Some New Distributional Reports to Arunachal Pradesh, North East India

Bioscience Discovery, 8(3): 495-501, July - 2017

Print & Online, Open Access, Research Journal Available on http://jbsd.in ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print); ISSN: 2231-024X (Online)

Research Article

Some new distributional reports to Arunachal Pradesh, North East India

K. Jeyaprakash1* and S. Rathinavel2

1North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India), Pasighat-791102, East Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh 2Department of Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan College (Autonomous), Perungudi, Madurai-625 022, Tamil Nadu, India *[email protected]

Article Info Abstract Received: 06-06-2017, Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster (Euphorbiaceae), Rotula aquatica Lour., Revised: 29-06-2017, (Boraginaceae) Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn., Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T. Accepted: 30-06-2017 Anders., Torenia fournieri Linden ex Fourn., and Trivalvaria dubia (Kurz) J. Sinclair are recorded first time from Arunachal Pradesh, North Eastern India. Keywords: Detailed descriptions and photographs are provided for easy identification. Six new records, Arunachal Pradesh, North East India.

INTRODUCTION old literature on the flora of Arunachal Pradesh, The exploration of vegetation wealth of a region such as A Contribution to the Flora of Namdapha, gives us correct understanding of bio resources for Arunachal Pradesh (Chauhan et al., 1996), the betterment of human beings (Khan et al., 2015). Materials for the flora of Arunachal Pradesh (Hajra Arunachal Pradesh, by virtue of its geographical et al., 1996), Note on the floristic diversity and position, climate conditions and altitudinal vegetation types of the Mouling National Park, variations, is a biodiversity rich region in North Arunachal Pradesh. Himalayan Biosphere Reserves East India, with large zone of tropical wet (Kumar et al., 2004), A preliminary report on evergreen, subtropical, temperate and alpine forests floristic diversity of Dihang Dibang biosphere (Bawri et al., 2014). The present report of floristic reserve of Arunachal Pradesh, Bulletin of records provides available information on six Arunachal Forest Research (Choudhary, 2008), species of vascular plants which were reported from Phytodiversity and forest resources of Kane the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India for the first Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh (Dash, time. These plants were collected from nearby 2009), recent study from Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary forest area of Pasighat (28.0619° N, 95.3259° E) and Tiger Reserve in East Kameng District (Tag et and its surrounding area during the recent field al., 2012), Floral diversity of Arunachal Pradesh- surveys. All the specimens were taxonomically Upper Subansiri District (Ambrish, 2013) revealed verified using existing floristic treatises listed ahead that, Phyllanthus fraternus, Rotula aquatica, and herbarium consultation at Botanical Survey of Synedrella nodiflora, Thunbergia erecta, Torenia India, Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar fournieri and Trivalvaria dubia are new records for (ARUN). The flora of Arunachal Pradesh is still the state. For all the species, voucher specimens under explorations, and the present botanical survey were deposited at the CAL and at North Eastern only contributes to some extent to the floristic Institute of Folk Medicine, Pasighat, Arunachal diversity of Arunachal Pradesh State. Perusal of the Pradesh, for future reference. Detailed description, http://biosciencediscovery.com 495 ISSN: 2231-024X (Online)

K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel geographical distribution, ecology and photo plates are provided for its easy recognition.

TAXONOMIC TREATMENT orbicular, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, rounded, Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster in Contr. Gray obtuse, acute or cuneate at base, rounded, obtuse, Herb. 176: 53. 1955 & in J. Arnold Arbor. 38: 309, apiculate or mucronulate at apex, 2 – 20 x 1 – 12 f. 19 G & H. 1957; R.L.Mitra & S.K. Jain in Bull. mm, membranous to thinly coriaceous, glabrous or Bot. Surv. India 27: 172, f. 3. 1985 (publ. 1987). P. sometimes scabrid on midrib above, glabrous to niruri auct. non L. 1753: sensu Hook.f., Fl. Brit. scabrid on major nerves beneath; lateral nerves 4 - 7 India 5: 298. 1887, p. p. pairs; petioles 0.4 - 1 mm long; stipules linear- Herbs, annual, erect or ascending, 10 - 50 lanceolate or subulate, truncate at base, entire, 0.4 - cm high; stem without leaves; deciduous branchlets 2 x 0.3 - 0.5 mm, thin, scarious. Inflorescences 4 – 8 cm long, subterete with a narrow sharp wing proximal cymules consisting of 1 - 3 male flowers on either side, scabridulous, especially along ridges or together with 1 female flower, distal cymules of wings, 10 – 30-leaved; internodes 2 – 4 mm long; usually bearing solitary female or sometimes with a leaf-bearing branchlets 2 - 15 cm long, flat, striate male flower also; bracts ovate-lanceolate or linear- and winged or angled, usually scabridulous. Leaves lanceolate, 0.5 - 1.5 x 0.2 - 0.6 mm, scarious, white- narrowly to broadly oblong, elliptic-oblong, margined.

