TAXONOMIC HISTORY, REDISCOVERY, AND ASSESSMENT OF THREAT STATUS OF STREBLUS ILICIFOLIUS (MORACEAE) FROM INDIA

2012·1.9 MB·English

by  Bikarma Singh

AND
HISTORY, REDISCOVERY, ASSESSMENT OF THREAT STATUS
TAXONOMIC
FROM
OF STREBLUS 1LICIFOLIUS (MORACEAE) INDIA
Arun Dibyendu and
Bikarma Singh, Chettri, Adhikari, Saroj Barik 1
K.
Centre Advanced Botany
for Studies in
- Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793 022, INDIA
i
ABSTRACT
e cit6 por primera vez en 1914 de las Lushai Hills, actus
—
de despues de
to S. ihafohus ui
INTRODUCTION
The genus Streblus Lour, comprises 25 species (Mabberley 2008; Berg et 2006) distributed mostly in tropical
al.
&
and subtropical Asia (Haridasan Rao 1987). In China, the genus is represented by seven species viz., S. tax-
&
Comer,
oides (Roth) Kurz, S. tonkinensis (Dubard Eberhardt) Corner, S. asper Lour., S. indicus (Bureau) S.
tsylmcus (Thwaites) Kurz, Vidal) Comer and macrophyllus Blume (Fu et al. 2003). There are
S. ilicifolius (S. S.
&
Rao
four Streblus species in India viz., 5. asper, S. ilicifolius, S. zeylanicus, and S. indicus (Haridasan 1987).
Only two by and Bor
species asper and were reported from north-eastern India Kanjilal
viz., S. 5. ilicifolius
(1940). While was one Lushai asper was reported to have more
S. ilicifolius restricted only to site in Hills, S.
&
common
Assam Bor Haridasan and Rao
occurrence in the former undivided province of (Kanjilal 1940).
(1987) also reported the occurrence of asper from Baghmara in Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
S.
Streblus ilicifolius (S.Vidal) Corner has not been collected and/or reported by any worker since its first re-
&
port by U. (ASSAM 28477 28478) from Lushai Hills in
Kanjilal in 1914 herbarium/Accession no. 28476,
northeastern India under name Kurz. These accessions were renamed by G.K.
the Balanostreblus
ilicifolia
Upadhaya and
in 2008 as Streblus Vidal) Comer. The species has a very restricted occurrence, is
ilicifolius (S.
found only on calcareous The occurrence of in Meghalaya has been recorded and is re-
habitat. S. ilicifolius
ported
for the first time, thereby extending the known distribution of the species in South-East Asia.
AND METHODS
MATERIALS
^ring
the Meghalaya, specimens of Streblus
floristic exploration of Nongtrai and adjoining areas in Sheila,
its
“Kifolius (Fig. 1A) were collected, processed, and housed in the ASSAM herbarium at Botanical Survey of In-
Eastern
conditions, associated spe-
Regional Meghalaya. During the survey, the habitat
Circle, Shillong,
<aes as WeU as biotic and abiotic pressures to which the species is exposed to were also recorded. Based on the
IUCN
Population 2001
data, and was assessed for threat category following
habitat characteristics, the species
Ust IUCN Red
Categories and (IUCN and Guidelines for Using the List Catego-
Criteria version 2001)
3.1
.
065
and
Criteria (IUCN
2010).
l
612
and comparison with
After observation of the newly collected specimens, the existing herbarium
critical
ASSAM, was
specimens housed at and the original description, the identity of the species confirmed as Strebhs
Comer. The map and photographs of and herbarium specimens
Vidal) location live of the
ilicifolius (S. species
(Fig. along with a line drawing (Fig. 2) are given.
1)
TAXONOMIC TREATMENT
Streblus ilicifolius Vidal) Comer, Gard. Bull. Singapore 19:227. 1962. Taxotrophis Vidal,
(S. ilicifolia S. Revis.
Vase. 249. 1886.
PI. Filip.
Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 13:295. 1891.
j.,
m
Bushy
scandent spinous shrubs, 2.5-3 often gregarious in patches; dioecious; stems solitary, few
tall,
branched, dark brown; bark grayish white, smooth, with latex; branchlets glabrous, divaricate or angular;
cm
cm
1-2
spines straight, long; stipules tapered, 0.4-0.5 long, caducous. Leaves mostly solitary, longer than
cm cm
broad; leaflets alternate, distichous, 1.4-5 long, 0.6-2.5 wide, elliptic to oblong-obovate, thickly leath-
