Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2023 | 15(9): 23925–23927
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8199.15.9.23925-23927
#8199 | Received 20
September 2022 | Final received 01 August 2023 | Finally accepted 22 August
2023
Kukumseri: a home to
Colchicum luteum Baker (Colchicaceae), a rare and
endangered medicinal herb
Rajender Kumar Sharma
Department of Botany, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110019,
India.
Editor: Afroz Alam, Banasthali Vidyapith,
Rajasthan, India. Date of
publication: 26 September 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Sharma, R.K. (2023). Kukumseri: a
home to Colchicum luteum Baker (Colchicaceae),
a rare and endangered medicinal herb. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(9): 23925–23927. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8199.15.9.23925-23927
Copyright: © Sharma 2023. 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: None.
Competing interests: The author declares no competing interests.
Colchicum luteum Baker (Colchicaceae)
commonly known as Hirantutiya (Hindi), Hiranyatutha (Sanskrit), Suranjantalkh
(Urdu), and Kukum (locally) is an important medicinal
herb, used in various traditional herbal medicine systems (Ayurveda, Siddha,
Unani) (Rather et al. 2022). The species contains alkaloids including,
colchicine & democolcine which have anti-mitotic
properties and used for the treatment of solid tumors and leukemia (Ondra et al. 1995; Yue et al. 2010). C. luteum also
reported to have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, aphrodisiac,
carminative, laxative & wound healing properties, and especially useful in
gout, rheumatism and Alzheimer disease (Aisen et al.
2001; Javed et al. 2005; Rather et. al. 2022). The
said effects have been well proven in various studies through animal models
(Ahmad et al. 2006; Akbar 2020)
Colchicum luteum is found in the Hindu
Kush-Himalayan region and has very restricted distribution, endemic to certain
places only, and considered as a rare species (CAMP report 2010; Rather et al.
2022). The habitat specificity; requirement of low temperature, less relative
humidity and specific soil types for growth are being the reasons for their
restricted distribution among others. Besides its restricted distribution and
rarity, the indiscriminate over---exploitation for medicinal use has further
endangered the survival and has been categorized as an endangered plant species
(CAMP report 2010). In Indian Himalayan region (IHR) C. luteum has only
been reported from certain places of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh (Ved et al. 2003). The literature revealed, lack of
systematic studies on diversity and distribution of C. luteum, the
available data being either subjective or ethnobotanical. Further, the absence
of species in detailed reports/ works on flora of the area including, flora of Lahaul-Spiti (Aswal &
Mehrotra 1994) confirm the same. Rather et al. (2022) also observed the lack of
information regarding distribution and population size of C. luteum from
Kashmir Himalaya.
Therefore, to explore the
distribution and population size of C. luteum in Lahaul,
Himachal Pradesh, India, a survey was conducted during March--–April, 2021 and 2022. The species was found on open moist
slopes between 2,650–3,000 m elevation (Images 1 & 2). The species appeared
soon after the melting of the snow in March and were the earliest plants to
flower during spring, completing the growth cycle (vegetative, flowering, and
seed set) within two to three months (March–May). During this period of the
year the area remains mostly snow bound, less accessible, and has poor
vegetation due to unfavorable or cold weather conditions. Thus, due to above
listed facts (habitat specificity, rare and endangered population status and
comparatively very short life cycle during unusual period of the year) people
rarely visit the places and/or notice the species during the said period.
Therefore, despite the importance of this elite genotype (Wagh
et al. 2015), the species has been poorly investigated.
In the present study area, the
species were recorded at two locations: Mailing (32.605˚N, 76.934˚E, 2,925 m
elevation) and Kukumseri (32.698˚N, 76.687˚E, 2675 m
elevation) (Figure 1 & Image 3). The observed species density in Mailing
and Kukumseri was 6.4 ± 5.7 and 3.08 ± 4.15/m2,
respectively, determined by counting the total number of individuals of a
species in all quadrants (1 × 1 m, each), and divided by total number of
quadrants studied. The extent of occurrence (EOO) of species in Kukumseri region was found higher than the Mailing. In Mailing,
the species were only distributed in an area of about three Km2. The
distribution of species only to a certain specific place seems due to the
requirement of specific soil condition, and the latter need to be explored.
Very interestingly, it was observed that one location (Kukumseri)
has been named after the species (Colchicum luteum) where, ‘Kukum’ means Colchicum luteum and ‘Seri’ means
field. Thus, ‘Kukumseri’ means,the field of Colchicum luteum.
Furthermore, the location justifies its name due to the presence of a
reasonably large number of species in the area. Recently, huge destruction of
natural habitat (4.2 ha) in Kukumseri, has been done
for the opening of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (2.6 ha) and College campus (1.6 ha).
The latter would have been avoided considering the restricted distribution,
habitat specificity, rarity, endangered status and medicinal/economic
importance of C. luteum.
The information reported here
will be of immense help to locate and visit the places at appropriate period of
the year for studies, aimed at propagation, cultivation, and conservation of
the species. Further, such data plays crucial role while assessing the
population status of the species.
For
images - - click here for full PDF
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