg.225,Table2,Column2forTotal(mg/g) readTotalPhenol(mg/g)
pg.247,Photocredits,forT.Tulsi readT.Tsujii
PrintedbyBro.LeoatSt.FrancisIndustrialTrainingInstitute,Borivli,Mumbai400 103andpublishedonApril27,2005,
byRachelReubenforBombayNaturalHistorySociety,HornbillHouse,Dr. SalimAliChowk,
ShaheedBhagatSinghRoad,Mumbai400023,Maharashtra,India.