Fig.: 1. Phyllanthus fraternus: A. Habit, B. Male flower twig, C. Tender fruit and D. Mature fruit

Male flowers: pedicels 0.5 - 1 mm long, slender, horizontally or obliquely dehiscent; antherthecae scabrid to glabrous; sepals 3 + 3, subequal, broadly divergent. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5 - 3 mm elliptic, obovate-elliptic, obovate-oblong to long, glabrous; sepals 3 + 3, unequal, obovate, suborbicular, 0.3 - 1 x 0.2 - 0.5 mm, hyaline and oblanceolate, linear-spathulate, obtuse to subacute white-margined, glabrous; disc glands 6, at apex, 1 - 2 x 0.3 - 1 mm, entire, scarious and suborbicular, obovate or flabellate, ca 0.1 mm white-margined, sometimes scabrid outside; disc in across; stamens 3; filaments connate into ca 0.2 mm a ring, irregularly cup-shaped, deeply dissected with long column; anthers sessile at column apex, linear or subulate segments; ovary subglobose, 0.5 - suborbicular or squarish, ca 0.1 mm across, 0.8 mm in diam., glabrous; styles 3, free, http://jbsd.in 496 ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print)

Bioscience Discovery, 8(3): 495-501, July - 2017 erect or ascending, slender, bifid at apex. Fruits Trailing shrubs with flexuous branches, 1-3 m subglobose or depressed, 1 - 2 x 2 - 3 mm, height, gray or black-gray, tender branch usually shallowly 3-lobed or 3-angled, smooth; fruiting reddish, glabrous. Leaves alternate or fascicled, 1- pedicels 1.2 – 3.5 mm long; seeds trigonous, 1 - 1.5 2.5 x 7 mm, sessile, oblong-oblanceolate, ± x 0.7 - 1 mm, with 6 or 7 longitudinal ribs on the leathery, strigose, base rounded, cuneate to broadly back. cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, mucronate. Flowers & Fruits: July – January. Flowers solitary or in few flowered cymes axillary; Distribution: India: N.E. India: Arunachal Pradesh, calyx 3.5 mm long 5-partite, lobes lanceolate; Mizoram and Tripura; North & South India and corolla pink, 6 mm long, 7 mm across, Lakshadweep Islands. campanulate, 5-lobed; stamens 5, anthers sagitate at Habitat and Ecology: This species is commonly base; ovary 4-celled, style filiform, stigma capitate. found on the road side, slopes along stream sides Fruit drupe, globose, brownish red when ripe, with stone mixed soil, at 183 – 226 m elevations. nearly dry. ca. 4 mm in diam., tipped with a The commonly associated species in the habitat persistent style. Seeds 4, (1-seeded) pyrenes, free, include Pachira aquatica Aublet, Mikania yellowish, smooth. micrantha Kunth, Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees, Flowers & Fruits: November-March Cyathula prostrata (Linnaeus) Blume, Polygonum Distribution: Nearly throughout India; China, chinense Linnaeus, Amorphophallus napalensis Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, (Wallich) Bogner & Mayo, Dioscorea bulbifera Thailand, Vietnam. Linnaeus, Elsholtzia blanda (Bentham) Bentham, Habitat and Ecology: This species is rarely found Piper sylvaticum Roxburgh., Chloranthus in Pasighat Siang River with stone mixed soil from officinalis Blume, Mussaenda frondosa Linnaeus Komlighat to D’Ering Wildlife sanctuary. The and Solanum spirale Roxburgh. commonly associated species in the habitat include Specimens examined: N.E. India: Arunachal Dichrocephala integrifolia (L.f.) Kuntze, Homonoia Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along roadside; riparia Lour., Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan, K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00389 & 00431. Fimbristylis bis-umbellata (Forssk.) Bubani, Rotula aquatica Lour., Fl. Cochinch.121. 1790; Kyllinga nemoralis (Forst.) Dandy ex Hutch., and I.M. Johnst. in J. Arn. Arb. 32:15.1951; Haridasan Dalziel, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. & Rao, For. Fl. Meghalaya 2: 633. 1987; Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal Chowdhery et al., in Giri et al., Mater. Fl. Aruun. Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat, Siang river Pradesh 2:189. 2008. Rhabdia lycioides acut. Non (Komlighat); K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-413. Mart. 1827:C.B. Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 4: 145 1883; Kanjilal et al., Fl. Assam 3: 335.1939.

