. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 16. A NOTE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF MELANOCENCHRIS JACQUEMONTII (POACEAE) IN UTTARAKHAND 1 Prakriti Dobhal2,SmritiSawan2,SumanLataBist2,ManishK. Kandwal2-3andS.P. Joshi24 'Accepted May 21, 2008 department of Botany, D.A.V. (P.G.) College, Dehradun 248 001, Uttarakhand, India. ’Email: [email protected] 4Email: [email protected] Thepresentcommunicationpertainstotheoccurrence Gullarghati, 15.ix.2007,Smriti,ETRL899(DAV);SumanLata, ofthe speciesMelanocenchrisjacquemontiiJaub. etSpach. ETRL900(DAV). The voucher specimens and photographic plate with habit FI.: August-September. and floral dissections are deposited in the Departmental Habitat: Found growing in sandy and stony dry river HerbariumBSDandDAV(P.G)College bed. MelanocenchrisjacquemontiiJaub.etSpach.IllPI.Or. Distribution: India (drier regions and hillsides), 4:36,t325. 1851;Bor,Grass.BurmaCeyl. India&Pak.,473, 1960; Pakistan,ArabiaandIraq. Cope,FI.Pak., 125, 1982;Raizadaetal..Grass.UpperGang.Plain ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - Ill Pooid. 33, 1983; Nair and Nayarin Bull. Bot. Sur. India. 16(1-4): 142, 1974;Karthikeyanetal,FI.Ind.Enum.-Monocot. 235, 1998. Melanocenchris royleana Nees ex Steud., Syn. PI. The authors are grateful to the Principal, DAV (P.G.) Glum. 1:218, 1854;Duthie,FodderGrasses54, 1888.Gracilea College, Dehradun and Joint Director, Botanical Survey of royleana (Nees ex Steud.) Hook, f., FI. Brit. India. 7: 284; India (NC), Dehradun, for providing facilities and Blatter& McCann, BombayGrasses248, 1935. encouragement during this investigation. Thanks are also SpecimensExamined: Uttarakhand,Dehradundistrict, due to the Director, ICFRE, forproviding facility to consult Raipur, 21.ix.2006, Prakriti Dobhal, ETRL 756 (BSD); theHerbarium. 17. ARISAEMA TUBERCULATUM C. FISCHER (ARACEAE) FROM MUKURTHI NATIONAL PARK, NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE, TAMIL NADU, INDIA - A NOTE1 V.S. Ramachandran2andS. Paulraj3 'Accepted January 31, 2007 ’Department of Botany, Kongunadu Arts & Science College, Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: [email protected] ’District Forest Officer, Hosur Forest Division, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Hosur 635 109, Tamil Nadu, India. Biodiversitystudiesandconservationmeasuresdepend tuberculatum C. Fischer is described in detail. The genus on good and up-to-date taxonomic data (Valdecasas and ArisaemabelongstoFamilyAraceaehavingabout 150species Camacto2003). Reliabledataonthevulnerabilityofspecies distributed in EastAfrica andArabia, Tropical and EastAsia, to extinction and their extinction threats also require sound andWest-NorthAmerica. Itwasnoticedthatsomespeciesare biological monitoring of tropical ecosystems, which is not utilizedformedicineandareedible,andcommonlyreferredto limited to a few flagship or umbrella species (Basset et al. asCobralily.Dragon-arumandSnail-flower. 2004). BeingacoreareaofNilgirisBiosphereReserve,arapid ArisaematuberculatumC.FischerinBull.Misc.Inform. assessment survey was conducted during 2000-2001in 1925: 167. 1925&inGamble,FL,Madras: 1891.Addenda 1936; MukurthiNationalPark(11°10'-11°22'N;76°26'-76°34’E),to B.Sharmacfo/.,inBiol.Mem.2: 151: 1977;Nayar,Hotspots A study the herbaceous and orchid flora. This survey is a Endem.PI.India217. 1996. convolutionC.FischerinBull. collaborativeprojectwithTamilNaduForestDepartment,with Misc.Inform 1934: 165. 1934,nonNakai, 1934. a view of making an inventory, especially of ephemeral Dioecious,cormousherb;cormc.6cmacrosssubglobose. herbaceous forms. Out of 225 species collected and Cataphylls2or3c. 20cmlong,obtuse.Leafsolitary(petioled, enumerated,35specieswereendemictotheNilgiriBiosphere c.65cmlong;leaflets7-12(-15), 12-38x2-9cm,digitate,sessile, Reserve(Vivekananthanetal. 1997). Outofthese,Arisaema narrowlyoblanceolate,finelycaudate-acuminate,lateralnerves 228 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, 105 (2), May-Aug 2008 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES c. 20 pairs, anastomising in an intramarginal nerve. Peduncle Earlier botanists (Gamble 1936; Sharma et al. 1977; c. 40cm long. Spathe 7.5-16 cm long, narrowly infundibular, AhmedullahandNayar 1986; Bhargavan 1989)haveincluded tube 4-6 cm; limb 3.5-10.0 x 3-6 cm, ovate, arching above, thistaxon asone oftheendemic species highlyrestrictedto acuminate,terminatinginapendantfiliformtailof4-17cmlong. upper Nilgiris, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Peninsular Spadix 5-7 cm long, sessile, erect, cylindric. Pistillate flowers India;however,authorsSharmaetal. 