Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2025 | 17(4): 26879–26886

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8974.17.4.26879-26886

#8974 | Received 16 February 2024 | Final received 05 April 2025 | Finally accepted 11 April 2025

 

 

Notes on the interesting species Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze

 

Sk. Md. Abu Imam Saadi 1         , Mehebub Sarwar Hossain 2         , Debasis Bhunia 3         , Sk. Rasidul Islam 4         ,

Sayantan Tripathi 5         , Sanjit Sinha 6          & Amal Kumar Mondal 7

 

1,2 Molecular Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Aliah University, Newtown, Kolkata, West Bengal 700160, India.

3 Department of Botany, Sree Chaitanya College, Habra, N-24 Parganas, West Bengal 743268, India.

4,5,6,7 Plant Taxonomy, Biosystematics and Molecular Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany & Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal 721102, India.

1 saadivu@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 mehebubsarwarhossain@gmail.com, 3 debasisbhunia.bot@gmail.com,

4 skrasidulislam1995@gmail.com, 5 tripathi.sayantan40@gmail.com, 6 sanjitbot@gmail.com, 7 amalcaebotvu@gmail.com

 

 

Editor: Asok Ghosh, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India.           Date of publication: 26 April 2025 (online & print)

 

Citation: Saadi, S.M.A.I., M.S. Hossain, D. Bhunia, S.R. Islam, S. Tripathi, S. Sinha & A.K. Mondal (2025). Notes on the interesting species Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze. Journal of Threatened Taxa 17(4): 26879–26886. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8974.17.4.26879-26886

  

Copyright: © Saadi et al. 2025. 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: The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: SK MD ABU IMAM SAADI (SMAIS) is an Assistant Professor at Aliah University in the Department of Biological Sciences. He is working on Plant DNA Barcode and Stress Tolerance Activity of Plant in different Environmental Conditions. MEHEBUB SARWAR HOSSAIN (MSH) is a research scholar at Aliah University in the Department of Biological Sciences. Currently working on the Molecular phylogeny of the genus Ocimum based on DNA barcodes. DEBASIS BHUNIA (DB) is an Assistant Professor at Sree Chaitanya College in the Department of Botany. Currently, he is working on the angiosperm diversity in the aquatic and marshy land of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. SK. RASIDUL ISLAM (SRI), he just completed his Ph.D. from Vidyasagar University on Bryoflora of South West Bengal; SAYANTAN TRIPATHI (ST) has completed his Ph.D. from Vidyasagar University on Hemi-parasitic Flora of South West Bengal. SANJIT SINHA (SS) has completed his PhD from Vidyasagar University on the family Asclepiadaceae & AMAL KUMAR MONDAL (AKM) is a Professor at Vidyasagar University in the Department of Botany & Forestry. He completed his PhD from Visva-Bharati University. He has 35 years of research experience. He is working on taxonomy, bio-systematics and molecular taxonomy.

 

Author contributions: SMAIS: Design and writing the original draft; Supervision, field survey; MSH: Create the study Map; DB: Formal analysis; SRI & SMAIS: Laboratory studies; ST: Drawing and editing; SS: Assistance in the field survey and critical comments for the preparation of manuscript; AKM: Read and approved the final manuscript.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the Jhargram and Gopegarh Forest Department for facilitating the exploration of different forest areas. We also thank to the authority of Aliah University, New Town, Kolkata for their support and all the research scholars in the Plant Taxonomy Laboratory, Department of Botany and Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore. We are highly acknowledged to Bose Institute, Kolkata, India for providing SEM facilities.

 

 

 

Abstract: Tacca leontopetaloides is a species of flowering plant that belongs to the family Dioscoreaceae. The species generally grows in forests and shady areas during rainy seasons. The populations of this species were previously reported to exist in eastern India (West Bengal), have been steadily declining at an increasing rate. Present investigation in four states of eastern India revealed that the species is now only present in the two districts of West Bengal, i.e., Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur. In order to facilitate easy identification and conservation, the article provides a detailed description of the species, including its distribution, conservation status, economic and medicinal importance, figures, and photographs, along with the LM and SEM images of pollen.