Fig.: 2. Rotula aquatica Habit

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K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn., Fruct 2:456. T. achenes 3-4 mm long, dimorphic: of ray florets 171. F. 7. 1791; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 3:308. dorsally compressed, with lacerate wings; of disc 1881. Deb, the Fl. Trip. 2:227. 1983; Islam, Fl. florets trigonous, not winged, with 2 or 3 rigid Majuli 183. 1990; Chowdhery in Hajra et al., Fl. awns. India 12: 413. 1995. Bora and Kumar, Fl. Diver. of Flowers & Fruits: Throughout the year. Assam: Study of Pabitora WL. Sanct. 201. 2003. Distribution: Pantropics. Verbesina nodiflora L., Cent. Pl.1:28. 1755 & Habitat and Ecology: This species is commonly Amoen. Acad 4:290. 1759. found on the road side, slopes along stream sides Erect herbs; stem adpressed hairy. Leaves with stone mixed soil. The commonly associated simple, opposite, 4-8 x 0.6-4 cm, ovate or ovate species in the habitat include Mikania micrantha lanceolate, apex acute, base cuneate to truncate, Kunth, Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees, Cyperus narrowly winged on the petiole, margin serrate, rotundus Linnaeus, Cyathula prostrata (Linnaeus) scabrous on both sides, basally 3-nerved; petiole to Blume, Polygonum chinense Linnaeus, 3 cm. Heads solitary, axillary and terminal, few- Amorphophallus napalensis (Wallich) Bogner & flowered, 0.5-1 cm across, radiate. Phyllaries 2- Mayo, Dioscorea bulbifera Linnaeus, Chloranthus seriate; outer foliaceous, inner paleaceous. Flowers officinalis Blume, Mussaenda frondosa Linnaeus heterogamous, yellow. Ray flowers: female; corolla and Solanum spirale Roxburgh. tube 2-2.5 mm long; ligule 1-2 mm long, 2-3-lobed; Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal ovary 3 mm long, oblong, winged; style-arms acute. Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along road side; Disc flowers; bisexual; corolla tube 2-3 mm long, K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-356 & 501. lobes 5; stamens 5, included, ovary 2-3 mm long.

Fig.: 3. Synedrella nodiflora Habit

Thunbergia erecta (Bentham) T. Anderson in J. flowers axillary, solitary, pediciels 2-2.3 cm long, Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 7: 18. 1863. Bor & bracts 15 x 10 mm, oblique, acute, deciduous, Raizada, Beaut. Ind. Climb. & Shrubs 107. pl. 38. globrous or nearly so; calyx teeth 8-12, subulate, 1- 1954; Lanewala & H.M. Nasir, Dec. Fl. 4 mm long, glandular hairy; corolla tube curved, Kar. 65. 1982. Meyenia erecta Benth, Niger Fl. 476. deep violet with white abaxial and yellow adaxial 1849 (GRIN). throat, lobes equal, suborbicular, 5 – 6 cm long and Shrub, 1.5-3 m tall, glabrous, branches 3 – 4 cm across apex and 1.5 cm throat, glandular slender, tetragonous, leaves small, ovate to hairy outside, lobes subequal, 1.5 cm long, obtuse; subrhombic, 2-5 X 2.8 cm, acute or acuminate at staminal filaments glandular-hairy; anthers oblong, apex, obtuse or acute at base, entire to slightly 4 mm long, mucronate; style 3 – 3.5 cm long; undulate, glabrous or slightly strigillose, 3-5 veined; stigma 2-lobed. http://jbsd.in 498 ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print)

