Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2022 | 14(3): 20801–20804
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7700.14.3.20801-20804
#7700 | Received 12 October 2021 |Finally
accepted 03 March 2022
A new species of Pancratium
Dill. ex L. (Amaryllidaceae) from Eastern Ghats of
India
R. Prameela
1, J. Prakasa Rao 2, S.B. Padal 3 &
M. Sankara Rao 4
1 Department of Botany, M.R.
College for Women, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh 535002, India.
2,3 Department of Botany, Andhra
University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530003, India.
4 Botanical Survey of India, Deccan
Regional Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana 500095, India.
1 prameelachris@yahoo.com
(corresponding author), 2 jprakasarao@gmail.com, 3 sbpadal08@gmail.com,
4 mudadlas@gmail.com
Editor: Anonymity
requested. Date of
publication: 26 March 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Prameela,
R., J.P. Rao, S.B. Padal & M.S. Rao (2022). A new species of Pancratium
Dill. ex L. (Amaryllidaceae) from Eastern Ghats of
India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(3): 20801–20804. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7700.14.3.20801-20804
Copyright: © Prameela
et al. 2022. 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: Self-funded.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: Authors are thankful to the local
people and forest department for their help in the studies. Authors are
thankful the Director, Botanical Survey of India and Head, Department of
Botany, Andhra University for providing facilities. The Authors are especially
thankful to E. Ramanjaneyulu for his great support
for the plant collection.
The family Amaryllidaceae
has large beautiful flowers and is widely distributed in tropical to sub-tropical
regions. The genus Pancratium belongs to Amaryllidaceae
and the word Pancratium was derived from Greek, which means “all strength”
alluding to the medicinal properties of the bulbs of these plants. It was first
described by Linnaeus (1753) and it is represented by 21 species from the World
(WFO 2021). While India has 11 species—P. bhramarambae
Sadas., P. biflorum Roxb., P. donaldii Blatt.,
P. longiflorum Roxb. ex
Ker Gawl., P. nairii Sasikala & Reema Kumari.,
P. parvum Dalzell., P. st-mariae Blatt.
& Hallb., P. telanganense
Sadas., P. triflorum
Roxb., P. verecundum
Aiton, and P. zeylanicum
L. (Sadasivaiah
& Karuppasamy 2018). Only two species, P. longiflorum
and P. triflorum, are reported from
Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh (Pullaiah 2018).
The genus Pancratium
having unique characteristics like perennial herbaceous bulbous, linear
lanceolate leaves, umbellate Inflorescence, large flowers with funnel shaped
perianth, six stamens attached on the throat of the perianth with filiform
filaments united below by a coronal membrane into a toothed or lobed cup,
oblong or linear dorsifixed anthers, tricarpellary, syncarpous and trilocular, inferior ovary with 2-seriatein numerous ovules
and filiform style.
During our botanical explorations
in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, first author was collected an
interesting species of Pancratium from hills of Vizianagaram District
(Figure 1). It is resembles P. st-mariae. After critical taxonomic assessment it was
identified as a new species and herbarium specimen was deposited in Herbarium,
Department of Botany, Andhra University (Image 2). Some of the bulbs were
introduced into the College Campus Garden. A detailed description, comparison
table (Table 1), and photographs were provided in this article (Image 1).
Pancratium venkaiahii
R.Prameela, J.Prak.Rao, S.B.Padal
& M.Sankara Rao sp. nov.
(Image 1,2)
Holotype: AUV 23367, 30.xi.2020,
India, Andhra Pradesh, Vizianagaram District, Ginjeru
Village, Elevation 75 m, 18.170N, 83.265E, coll. R. Prameela (Image 2)
Diagnosis: Globose bulbs having 5
cm neck; up to 25 cm long leaves; 2-flowered scape having up to 5 cm membranous
spathe, apex acuminate; flowers without fragrance, with very short perianth
tube (1.3cm long), perianth lobes long, filament, greenish white anthers pollen
oval shape and long style.
Description: A
small perennial bulbous herbs grows up to 30–32 cm height; bulbs globose, 3.2 x
4.1 cm, tunica membranous, dark brown,
white when remove the tunica, neck 5–5.5 x 0.4 cm, dark brown; leaves 5–6, radical, narrowly elliptic,
semi succulent, 24–25 x 2–2.4 cm, dorsiventral, adaxis
dark green, abaxis light green, glabrous,
acute; scape 2-flowered, 9 x 0.3 cm, compressed and veined, succulent, green;
flowers white, not fragrant, 5.1 x 6.5 cm, bloom at morning; spathe 5 cm long,
acute, membranous covered the pedicel and ovary, opening at one side, 2-veined,
veins green; pedicel 0.5 cm long, green; perianth tube 1–1.2 cm long, light
green, slightly grooved; perianth lobes glabrous,
recurved 4–4.5 x 0.25 cm, linear, entire, mucronate white; stamens 6, filaments
white, slightly curved at base, shorter than the perianth lobes, 2.2 cm,
anthers 0.2 cm long, pale green or tea green, longitudinal dehiscence,
versatile, opposite to the filament, pollen oval shape; staminal corona white,
1.1 x 2.2 cm, 12-toothed, tooth 0.2 cm, tip attenuate, glabrous,
the two teeth where the filaments arise
are close, whereas between the filaments teeth are distant; ovary
3-celled, green, 0.8–1 x 0.4–0.5 cm, glabrous,
numerous ovules on axile placentation, style longer
than the filaments, slender, 6.5 cm, stigma simple. Fruits and seeds not found.
