Aizoaceae (Magnoliopsida: Caryophyllales) - a new family record to the flora of
Andaman Islands, India
L. Rasingam
Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Plot No. 366/1, in
Zoological Survey of India Campus, Attapur,
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500048, India
Email: rasingam@gmail.com
Date of publication (online): 26 June 2012
Date of publication (print): 26
June 2012
ISSN 0974-7907 (online) |
0974-7893 (print)
Editor: N.P. Balakrishnan
Manuscript details:
Ms # o3075
Received 20 January 2012
Final received 19 March 2012
Finally accepted 21 May 2012
Citation: Rasingam, L. (2012).Aizoaceae(Magnoliopsida: Caryophyllales)
- a new family record to the flora of Andaman Islands. Journal
of Threatened Taxa4(6): 2653–2655.
Copyright: © L. Rasingam 2012. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Acknowledgements: I am grateful to the Director, Botanical
Survey of India, Kolkata for facilities, and the
Officer in Charge, Botanical Survey of India, Deccan Regional Centre, Hyderabad
for encouragements and Dr. K. Karthigeyan, Central
National Herbarium, Howrah, for suggestions. I also thank the officials of
ANFPDCL for field support.
The Family Aizoaceae(Fig-marigold family or Ice plant family) comprises 127 genera and about 1860
species (Mabberley 2008) distributed mostly in the
arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and a few of them from Asia, Australia and
the central Pacific regions. Majority of the species (96%) are endemic to southern Africa (Chesseletet al. 2000). In India the family
is represented by three genera, namely, Sesuvium, Trianthema and Zaleya with seven species distributed in the
coastal and lowland areas of peninsular India and the Gangeticplains (Karthikeyan et al. 2009).
The genus Sesuvium L. comprises of about 22 species
distributed in the warmer parts of the world, mostly confined to the tropics
and sub-tropics worldwide (Mabberley 2008). In mainland India, the genus is represented by two species
namely S.portulacastrum (L.) L. distributed in the coastal areas and S. sesuvioides (Fenzl) Verdc., distributed in Gujarat and
the Upper Gangetic Plains (Karthikeyanet al. 2009). During the course of studies on the floristic diversity of Little
Andaman Island, the author collected a succulent prostrate herb with pink
flowers from the sandy coasts of South Bay area. On critical examination and study of the specimen, it was
identified as Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. Survey of literature revealed that its occurrence has not
been reported from these islands so far (Rao 1986; Lakshminarasimhan & Rao 1996;
Mathew 1998; Pandey & Diwakar2008). It is now
reported here as a new addition to the flora of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. The collection of this
species from Little Andaman Island also forms a new addition of the family Aizoaceae to the flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A brief description, photographs and
uses are given for easy identification and further utilization of this
economically important plant.
Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.)
L.
Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2:
1058. 1759; Roxb.,Fl. Ind. [ed. Carey] 2: 509. 1832; C. B. Clarke in Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 2: 659. 1879; Ridl., Fl. Malay. Penins. 1: 866. 1922; Backer in Steenis,
Fl. Males., Ser. 1, Spermat.4: 272. 1951; Karthik. et al., Fl. Pl. India-Dicot.
66. 2009. Portulaca portulacastrum L., Sp. Pl. 446. 1753.
(Images 1 & 2).
Specimen
examined:27.xi.2005, South Bay, Little Andaman Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
India, coll. L. Rasingam #25973 (PBL - Herbarium
of the Botanical Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Port
Blair).
Small prostrate herb; stems reddish,
succulent, rooting at nodes, densely caespitose,
glabrous. Leaves simple, opposite,
fleshy, lanceolate, linear–lanceolate,
often oblong, 20–50 x 5–10 mm, attenuate at base, entire along
margins, obtuse at apex, flat above, convex beneath. Petioles very short, ca 7mm
long, dilated at the base into a scarious, semi-amplexicaul sheath. Flowers solitary in the leaf axils; pedicels up to 1cm
long, thickened upwards, glabrous. Perianthsegments broadly lanceolate or oblong-ovate, ca 8x4 mm, central thicker parts green,
thin, imbricate, margins pink, inner surface pink, apexwith fleshy apiculus. Stamens many,
included; filaments free, coherent at base, pink; anthers dark coloured. Ovary 3–4-locular, glabrous. Styles as many as locules, white. Capsule included by the perianth, oblong, ca 10mm long;
seeds many, orbicular, long-funicled, shining black.
Flowering
& fruiting: Throughout the year.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan in the tropics, seashores
of eastern and western coasts in India. Presently recorded from Andaman Islands.
Habitat
& ecology:Rare, in the sandy beaches and along the tidal creeks between 0 to 5 m above
sea level in association with Wedelia biflora,
Ipomoea pes-caprae, Launaea sarmentosa, Ischaemum muticum,I. rugosum and Crinum asiaticum.
Uses: The whole plant is sold in the markets
of Asian countries as a green vegetable. It is also a good fodder for cattle and cultivated as a sand-binder in
eroded sea shores.
REFERENCES
Chesselet, P., G.F.
Smith, P.M. Burgoyne, C. Klak, S.A. Hammer, H.E.K.
Hartmann, H. Kurzweil, E.J. van Jaarsveld,
B.E. van Wyk & O.A. Leistner(2000). Mesembryanthemaceae. In: Leistner, O.A. (ed.). Seed Plants of
Southern Africa. Strelitzia 10: 360–410.
Karthikeyan,
S., M. Sanjappa& S. Moorthy (2009). Flowering
Plants of India. Dicotyledons. Vol. 1 (Acanthaceae- Avicenniaceae). Botanical Survey of
India, Kolkata, 365pp.
Lakshminarasimhan, P.
& P.S.N. Rao(1996). Supplementary list of angiosperms
recorded (1983– 1993) from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Journal
of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 20:
175–185.
Mabberley, D.J. (2008). Mabberley’s Plant-Book; A Portable
Dictionary of Plants, Their Classification and Uses. 3rdrevised edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., XVIII+1021pp.
Mathew, S.P. (1998). A supplementary
report on the flora and vegetation of Bay Islands, India. Journal
of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 22:
249–272.
Pandey,
R.P. & P.G. Diwakar (2008). An integrated
checklist of plants in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India. Journal
of Economic and Taxonomic Botany32: 403–500.
Rao, M.K.V. (1986). A preliminary report
on the angiosperms of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Journal
of Economic and Taxonomic Botany8: 107–184.