Bioscience Discovery, 8(3): 495-501, July - 2017 Flowering: November – March; Fruiting: February habitat include Amorphophallus napalensis – April (Wallich) Bogner & Mayo, Crotalaria retusa Distribution: Throughout tropics. Linnaeus, Cyperus rotundus Linnaeus, Dioscorea Habitat and Ecology: This species is commonly bulbifera Linnaeus, Duranta erecta Linnaeus and grown for ornament and cultivated widely in Mikania micrantha Kunth. tropics. The commonly associated species in the

Fig.: 4. Thunbergia erecta Habit

Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal species in the habitat include Duranta erecta Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat, in front of Linnaeus, Mikania micrantha Kunth, Mussaenda NEIFM office, K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM- 561. frondosa Linnaeus and Pachira aquatica Aublet, Torenia fournieri Linden ex Fourn., Ill. Hort. 23: Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster Solanum spirale 129. 1876; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 957(672). Roxburgh. 1923; Manilal & Sivar., Fl. Calicut 196. 1982. Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal Herbs, 15–50 cm tall. Stems erect, Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat under quadrangular, simple or branched above middle, cultivation; K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00331. subglabrous. Petiole 1–2 cm; leaf blade oblong- Trivalvaria dubia (Kurz) J. Sinclair in Gard. Bull. ovate to ovate, 3–5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, subglabrous, Singapore 14:47. 1995. Polyalthia dubia Kurz, For. margin coarsely serrate. Racemes often terminal; Fl. Brit. burma 1:38. 1877. Popowia kurzii King in bracts linear, 2–5 mm. Pedicel 1–2 cm. Calyx Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Calc. 4:122, t. 163 B. 1893. ellipsoid, 1.3–1.9 × ca. 0.8 cm, green or purple-red Erect shrub, less than 1 m height and stem at apex and margin, 5-winged; wings decurrent, ca. 2.5 - 3 cm girth, young shoots pubescent, dark 2 mm wide, becoming ca. 3 mm wide in fruit; lips brown. Leaves, elliptic-oblong-obovate, 9.4-32 x subtriangular, 1.5–1.7 cm, sometimes apically 3.7-10.2 cm, base cuneate or round, sometime lobed. Corolla 2.5–4 cm, exceeding calyx by 1–2.3 oblique, apex acuminate, leaf blade leathery, cm; tube pale violet, upper side yellow; lower lip adaxially dark green and abaxially pale green, lobes purpleblue, middle lobe with a yellow patch glabrous above, slightly pubescent on midrib and near base, oblong to suborbicular, ca. 10 × 8 mm, later nerves beneath (whole blade on tender leaves), subequal; upper lip pale blue, erect, broadly 9-13 pairs of secondary veins, petiole pubescent, 8- obovate, 1–1.2 × 1.2–1.5 cm, emarginate. Stamens 11 mm long. Inflorescences extra axillary, single or unappendaged. Capsule narrowly ellipsoid ca. 12 × in pair white; bracts 1-3, triangular-ovate, 4 x 4 0.5 mm. Seeds yellow. mm. Flowers polygamous (male and bisexual). Flowering: June; Fruiting: January Pedicel 5 mm, brown tomentose. Buds 5 mm, sepal Distribution: Throughout the world. pink. Sepals-3, triangular to ovate, ca. 5 x 4 mm, Habitat and Ecology: This species cultivated for densely brown tomentose outside, apex acuminate. ornamental purposes. The commonly associated http://biosciencediscovery.com 499 ISSN: 2231-024X (Online)

K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel

Fig.:5. Torenia fournieri Habit

Petals 6 in two whorls in imbricate. Outer petals 15-17, densely tomentose; style white, pubescent, valvate, convex, oblong, thick (succulent), white- ca. 3 mm. Fruiting pedicel 5 mm, sepals and scaly dirty pale yellow, rarely with pinky violet batch on bracts are persistence, stipes red, ca. 7-8 mm, middle adaxially, spreading silky tomemtose on monocarp 9-17, green when tender, sometimes abaxially especially mid vein and margin, glabrous glaucous, ripening red, ellipsoid to oblong, ca. 16- inside, ca. 13-15 x 6 mm, apex acute. Inner petals 20 x 6-8 mm, sparsely tomentose, apex cuspidate valvate, concave, elliptic-obovate, ca. 13-15 x 5 slightly curved., seed pale brown, 16 x 8 mm with mm, thick (less than outer petals), white, tomentose two longitudinal channels. on only mid vein on abaxially, acuminate and Flowering: April-June; Fruiting: June-November incurved at tip. Male flowers: torus conical; Distribution: India: N. E. India: Assam, Arunachal stamens 29 nos. ca. 2 mm oblong, pubescent, Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. connective apex shield like. Bisexual flowers: torus Myanmar. cylindrical; stamens few, around the carpals; carpals

