Distribution Pattern & Phenology of Platanus Orientalis Growing In
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Trends in Biosciences 11(4), Print : ISSN 0974-8431, 475-478, 2018 Distribution Pattern & Phenology of Platanus Orientalis Growing in Kashmir SAIMA FAYAZ, B L YADAV, SUMYRA MANZOOR AND KRINPAL KOUR SODHI Department of Science & Technology, Mewar University, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan email : [email protected] ABSTRACT heads in one cluster (inflorescence) is indicative of the Platanus orentalis L., is the only species of family species. The male flower has 3–8 stamens; the female has a platanaceae found in india and grows throughout the superior ovary with 3–7carpels. Plane trees are wind- valley.This paper addresses the distribution and phenology pollinated. Male flower-heads fall off after shedding their of the species in Kashmir. Present investigation revealed pollen. Flowers small, inconspicuous, hypogynous, regular unisexual, receptacle short, smooth, hypogynous disk that it grows in plains and hilly regions of Kashmir valley .The Selected sites were surveyed viz; (Srinagar, absent, perianth reduced, sepals number three to four, Baramulla, Budgam, Pulwama Ganderbal, Anantnag and rarely eight, free or basally fused, shorter than the petals, Shopian). During the present investigation the species triangular. Petals number three to four, rarely eight, was found sporadically distributed in Kashmir Himalaya truncated-spatulate or vestigial, scarious, frequently absent in the female flowers, male flowers with androecium across an altitude of 1500-3000 m asl. A total of 2052 individuals of Platanus orientalis were found from different haplostemonous, isostemonous, with number three to four, areas of Kashmir. The highest population density was rarely eight, stamens, gynostemium short or vestigial, recorded from Srinagar (580 individuals), followed by anthers basifixed, not versatile, dithecous, tetrasporangiate, Ganderbal (485), Budgam (404), Baramulla (298) and elongated, connectivum apically widened, peltate, Anantnag (285).The present study reveals that the lower dehiscence along longitudinal valves; pistillidium altitudes enters phenological phases earlier than upper sometimes present, female flowers with superior gynoecium carpels apocarpous in two or three whorls, altitudes. imperfectly closed apically, surrounded by large petals, linear stylodious, stigmas internal, decurrent in two ridges, Key words Platanus orentalis, morphology, altitude, more or less dry, two ovules per carpel but one nearly always distribution. aborts, orthotropous, bitegmic, crassinucellated, pendulous, apical to marginal placentation, three or four Platanus orientalis L., called ‘Bouin’ in Kashmiri staminodes 3-4, no nectarines. language is the only species of family Platanaceae found The tree has the capability of growing in the latitudes in India and grows throughout the valley. It is a woody of most temperate region however it is benefitted to a large perennial tree, native to the eastern Mediterranean regions, extent from warm summers. It is a huge tree having from where it spread to other parts of the world (Baily, considerable breadth and thick leaves which have the 1953). Its natural distribution extends from southern Balkans, tendency to orient in a horizontal position basically known Crete, the mountains of South Turkey, West Syria, North for the coolness and shade it offers to the people in the Iraq and Iran, eastwards to the Kashmir, where it is known times of hot season. The tree has been honored with the as the Chinar (Kavadas, 1956). The oldest Chinar tree in Garden Merit award of Royal Horticultural Society. Asia is found in Chittergam Chadura village in Budgam district of Central Kashmir, which has a girth of 31.85 m at The bark posseses antiscorbutic and antirheumatic ground level and 14.78 m at breast height. It is mentioned in properties.Boiled in vinegar its given in diarrhoea and historical books of Kashmir like “A dictionary of Kashmiri dysentery .Brulsed fresh leaves are applied in opthaimia.A proverbs and sayings” by James Hinton Knowles (1885), walk over fallen dry chinar leaves makes a rustling musical “ Valley of Kashmir” by Sir Walter Lawrence’s (1895) and sound until the dry leaves are gathered and burnt to make in “The Kashmir Gazetteer” (1889-1895). The wood is light charcoal for use in firepots in hard winter days.in tough, dense, and hard, used for furniture . When Akbar addition they are good source of certain important chemical took over the reins of Kashmir in 1586, he ordered the compounds like platanin, tannin, allantain, phlobaphene, planting of 750 chinar saplings on the shores of Dal Lake mannitol, platanolic acid and platanol,which can be near Hazratbal and Naseem Bagh. In the Valley it is extracted for novel use.