Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2021 | 13(14): 20292–20294
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7061.13.14.20292-20294
#7061 | Received 07 January 2021 | Final
received 01 November 2021 | Finally accepted 02 December 2021
Pentatropis R.Br. ex
Wight & Arn. (Apocynaceae),
a new generic record for Kerala, India
V. Ambika 1, Jose Sojan 2 &
V. Suresh 3
1,3 Department of Botany, Government
Victoria College (University of Calicut), Palakkad, Kerala, India.
2 Department of Botany, Government
College, Chittur (University of Calicut), Palakkad,
Kerala, India.
1 ambikameenu123@gmail.com, 2 sojanchakkalackal@gmail.com,
3 sureshmagnolia@gmail.com (corresponding author)
Editor: Anonymity
requested. Date of publication: 26 December 2021
(online & print)
Citation: Ambika, V., J. Sojan & V. Suresh (2021). Pentatropis R.Br. ex Wight & Arn. (Apocynaceae), a new generic
record for Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(14): 20292–20294. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7061.13.14.20292-20294
Copyright: © Ambika et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: University Grants Commission, Govt. of India as
Junior Research Fellowship to V. Ambika.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the
director collegiate education, govt of Kerala for the necessary facilities and
also thank respective principals of the two colleges for the support.
The Genus Pentatropis
R.Br. ex Wight & Arn. (Apocynaceae)
comprises six species, with a distribution ranging from Africa & Madagascar
through Arabia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, to Australia (Jagtap
& Singh 1999). In India it is represented by two species, viz., P. capensis and P. nivalis.
The generic name Pentatropis is derived from
Greek words penta meaning ‘five’ and tropis meaning ‘a keel’, referring to the shape of
the corona (Jagtap & Singh 1999). The genus is characterized by slender twining
herbs or undershrubs, semi succulent leaves, small
purplish flowers with rotate corolla and corona of five erect laterally
compressed processes with an upcurved spur at base (Gamble & Fischer 1936).
Pentatropis capensis
is highly medicinal and the whole plant is used as antifungal, antiseptic,
coolant and useful in skin diseases (Pandey et al. 2005).
During the floristic survey of
Palakkad Gap, Western Ghats, Kerala, the authors came across a population of Pentatropis near Kozhinjampara,
Palakkad, Kerala, which lies on the eastern front of the Palakkad Gap.
Specimens were collected in flowering and the identity of specimen was
confirmed as Pentatropis capensis (L.f.) Bullock using
pertinent literature and consultation of specimens available at global
biodiversity information facility (https://www.gbif.org/) and Kew science
(https:/specimens.kew.org/). The taxon was previously known in India from
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Gujarat
(Matthew 1983; Pandey et al. 2005; Rao et al. 2016) but not reported from the
state of Kerala (Vajravelu 1990; Sasidharan
2013). It is reported here as a new record for the state of Kerala. The
description is given with notes and keys for easy identification.
Key to the Pentatropis
in India
Flowers 3–4 per umbel, buds subglobose, corolla- lobes 3.5–6 mm long, deltoid, not
tailed; corona-lobes acute at base, which curves outwards
….........………..........................………..………... P. capensis
Flowers 5–7 per umbel, buds
acuminate, corolla-lobes 8–13 mm long, with linear tail; corona-lobes rounded
at base …….…………………. P. nivalis
Pentatropis capensis (L.f.)
Bullock, Kew Bull. 10(2): 284. 1955; Matthew, Fl. Tamil. Carn.
1: 955. 1983; Sharma et al., Fl. Karnataka 168. 1984; Singh, Fl. East.
Karnataka 1: 414. 1988. Cynanchum capense L.f., Suppl. Pl. 168.
1781. Pentatropis microphylla
(Roth.) Wight & Arn. in Wight, Contrib. 52. 1834;
Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 20. 1883; Gamble, Fl.
Pres. Madras 2: 587. 1957 (Repr. Ed.); Prain, Bengal plants 2: 512. 1963 (Repr.
Ed.); Cooke, Fl. Pres. Bombay 2: 218. 1967 (Repr.
Ed.). Asclepias microphylla
Heyne ex Roth, Nov. Pl. Spec. 177. 1821. Colostephanus capensis (L.f.) Harv., Gen. S. Afr. Pl.
417. 1838. Vincetoxicum capense
(L.f.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 424. 1891. Cynanchum
acuminatum Thunb., Observ. Cynanch. 5. 1821. Cynoctonum capense
(L.f.) E. Mey., Comm. Pl.
Afr. Austr. (Meyer) 216.
Herbaceous twiners. Stem slender,
glabrous, greenish-purple. Leaves simple, opposite,
ovate, 1–3.5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, base rounded or cordate, margin entire, apex obtuse
mucronate, glabrous, semi-succulent, petiole 4–7 mm
long. Flowers in axillary umbels, 3–4 flowers per umbel, greenish-purple
colour, buds subglobose; pedicel filiform, 1.7 cm
long. Calyx 5-partite, lobe elliptic- lanceolate, 1.5 mm long, hyaline at
margin, acute at apex, glabrous. Corolla rotate,
lobes deltoid, 3.5–6 mm long, recurved at margin, apex acute, hairy, purple.
Corona single, 5 erect laterally compressed processes with an upcurved spur at
base. Pollinia pendulous, obovate, ca. 0.2 mm long, pollen- masses waxy, opaque
without pellucid margin, glabrous, brown (Image 2;
Figure 1). Follicles 3-angled, 6.5 cm long, lanceolate, beaked at apex,
persistent with calyx. Seeds many, ovoid, 5 mm long, whitish at margin, end
silky hairy, 2 cm long.
Specimen examined: Suresh
GVCP-SV339 (Image 2) 14 October 2019, Kozhinjampara,
Chittur, Palakkad district, Kerala state, India,
10.738°N, 76.820°E, 172m (Image 1, GVCH! Government Victoria College Herbarium
- acronym submitted, not yet accepted).
Additional specimens examined: Pentatropis capensis (L.f.) Bullock:- BM001014189, January 1774, India,
22.883°N, 79.6162°E, Koenig s.n. (Isotype BM!);
MO100951520, 14 September 1956, Yanam, Andhra
Pradesh, 16.733°N, 82.213°E, Wagh 3863 (MO!);
S10-25878, October 1981, Madras, near the Qutar
minaret, Tamil Nadu, Fagerlind 9516 (S!).
Phenology: Flowering and
fruiting: September to January.
Ecology: Pentatropis capensis
is found growing on road sides in association with Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet, Calotropis
procera (Aiton) Dryand. and Cardiospermum
halicacabum L. The species is well adapted to the
arid climate of the Deccan and northwestern India.
Distribution: Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam (POWO 2021); India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat (Pandey et al. 2005; Rao et al. 2016), and
Kerala (Chittur, Kozhinjampara,
reported here).
This species is widely
distributed in arid to semiarid belts of central and peninsular India. It is a
therophyte (therophytes are annual but this species is perennial) according to
life form classification by Raunkiaer and it thrives
in arid climate by bearing unfavourable dry seasons in dormant form (Raunkiaer 1934; Kambhar & Kotresha 2012).
In this report, a therophytic perennial species of Pentatropis
genus (P. capensis) belonging to the
family Apocynaceae was reported as a new record for
the state of Kerala from the eastern part of the Palakkad Gap.
For
images & figure - - click here
References
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