1977,Ahmedullahand compact. Ovary subglobose, ovules 4; style short; stigma Nayar 1986. Bhargavan 1989differfromoneanother, while muricate. Staminal flowers scattered; anthers stalked, assigning the threat status to the plant as rare (Bhargavan subglobose dehiscing by pores. Neuters present in pistillate 1989), rare and threatened (Ahmedullah and Nayar 1986); spadix;absentinstaminatespadix.Appendixcylindric,swollen inspiteofrarity, andrestrictedoccurrence, this speciesdoes inthemiddle,terminatinginaclavate,convolutedtubercle. notfindaplaceintheRedDataBookofIndianPlants(Nayar FI. &Fr.:April-June. and Sastry 1987, 1988, 1990). Due to its niche specificity, Type: Nilgiri Hills, Pennant Shola, Farsons Valley occurrenceinisolatedpatchesanditsephemeralnaturemight E.Bames677(MH). have ledtothe non locationofthiselegantspeciesbyearlier Distribution: india: Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri district, botanists(Sharmaetal. 1977;AhmedullahandNayar 1986; Bangitappal. Bhargavan 1989). Ecology:Growingatanelevationof2,250monmargins Itdiffersfromitsalliesinhaving:spadixcream-coloured, ofSholaforests. cylindrical with subglobose convoluted, spathe with SpecimensExamined:india:TamilNadu,Nilgiridistrict. distinguishingcharacters-darkpurplewith5-7 whitebands. Pennantshola.ParsonsValley,20.V.1933,E.Bames677(MH); It is suggested that this species is a potentially threatened Bangitappal, 27.iv.2001, V.S. Ramachandran and C.P Anil plant,andshouldbeconsideredforinclusionintheRedData Varghese2899(KNASCH). BookofIndianPlants(NayarandSastry 1987, 1988, 1990). REFERENCES Ahmedullah, M. & M.P. Nayar (1986) Endemic Plants ofthe Indian Botanical Survey ofIndia, Calcutta, Vol. 11. 273 pp. Region, Botanical Survey ofIndia, Calcutta, Vol. 1. pp. 207. Nayar,M.P.&A.R.K. Sastry(1990): RedDataBookofIndianPlants, Basset, Y., V. Novotny, S.E. Millet, G.D. Weiblen, O. Missa & Botanical Survey ofIndia, Calcutta,Vol. III. 271 pp. A.J.A.Stewart(2004):Conservationandbiologicalmonitoring Sharma, B.D., B.V. Shetty, E. Vajravelu, G.R. Kumari, of tropical forests: the role of parataxonomists. Journal of K. Vivekananthan, M. Chandrabose, M.S. Swaminathan, Applied Ecology 41:163-174. . R. Chandrasekaran, G.V. Subbarao, J.E. Ellis, Bhargavan. P. (1989): Araceae In: Henry, A.N., V. Chithra & N.C. Radhakrishnan, S. Karthikeyan,V. Chandrasekaran& N.P. Balakrishnan (Eds): Flora of Tamil Nadu Analysis. S.R. Srinivasan (1977): Studies on the FloraofNilgiris,Tamil Vol. III. Botanical Survey ofIndia, Coimbatore, pp. 56. Nadu. Biological Memoirs 2(I&2):1-186. Gamble,J.S.(1936):FloraofthePresidencyofMadras.AdlardandSon Valdecasas,A.G. &AT. Camacto(2003): Conservationtotherescue Ltd., London. 1891 pp. of taxonomy. Biodiversity and Conservation 12: 1113-1117. Nayar,M.P.&A.R.K.Sastry(1987):RedDataBookofIndianPlants, Vivekananthan, K., P. Daniel & P.K. Premanath (1997): Plant Botanical Survey ofIndia, Calcutta, Vol. I. 267 pp. diversity Hotspots in India: An overview. (Eds: Hajra, P.K. & Nayar,M.P.&A.R.K.Sastry(1988): RedDataBookofIndianPlants. V. Mudgal),BotanicalSurveyofIndia,Calcutta.179pp. 18. NEW RECORDS OF ORCHIDS FROM ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA-I1 S.P. Panda2 D. Sahu3and S. Misra4 , 'Accepted October 03. 2006 2Central National Herbarium, Botanical Survey of India, P.O. Botanic Garden, Howrah 711 103, West Bengal, India. Present address: Post-Graduate Department of Botany, Barasat Govt. College. Barasat 700 124, North 24-Parganas, West Bengal, India. Email: [email protected] 3Ecology & Floristic Laboratory, P.G. Department of Botany, Berhampur University, Berhampur 760 007. Orissa. India. Email: [email protected] 4AICOPTAX- Orchids, Regional Plant Resource Centre, Bhubaneswar 751 015, Orissa, India. Email: [email protected] Floristic survey for orchids was taken up in the east specieswerecollectedandidentified.Voucherspecimenswere Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh deposited with the herbarium of Regional Plant Resource duringNovember 1994and October2005 underanAll India Centre (REPRECENT), Orissa. The live plants are being CoordinatedResearchProjectonTaxonomyCapacityBuilding maintainedintheorchidariumoftheRegionalPlantResource ofOrchids, sponsored by the Ministry ofEnvironment and Centre. Roxburgh (1795), Elliot (1859), Beddome (1874), Forests, Government ofIndia. Duringthis survey, 35 orchid J.D.Hooker(1888-1890)andFischer(1928)intheirworksdid 3. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.( 105 (2), May-Aug 2008 229