 

Keywords: Conservation, distribution, Jhargram, medicinal importance, Paschim Medinipur, sacred groves.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze is commonly known as East Indian Arrowroot, is also called Polynesian Arrowroot, and was previously placed under the family Taccaceae (Dumortier 1829). Recently, Caddick et al. (2002) treated Tacca J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. into Dioscoreaceae (APG II 2003) because Tacca shares many characteristics with other plants in Dioscoreaceae, such as having tuberous underground parts rich in steroidal saponins, petiolate reticulate-veined leaves, and reflexed stamens. However, Tacca is distinctive because of its acaulescent habit and unilocular ovaries with parietal placentation. According to POWO (2024+), T. leontopetaloides has 32 synonyms. Among them, a few heterotypic synonyms are Tacca pinnatifida var. brownie. (Seem.) F.M.Bailey, T. pinnatifida ssp. interrupta Warb. ex H.Limpr., T. pinnatifida ssp. involucrata (Schumach. & Thonn.) H.Limpr., T. pinnatifida ssp. madagascariensis H.Limpr. T. pinnatifida f. obtusata Limpr., T. pinnatifida var. paeoniifolia Domin, T. pinnatifida var. permagna Domin, and T. umbrarum Jum. & H.Perrier (http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do). The plant is generally growing in the open forest but is occasionally seen in the rainforests. The genus Tacca comprised of about 20 species distributed in the tropical region of Asia (Chua et al. 2020). According to Meena & Yadav (2010) and USDA (2021), it is native to tropical Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, and Samoa. So far, the genus is represented by six species, viz., Tacca chantrieri André, T. pinnatifida Forst., T. cristata Jack., T. integrifolia Ker-Gawl., T. laevis Roxb. and T. leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze in India (Baruah et al. 2015 & Saadi et al. 2020). The plant is cultivated in India and regarded as an economic food crop. According to Kay (1987), Polynesian arrowroot tubers are eaten as food in northern Nigeria, particularly at the time of the scarcity of other staple foods. The tuber of this plant used as a staple food in place of rice and flour, which is one of the sources of carbohydrates. In order to combat famine and food insecurity, the high carbohydrate content of its starch—83.07–88.07%—is beneficial for south coast populations in West Java (Wardah & Ariani 2014, 2015, 2020). Many Polynesian islands also employ the bitter raw tuber as a medicinal remedy for stomach problems, primarily diarrhoea and dysentery, hepatitis, guinea worm infection, and snake bites (Kay 1987).

In 2015, present authors conducted an intensive floristic survey and were able to collect the plant for the first time from the sacred groves of the Chilkigarh forest in Jhargram District, West Bengal during the rainy season in fruiting stage. In May 2020, the species was collected again from the sacred groves of the Gopegarh forest in Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal even though they were not fruiting at that time. Lastly, in October 2023, present authors explored for the species in Patna and Ranchi districts of Bihar and Jharkhand, respectively. However, T. leontopetaloides was not seen anywhere. The study critically examines collected specimens based on the different literature (Prain 1903; Thaker et al. 1970; Rao & Verma 1976; Ling 1985; Lakshminarasimhan 1996; Samvatsar 1996; Zhang & Li 2008; Meena & Yadav 2010; Borokini et al. 2014; Baruah et al. 2015; Yeng & Shen 2019; Kalita et al. 2022). This paper aims to provide a detailed account of the species, for future reference and conservation purposes.

 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS                                                                 

Several field surveys were conducted from 2015–2023 to estimate the population of Tacca leontopetaloides from eastern India (Figure 1). This study covered both disturbed (plant communities affected by human activities or natural events, leading to a reduction in biodiversity) and undisturbed (plant communities unaffected by major natural disturbances or human activities leading to rich biodiversity and more stable ecosystems) patches of vegetation in several districts of Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Additionally, the authors examined existing literature to see if there were any reports of this species from eastern India. In a detailed literature study, it was found that T. pinnatifida Forst, which is a synonym for T. leontopetaloides, was initially documented by D. Prain in 1903 from the Chota Nagpur Plateau. This area is currently part of Jharkhand and the surrounding regions of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. The present authors visited multiple locations in Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand to study this species. In West Bengal, authors conducted visits to 19 districts on multiple occasions, but only encountered the species in two districts: Paschim Medinipur (Gopegarh) and Jhargram (Chilkigarh). The Chilkigarh is a village in Jhargram located on the banks of the Dulung River and is known for its rich biodiversity, covering an area of about 0.0040 km2 between 22.446–22.455 N and 86.874–86.881 E. The average elevation of the area is 60–85 m above the mean sea level. Gopegarh is located within the deciduous natural forest, on the banks of the Kangsabati River, covering an area of about 0.0071 km2 between 22.418–22.424 N and 87.281–87.277 E. The average elevation of the area is 55–86 m.