Flowering: November–December.
Etymology: The specific epithet
of species was given in honour of Prof. Malleboena Venkaiah (Retired),
Department of Botany, Andhra University for his great contribution in taxonomy
and ethno botany.
Habitat and species association:
Rarely found in the open canopy dry deciduous vegetation with an
association of ground flora: Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, Aristida adscensionis L., Cleome aspera J.Koenig ex DC., Cynodon
dactylon (L.) Pers., Imperata
cylindrica (L.) Raeusch.,
Ledebouria revoluta (L.f.) Jessop, Sacciolepis
interrupta (Willd.) Stapf; Shrubs: Canthium
coromandelicum (Burm.f.)
Alston, Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw., Pavetta zeylanica (Hook.f.) Gamble, Senna auriculata
(L.) Roxb.; Climbers: Cajanus
scarabaeoides(L.) Thouars,
Canavalia gladiata
(Jacq.) DC., Cissus quadrangularis
L., Paracalyx scariosus(Roxb.) Ali, Smilax zeylanica L.,
Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers; Trees: Ailanthus
excelsa Roxb., Anogeissus acuminata
(Roxb. ex DC.) Wall. ex Guillem.
& Perr., Bombax ceiba L., Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub., Gmelina
asiatica L., Streblus
asper Lour., Strychnos nux-vomica L., and Tamarindus
indica L.
Conservation status: Rare in the
study area, quantification of the natural populations of this species is not
known but this species is facing threats from grazing and anthropogenic
activities. First author introduced this species into the College Campus Garden
and observed that all individuals were acclimatized and flowered but there was
no fruit set . It was observed that the leaves of this plant was fed by
caterpillars in the campus and this species is host for some lily moths.
Ethnomedicine: Generally,
bulbs are used as medicine for veterinary diseases and is called ‘adavivulli’. Ethno medicinal information for human beings is still not
known.
India has more than 50% native Pancratium
species including current report, and detailed studies need to be conducted in
the aspects of taxonomy, distribution, economic importance, and conservation
status.
Table 1. Comparison table of P.
venkaiahii sp. nov.
with P. st-mariae.
|
|
Description |
P. venkaiahii
sp.nov. |
P. st-mariae |
|
1. |
Bulb |
Globose, 3.2 x 4.1 cm, tunica
dark brown membranous |
Globose, 3.5–6 cm, tunica pale
brown, many veined |
|
2 |
Neck |
5–5.5 cm |
10 cm |
|
3 |
Leaves |
5–6, narrowly elliptic, acute,
24–25 x 2–2.4 cm |
2–5, lanceolate, obtuse, 10–15
x 1–1.5 cm |
|
4 |
Scape |
8–9 cm, long, 2-flowered |
10–15 cm long, 2–5 flowered |
|
5 |
Spathe |
5 cm |
2 cm |
|
6 |
Pedicel |
0.5 cm |
0.5 cm |
|
7 |
Perianth tube |
1.2 cm, light green |
3 cm, green |
|
8 |
Perianth lobes |
Oblong or linear oblong, 4–4.5 |
Lanceolate, 2–2.5 x 0.2–0.3 |
|
9 |
Staminal cup |
1.1 cm, teeth 0.2 cm |
7–10 mm, teeth 2 mm |
|
10 |
Anthers |
Pale green or pea green |
Yellow |
|
11 |
Style |
6.5 cm |
3.5–4.5 cm |
For figure &
images - - click here
References
Linnaeus, C.
(1753). Pancratium L. Species Plantarum, Vol. 1.
Stockholm, 289–291.
Pullaiah, T. (2018). Flora of Andhra Pradesh, India.
Vol. 3. Scientific
Publisher, Jodhpur.
Sadasivaiah B, S. Karuppusamy
(2018). Two new
species of Pancratium (Amaryllidaceae) from
India. Species 19: 132–139.
WFO (2021). Pancratium L. http://www.worldfloraonline.org/-taxon/wfo-4000027860.
Accessed on 01 October 2021.