Genetic Resources, Current Ecological Status and Altitude Wise Distribution
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Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2012)S439-S445 S439 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine journal homepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/apjtb Document heading Genetic resources, current ecological status and altitude wise distribution of medicinal plants diversity of Darjeeling Himalaya of West Bengal, India Rajendra Yonzone1*, R. B. Bhujel1, Samuel Rai2 1 Taxonomy and Ethnobiology Research Laboratory, Cluny Women’s College, P.O. Kalimpong, District Darjeeling, W.B., India 734301 2 Darjeeling Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, P.O. Kalimpong, District Darjeeling, W. B., India 734301 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Objective: To find out the genetic resources, current ecological status and altitude wise 3 2012 Methods: Received February distribution of medicinal plants diversity of Darjeeling Himalaya of West Bengal, India. 11 2012 Received in revised form February The intensive field survey was conducted in the entire regions and necessary information were A 15 A 2012 Results: ccepted pril collected from the local inhabitants and literatures. The present study revealed 218 A 28 A 2012 vailable online pril medicinal plants species from 97 families with 195 genera distributed throughout the different altitudinal ranges of entire Darjeeling Himalaya. Of these, 6 plant species were from 3 500-45 00 Keywords: 22 1 800 3 500 69 1 000 1 800 121 130 1 000 m altitude, from - m, from - m and from Conclusions: - m in the study 24 Darjeeling Himalaya area. There were cultivated medicinal plants and the rest were wild. It is unique Medicinal plants diversity for rich, wide genetic diversity resources and distribution of medicinal plants in distinct climatic Current status zones. However, the status of these some plant species are vulnerable, threatened, rare and Atitude wise distribution critically endangered. 1. Introduction add richness to the medicinal plants wealth of the region[3]. It harvours one of the richest biodiversity in the world[4]. Darjeeling is the northernmost district of West Benvizgal. In the present investigation, genetic resources, current The district is subdivided into four Sub-Divisions ., ecological status, diversity and altitude wise distribution D K K S (F D H W arjeeling sadar; alimpong, O ur’seong aOnd ’ iliguri igure of medicinal plant species of arjeeling imalaya of est 1) T 26 31 27 31 B I . he region liOes ’betweenO ’ and north latitude engal, ndia has been studied. and between 87 59 and 88 53 east longitude in the Eastern [1] Himalayan region of India . It is bordered by Sikkim in 2. Materials and methods the north, Terai and Dooars in the south, Bhutan in the east and Nepal in the west. The district has two topographical features. Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong form the The intensive field survey was conducted in the entire hill areas whereas Siliguri is stationed at the foothill in Darjeeling hills including the forests. The authors visited a vast stretch of the plains. The shape of the district is Singhalila National Park, Darjeeling and Neora Valley triangular. The total area of the triangular shaped district National Park in Kalimpong and remote far flung areas is 3 254.7 sq. km. which is 3.68 percent of the total areas covering all the altitudinal ranges as low as Siliguri to of West Bengal state. The hilly region covers 2 320 sq. km. the as high as Sandakphu-Phalut of entire Darjeeling and the remaining 934.7sq.km of the area falls in the Terai hills of West Bengal, India. All the medicinal plants and and plains. The altitudinal variations of the district range their necessary information were collected from the local from 150 m at Siliguri to 3 636 m at Sandakphu-Phalut with herbal practisioners known as Jhakri or Dhami, Bonbo, a sharp physiographic contrast between the plain and the Baidhya, Mangpa, Phedangma, Lama, Mata, Bhagawati, mountainous regions[2]. Bijuwa, Bungthing, herbal practitioners, senior men and Darjeeling Himalaya enjoys the dignity of being blessed women of different villages of study area. The necessary with ideal climatic and edaphic factors which favour and information from the website, scientific papers, articles, booklets and books have been utilized. The collected plant C R Y R S T specimens were processed, described, properly identified * orresponding author: ajendra onzone,’ search cholar, axonomy and Ethnobiology Research Laboratory, Cluny Women s College, P.O. Kalimpong, District and authenticated with the help of Flora of British India Darjeeling, W.B., India - 734301. (Hooker, 1872-1897)[5]: medicinal plants (Jain SK, 1968)[6]; E-mail: [email protected] and from the Herbarium of Department of Botany, North Rajendra Yonzone et al ./Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2012)S439-S445 S440 Bengal University, Siliguri; Central National Herbarium, sub-temperate zone, there were 22 plant species. Out of Indian Botanical