The collected specimens were processed to prepare voucher specimens and examined for detailed morphological study using a Carl Zeiss Stemi-508 microscope. For the pollen study, acetolyzed pollen (follows Erdtman 1960) grain was transferred to the SEM stubs, sputter-coated with gold for 2 minutes, and viewed under a Marlin scanning electron microscope (ZEISS FESEM SUPRA-40). Photographs of plant specimens and habitats were taken using a Nikon camera (Model-Z30). The herbarium specimens (00713 and 00722) were deposited at the Vidyasagar University Herbarium, West Bengal. The distribution status was determined by referring to ‘Plants of the World Online’ (POWO), relevant floras, and literature. To indicate the correct location of the study area, we prepared a map using QGIS 3.24.0 software.

 

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

 

Taxonomic treatment

Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. PI. 2: 704. 1891; Drenth in Blumea 20: 375.1972; Lakshminarsimhan in Sharma et al. (1996); Fl. Maharashtra State, Monocot 3:108. 1996; Leontice leontopetaloides L., Sp. PI. 313. 1753; Tacca pinnatifida J.R.A.Forst., Char. Gen. 35: t. 35. 1776; Hook.F., Fl. Brit. India 6: 287. 1892; Cooke, Fl. Bombay 3:262. 1958 (Images 1 & 2).

It is an upright perennial herb with a dark brown, round or broadly ellipsoid-shaped tuber or Ovoid tuber several inches across (Flora of West Tropical Africa, Vol 3, Part 1), usually giving rise to one or two erect leaves 2–4 ft. high and an inflorescence 3–6 ft. high. On transverse section, the tuber is internally white, and it can measure 15–25 cm. in diameter. The plant has 1–3 large, radical leaves that are broadly obovate, ovate or oblong. The leaves are palmately 3-lobed and the lobes are pinnately lobed with undulate margins and reticulate veins. The petioles are 30–90 cm. long, hollow and striated. Scape is longer than the petiole and has 4–6 flowers at the apex of a long, leafless scape. Flowers are regular, bisexual and pedicellate. Bracts 6–12 in number, oblong-lanceolate that are recurved and striped with purple. It also has numerous filiform bracteoles that are longer than the bracts. Perianth is usually lurid, campanulate and 6-lobed. Stamens 6, adnate to the perianth tube or the base of the perianth lobes. Anthers have two ribs on the inner face, and the dehiscence is longitudinal. Carpels 3, connate in an inferior ovary, and many anatropous ovules. Style short, columnar and usually 3, cohered. Stigmas 3, petaloid and broad. Fruits globose or ovoid, indehiscent berries, many-seeded, seeds ovoid to ellipsoid, angular, and longitudinally striate.

Pollen character: Polar Axis (P)-17 (19.6) 26 µm; equatorial diameter (E)- 32 (35.75) 41 µm; P/E- 0.55 µm; exine thickness-2 µm; pollen shape-oblet to spheroidal; aperture type- monosulcate; aperture size-11 (16.53) 19 µm (Image 1I, 1J).

Vernacular names: English: Polynesian Arrowroot, East Indian Arrowroot, Bat Flower, Devil’s Whiskers; Hindi: Ajeenamoti; Malayalam: Puliyar; Tamil: Kasippu; Bengali: Talmul

 

Phenology

Tacca leontopetaloides is known for its unique and conspicuous inflorescence that resembles bat’s wing. The flowering and fruiting period may vary depending on the specific region and environmental conditions. This plant reproduces by two methods: sexually, through the production of flowers and seeds, and vegetatively, via rhizomes. The flowers are unique and quite distinct, and they may offer nectar to pollinators. It is typically found during the rainy season from April to October. However, it remains active throughout the year and dormant throughout the dry season from November to February. In India, the flowering and fruiting occur from July to October.

 

Distribution and Ecology

According to POWO (2024), Tacca leontopetaloides is reported from 80 out of 195 countries Worldwide. In India, it is reported from 13 out of 28 states and eight union territories according to the various sources (Prain 1903; Rao & Verma 1976; Lakshminarasimhan 1996; Samvatsar 1996; Meena & Yadav 2010; Saadi et al. 2020). This plant is usually found in forests, in damp and shady areas, and was found to be associated with some other trees like Strychnosnux-vomica L., Adina cordifolia (Roxb.) Hook.f., Shorea robusta Roth., Tectona grandis L.f., Terminalia bellerica (Gaertn.) Roxb., Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wight & Arn., Anacardium occidentale L., Madhuca longifolia (J.Konig) J.F.Macbr., Brandis as well as lianas like Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Arn., Ichnocarpus frutescens R.Br and Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. along with some herbs like Typhonium trilobatum (L.) Schott., Curculigo orchioides Gaertn., Amorphophallus bulbifer (Roxb.) Blume, Dioscorea bulbifera L., Oplismenus burmannii (Retz.) P.Beauv., Clerodendrum infortunatum L., Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr., Mesosphaerum suaveolens (L.) Kuntze, Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob., Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex Britton & P.Wilson.