(Mohmmad Imran Kozgar $ commonly used in landscape design , tolerance of pollution, Samiullah Khan) tolerance of difficult soil condition (Zencirkiran, 2010) and MATERIAL AND METHODS its deep shade and beautiful autumn colour. The important plant species namely ‘ Platanus A tree with widely spreading branches,maple like orentalis’ constitute the material for present study. During leaves and flaky bark, oriental plane is also noted for its the present study various methods and scientific dandling,spiky round clusters of fruits. The flowers are approaches were carried out in the field, laboratory and in reduced and are borne in balls (globose heads); 3–7 natural habitats to understand the reproductive biology, hairy sepals may be fused at the base, and the petals are 3– population density distribution, phenology and 7 and are spatulate. Male and female flowers are separate, conservation of the two species. The data on various but borne on the same plant (monoecious). The number of aspects were recorded along the following lines. 476 Trends in Biosciences 11 (4), 2018 Survey, collection and documentation An extensive exploration of different habitats of Kashmir was carried out to identify specific areas across different geological conditions covering a wide range of habitats. Present investigation revealed that grows in the plains and hilly regions of Kashmir valley and seven sites (Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Pulwama Ganderbal, Anantnag and Shopian) were selected for the further studies. The selected sites were surveyed. Herbarium specimens were prepared following standard herbarium procedures The populations were analyzed for morphological traits Population density of Plants (30x30 sq m), Mean circumference (m), Leaf Area (cm2), Petiole size (cm), Fresh Weight of Leaves(g). Dry Weight of Leaves (g) and Weight of Ten Seeds (g). Both qualitative and quantitative parameters were studied on the basis of morphological features given by Nath (1996). Fifteen plants were selected and tagged from each population for morphological and phenotypic variability by following proper procedure. The photographs were taken using cannon camera and stereo L., Prunus cerasus L., Pyrus communis L., Prunus cerasifera zoom microscope (Zeiss Discovery. V8). Ehrh., Prunus communis Hudson., Pyrus pashia Buch-Ham RESULT AND DISCUSSION ex. D.Don., Salix alba L., Salix disperma Roxb. ex D.Don., Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Ulmus villosa Brandis. Botanical Description Platanus orientalis is a large elegant deciduous tree, Table 1. Population Density of Platanus orientalis in grows up to 80 feet in height and having greyish bark. District Ganderbal Leaves: 25 cm long and 24 cm wide, palmate, Stipules less No. of Quadrants No. of Plants than 1 cm; Petioles terete, 3 to 5 cm long, tomentose; leaf blade broadly ovate, 9-18 × 8-16 cm, finger like deeply (3-7) 100 486 lobed, both surfaces gray-yellow pubescent at first, glabrate Mean 5 and then pubescent only along veins abaxially, principal veins 3 or 5, arising from base, base shallowly cordate or Table 2. Leaf size of Platanus orientalis(mts) in subtruncate. Flower in dense, globose heads, unisexual, 4- Ganderbal merous; Male flowers: sepals short, small, stamens much S. No Length Breadth longer than petals, filaments very short, anthers elongate. (cm) (cm) Female flowers: sepals pubescent, petals oblanceolate, 100 1773.3 2170.4 carpels 4, styles elongate, apex crispate. Fruit: Round, fruiting heads ca 3 cm across, fruit diameter 2.4-2.4 cm, Mean 17.7 21.7 consisting of numerous, small, 1-seeded achenes. Achenes Table 3. Petiole size of Platanus orientalis 3-4 mm, basal hairs yellow, both styles and hairs exserted from infructescence. Bark cream coloured and flaky, striking S. No Length in the winter. The other dominant tree species associated (in Cms) with Platanus orientalis L. includes Aesculus indica Hook., 100 525.9 Celtis australis L., Morus alba L., Juglans regia L., Populus Mean 5.3 ciliata Wall. ex Royle., Populus nigra L., Prunus armeniaca Table 4. Fruit diameter of Platanus orientalis S. No Diameter (in cm) 100 255.3 Mean 2.5 Table 5. Fruit weight of Platanus orientalis S.No Weight (in gm) 100 386.9 Mean 3.8 FAYAZ et al., Distribution Pattern & Phenology of Platanus Orientalis Growing in Kashmir 477 RESULTS are the major threat to decline the densities of the tree. Tree felling for the use of fire wood in winter was another threat Table 6. Leaf size of Platanus orientalis(mts) in responsible for the species decline. In winter village people Baramulla use the tree as firewood to heat the ‘Hammam’ (room in S. No Length Breadth which thick, hand-hewn rectangular slabs of limestone are (cm) (cm) laid over a hollowed-out floor, under which fire is burned to 100 1779.7 2149.4 heat the stones and water). Even the leaves during autumn are gathered and burnt to make the coal for ‘Kangri’ (heating Mean 17.8 21.5 pot used by local people in winter). Along with the leaves Table 7. Petiole size of Platanus orientalis baramulla even the seeds are burnt, which reduces the regenerating ability of the plant in wild. Habitat devastation has been S. No Length recognized as one of the important threats responsible for (in cms) species extinction, hence hampering the regeneration 100 538.1 process. A combined effect of all these factors might have contributed to the very low population of the species. A Mean 5.4 similar observation has been made by Mir at el.