Garden, Sibpur, Howrah and finally these 1 was climber, 13 were herbs, 4 were shrubs and the deposited in the Herbaria of Taxono’ my and Ethnobiology rest 4 were trees and in case of ecological status 7 were Research Laboratory, Cluny Women s College, Kalimpong. endangered, 5 were rare, 8 were sparse, 3 were frequent, 1 In the present investigation t’he study of ecological status was vulnerable and 1 threatened (Table 2). In sub-tropical was conducted by Raunukiaer s ecological statitistics, given zone, there were 69 plant species, out of these 36 were by Raunukiaer, (1934)[7] . It was laid out in each of the major herbs, 14 were shrubs, 10 were trees and the rest 9 were plots, and the species habitat rich plots of 5 m暳5 m were climbers and in ecological status 2 were endangered, 6 were laid out diagonally for regeneration status of frequency. rare, 1 vulnerable, 30 were sparse, 15 were frequent, 5 were Quantification of studies have been carried out to find out abundant and 6 were planted or cultivated in the region the current status of these species from Darjeeling district[8]. (Table 3) and in tropical zone there were 121 plant species. All the plant specimens are arranged systematically as per Out of these, 40 were herbs, 26 were shrubs, 39 were trees their altitude wise distribution in the area with botanical and the rest 16 were climbers and in case of ecological names, habitat, family and ecological status. status, 3 were endangered, 7 were rare, 2 were threatened, 54 were sparse, 14 were frequent, 16 were common, 15 3. Results were planted and 4 were abundant (Table 4). It was found that Orchidaceae was the largest family with 10 species, followed by Zingiberaceae 8, Rubiaceae 8, Apocynaceae 6, There were 218 medicinal plant species and 97 families Euphorbiaceae 6, Urticaceae 6, Asteraceae 6, Rutaceae 6, with 195 genera including 54 trees, 44 shrubs, 94 herbs and Polygonaceae 5 and Araliaceae 4 which is shown in Figure 3. 26 climbers widely distributed with four different classified Monocots are dominant over dicots in distribution and altitudinal ranges of the district[9](Figure 2). The altitude occurrence. Of these, 6 plants from 3 500 to 4 500 m wise distribution of plant species in sub-alpine zone were altitudinal range, 22 plants from 1 800 to 3 500 m, 69 plants 6. Out of these 1 was tree and the rest 5 were herbs and in from 1 000 to 1800 m and 122 from 130-1000 m. Above data case of ecological status 4 were endangered, 1 was critically clearly signify that lower the altitude higher the medicinal endangered and 1 was frequent (Table 1). In temperate and plants distribution in study area. Table 1. Medicinal plants of sub-alpine zone (3 500-4 500 m). Sl. No. Botanical name Habit Family Status Abies densa 1 Grief. ex Parker. Tree Pinaceae Frequent Aconitum bisma 2 (Buch-Ham.) Rapaics. Herb Ranunculaceae Endangered Aconitum spicatum 3 (Bruhl.) Stapf. Herb Ranunculaceae Endangered Dactylorhiza hatagirea 4 (D. Don) Soo. Herb Orchidaceae Critically Endangered Nardostachys jatamansi 5 DC. Herb Valerianaceae Endangered Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora 6 (Pennel) D.Y. Hong. Herb Scrophulariaceae Endangered Table 2. Medicinal plants of temperate and sub-temperate zone (1 800-3 500 m). Sl. No. Botanical name Habit Family Status Daphne bholua 1 D. Don. Shrub Thymelaeaceae Frequent Dicentra scandens 2 (D. Don) Walpers. Climber Fumariaceae Rare Fragaria nubicola 3 (Hook. f.) Lacaita. Herb Rosaceae Sparse Heracleum nepalense 4 D. Don. Herb Apiaceae Sparse Heracleum wallichii 5 DC. Herb Apiaceae Frequent Iris clarkei 6 Baker ex Hook. f. Herb Iridaceae Sparse Mahonia napaulensis 7 DC. Shrub Berberidaceae Sparse Panax pseudoginseng angustifolius 8 Wall. var. (Burkill) Li Herb Araliaceae Endangered Panax pseudoginseng bipinnatifidus 9 Wall. var. (Seemab) Li Herb Araliaceae Endangered Paris polyphylla 10 Smith. Herb Trilliaceae Sparse Pentapanax fragrans 11 (D. Don) Ha Tree Araliaceae Rare Persea fructifera 12 Kostermans. Tree Lauraceae Sparse Podophyllum sikkimense 13 Chatterjee & Mukherjee. Herb Podophyllaceae Endangered Rosa sericea 14 Lindl. Shrub Rosaceae Vulnerable Rheum acuminatum 15 Hook. f. Herb Polygonaceae Sparse Rhododendron arboretum 16 Smith. Tree Ericaceae Frequent Satyrium nepalense 17 D. Don. Herb Orchidaceae Sparse Swertia bimaculata 18 (Sieb. & Zucc.) Hook. f. & Thoms ex Clarke. Herb Gentianaceae Threatened Swertia chirayita 19 (Roxb. ex Fleming) Karsten. Herb Gentianaceae Endangered Taxus baccata 20 L. sub.sp. wallichiana Zucc. Tree Taxaceae Endangered Valeriana hardwickii 21 Wall. Herb Valerianaceae Rare Zanthoxylum acanthopodium 22 DC. Shrub Rutaceae Rare Rajendra Yonzone et al ./Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2012)S439-S445 S441 Table 3. Medicinal plants of sub-tropical zone (1 000-1 800 m). Sl. No. Botanical name Habit Family Status Acmella calva 1 (D.C.) Jansen. Herb Asteraceae Frequent Acorus calamus 2 L. Herb Araceae Sparse Ageratina adenophora 3 (Spreng.)King & Robinson. Herb Asteraceae Abundant Ageratum conyzoides 4 L. Herb Asteraceae Abundant Alstonia scholaris 5 (L.) R.