 

Specimens examined

India, West Bengal, Chilkigarh forest, Jhargram district, 22.vi.2015, coll. Saadi et al., #00713; Same locality., 20.vi.2016, coll. Saadi & Sinha, #00722. Gopegarh, Paschim Medinipur district, 20.v.2019, coll. Saadi & Mondal, #00803 (all vouchers are deposited at Vidyasagar University Herbarium).

 

Economical and medicinal importance of Tacca leontopetaloides

The economic importance of Polynesian Arrowroot is not reflected in official statistics. However, research reports indicate that it is important at the local level as a reserve and ceremonial food. Interestingly, it can produce edible starch on marginal soils. According to (Olojede et al. 2009) a measure of the prepared starch weighing approximately 1 kg was sold between N100 (USD 0.78) and N120 (USD 0.94) back in 2009. It is a beloved food among many communities in the southern parts of Plateau State, as noted in a study by Ogbonna et al. (2017). The starch from this food is dried and used to prepare various types of puddings, porridge, and ceremonial foods among the Tiv people of north-central Nigeria, as reported by Ahemen & Raji (2008) and Amadi et al. (2018). In India, T. leontopetaloides tubers are usually cooked, and boiled with leaves of guava or tamarind to avoid the irritating properties of the tubers, or roasted as vegetables (Misra & Misra 2014).

The medicinal properties of different parts of Tacca leontopetaloides, such as roots and tubers, are used to treat various ailments. Specifically, bitter raw tubers are traditionally used to treat stomach ailments such as diarrhoea and dysentery (Kay 1987). Both the raw tubers and starch have been used to treat vomiting and diarrhoea in traditional Hawaiian communities (Krauss 1998). According to (Bosha et al. 2015), the traditional rulers have historically used it for their rituals and as an aphrodisiac. Additionally, the root starch is used to stiffen fabrics in some of the islands, as stated by (Ukpabi et al. 2009). Recently, it has been discovered that the marc of Tacca has antidiabetic effects, as mentioned by (Bosha et al. 2013). The rhizome possesses detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties, and can cure abscesses in the stomach and duodenum, high blood pressure, hepatitis, gastralgia, burns, and ulcers (Zhang et al. 2007). During the present survey, we frequently inquire with local people about the ethnomedicinal uses. However, they only utilize tubers to treat piles, diarrhoea, and dysentery. Studies have shown that over 134 compounds with different bioactivities have been isolated from Tacca species including steroids, terpenoids, diaryheptanoids and taccalonolidesare said to have the potential to become anti-cancer drugs (Abdallah et al. 1990; Tinley et al. 2003).

 

Conservation status

After conducting a comprehensive survey of various locations in eastern India, we observed only four mature plants from Gopegarh forest, and 18 mature plants were found to spread across 60 acres in the Chilkigarh forest.  Based on our present findings, it is evident that there are not many individuals of the species though, the species is globally ‘Least Concern’ (LC) (Contu 2013). Unfortunately, their numbers are declining due to land use changes, increased tourism, natural calamities, and overharvesting resulting. Conservation planning is essential to mitigate the impact of increasing human population and declining species, such as: (1) Select the regions where we want to conserve the species; (2) Restore damaged habitats by preventing human activity, eliminating invasive species, reducing erosion, preventing agricultural expansion and implementing sustainable management practices; (3) Reintroduce the plant species into their natural habitats by moving individual plants or seeds to establish or strengthen new populations where they have become locally rare; (4) Encourage the local people to cultivate T. leontopetaloides due to its economic and medicinal importance, as well as its high starch content (amylose and amylopectin) similar to that of a potato; and (5) Involve local communities, indigenous peoples, and stakeholders in conservation efforts. This includes empowering communities to manage natural resources sustainably, respecting traditional knowledge, and promoting livelihoods that are compatible with plant conservation.

 

  For figure & images - - click here for full PDF

 

 

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