Fig.:6. Trivalvaria dubia Habit http://jbsd.in 500 ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print)

Bioscience Discovery, 8(3): 495-501, July - 2017 Habitat and Ecology: This species is commonly REFERENCES found on the slopes along stream sides with stone Ambrish K, 2013. Floristic Diversity of Arunachal mixed soil, at 183 – 226 m elevations. The Pradesh:Upper Subansiri District. Bishen Singh commonly associated species in the habitat include Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. Amorphophallus napalensis (Wallich) Bogner & Bawri A, Gajurel PR and Khan ML, 2014. New Mayo, Chloranthus officinalis Blume, Cyathula distributional records of Primula species in prostrata (Linnaeus) Blume, Dioscorea bulbifera Arunachal Pradesh, India. Bioscience Discovery, Linnaeus, Elsholtzia blanda (Bentham) Bentham, 5(1):06-10. Mikania micrantha Kunth, Mussaenda frondosa Chauhan AS, Singh KP and Singh DK, 1996. A Linnaeus and Pachira aquatic Aublet., contribution to the Flora of Namdapha, Arunachal Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees, Phyllanthus Pradesh. Hajra, P.K. (ed.). Botanical Survey of fraternus G.L.Webster Piper sylvaticum Roxburgh., India, Calcutta. Polygonum chinense Linnaeus, Solanum spirale Choudhary RK, 2008. A preliminary report on Roxburgh. floristic diversity of Dihang Dibang biosphere Ethnobotany: Local name: Singkyng bonyang reserve of Arunachal Pradesh. Bulletin of Arunachal (Adi); Uses: Fruits are edible. Forest Research, 24 (1&2): 29-34. Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal Dash SS, 2009. Phytodiversity and forest resources Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along roadside, of Kane Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00513. Pleione, 3(2):201-208. Phyllanthus fraternus, Rotula aquatica, Germplasm Resources Information Network Synedrella nodiflora, Thunbergia erecta, Torenia (GRIN) 2006. Taxon:Meyenia erecta, (Online fournieri and Trivalvaria dubia were found that Database), National Germplasm Resources growing in stone mixed soil in the nearby area Laboratory, USDA, Beltsville, Maryland. Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. The present initiative Hajra P K, Verma DM and Giri GS, 1996. to study those species in Arunachal Pradesh Materials for the Flora of Arunachal Pradesh believed to provide the baseline information on the (Ranunculaceae to Dipsacaceae). Vol. 1. Botanical species that can be useful for formulation of Survey of India, Calcutta. conservation strategy. Khan TA, Desai VV and Gawande N R, 2015. Acknowledgement Four New Flowering plant Records from Satpuda The first author is thankful to The Director and Range of Jalgaon District, (MS) India. Bioscience other officials of North Eastern Institute of Folk Discovery, 6(1):45-48. Medicine (Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India), Kumar A, Medhi H, Choudhary R, Tam B and Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh for their Baishya AK, 2004. Note on the floristic diversity encouragements and providing facilities for and vegetation types of the Mouling National Park, carryout research work and Dr. R. Murugan, Arunachal Pradesh. Himalayan Biosphere Reserves. Assistant Professor in Research, School of 6 (1&2): 65-71. Chemical & Biotechnology, Sastra University, Tag H, Jeri L, Mingki T, Tsering J and Das AK, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, also acknowledged for his 2012. Higher Plant Diversity in Pakke Wildlife help on species identification. Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve in East Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh: Checklist - I, Pleione. 6(1):149-162.

How to Cite this Article: K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel, 2017. Some new distributional reports to Arunachal Pradesh, North East India. Bioscience Discovery, 8(3):495-501.

http://biosciencediscovery.com 501 ISSN: 2231-024X (Online)