ery, the abaxial surface dark green, with cystoliths, the adaxial surface light green, glabrous and shiny, the
margin loosely revolute, with 5 or more spiny teeth, the apex acute, blunt, with 2 or 3 spiny teeth, the base
cuneate to decurrent; the midveins conspicuous on both sides and the abaxial surface prominent; the second-
ary veins pinnate, the abaxial surface inconspicuous, the adaxial surface slightly depressed; petioles 0.3-0.4
cm
long, transversely verrucose. Male inflorescences 0.5-1.2 cm;
axillary, cylindric catkin-like spikes, spicate,
the bracts conspicuous, imbricate, margin dark. Female inflorescences shortly spicate, in pendent racemes, 2
to 6-flowered; the bracts minute. Male ± margin
flowers: shortly pedicellate; perianth lobe free, orbicular,
4,
indexed and cm
ciliate; pistillode 3.2-3.5 long, branched. Female perianth lobe opposite, outer 2
flowers:
4,
smaller; ovary oblique, fleshy, glabrous. Fruits: drupes on brachyblasts, globose, 0.8-1.2 cm long, 0.8-1.1 cm
wide, with
persistent bracts, half enclosed by the persistent perianth
lobes.
m
Habitat, Distribution, and Phenology.—The species was recorded an elevation of 47.5 in tropical
at a.s.l.
forest of Phlangkaruh in Nongtrai
area, Sheila (Fig. grows in limestone areas, and on rocky substratum.
1). It
m
The
altitudinal distribution range of the species 40-500 The Meghalaya and
is species distributed in
a.s.l. is
Mizoram
(Lushai
Hills) in India, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Thailand
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
and Vietnam. The
species flowers in March-April and
in May-June.
fruits
Voucher specimens: INDIA. Meghalaya: &
Nongtrai village in East Khasi Hills district, 25°11.171 N 91°37.202 E, 30 Oct 2010, Sintfitta
&
&
74965 4966 (ASSAM).
7 Additional specimens examined: INDIA. Mizoram: 28476 28477 (AS-
Lushai Hills, Jul 1914, Kanjilal 28478,
Threatened Status.—Not
yet evaluated by IUCN. Meghalaya in
In spite of repeated search in the entire state of
km km
10 x 10 only one
grids, population with 6 Nongtrai village-
individuals of the species could be located in
All the individuals in this locality were adults and were in fruiting No seedling and sapling of the species
stage.
was
encountered,
indicating poor of
regeneration One habitat
of the species. of the important features of the
this species population was
Karst topography. The main terrain,
limestone
features of Karst topography are
and
the absence of surface water The population
flow. was on
species from based
classified threat perspective
size, extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, and IUCN Red List Cat-
habitat quality (Table following 2001
1)
and At
egories Criteria version 3.1 (IUCN 2001). The species was endangered” [CR (*-
classified as “Critically
b
b, c, d); B2. a, v); C2.a
(ii, iv,
(i)J.
DISCUSSION
With new
this report of the specie from Meghalaya, and report
; rediscovery after nearly 100 years of its first
613
new
India, the existence of the species in the country is confirmed along with extension of its geographi-
131
The
distribution The and moist under-canopy habitat. associated
area. plants were growing in calcareous
^cies
were Caryota urens
Breynia rhamnoides Vahl, Tetrameles nudiflora R. Br., L.,
Muell.-Arg., Ficus hirta
“tona
purpurea L„ acuminatum Wight, Artocarpus heterophyllus
Antidesma
Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br.,
Brassa ex Gagnep., Duabanga grandijlora
(Lam.)
r®-’ 'opsis glomerulata (Blume) Regel, Cayratia pedata Juss.
IRoxb.
ex
DC.)
Walp.
The
habitat of exposed disturbance due to forest clearance for large scale
S. increasingly to
ilicifolius is
Besides, small scale private limestone quarrying is also destroying the natural habitat of the species. In
of
high intensity and poor regeneration as observed in the field, the
of disturbance natural habitat,
to
its
Species
®ight become conservation measures for the species are
adequate
extinct in the near future, unless