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Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chromosomal Status and Natural Propagation of Some Plants of Lahaul-Spiti and Adjoining Hills

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Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chromosomal Status and Natural Propagation of Some Plants of Lahaul-Spiti and Adjoining Hills Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Botany Volume 2013, Article ID 248943, 14 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/248943 Research Article Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chromosomal Status and Natural Propagation of Some Plants of Lahaul-Spiti and Adjoining Hills Puneet Kumar and Vijay Kumar Singhal DepartmentofBotany,PunjabiUniversity,Patiala,Punjab147002,India Correspondence should be addressed to Puneet Kumar; [email protected] Received 18 July 2013; Accepted 22 September 2013 Academic Editor: Philip J. White Copyright © 2013 P. Kumar and V. K. Singhal. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The present study documented the ethnobotanical and medicinal uses of plants from an ecologically fragile cold desert area of Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh, India). Local people use plants for curing the stomach troubles, pain reliever, cough, gastric disorders, and aphrodisiac and other household purposes. In addition, chromosome numbers, male meiosis, and natural propagation were also investigated in these ethnobotanically used plants. Present investigations also form the basis for exploitation of intraspecific chromosomal variation/new cytotypes recorded in some of the presently studied species to detect biochemical diversity in the medicinally important plants. For documentation of ethnobotanical information, personal observations and interviews were conducted with medicine men, hakims, farmers, shepherds, local healers, and old aged people. This study identified 40 plant species under 33 genera belonging to 17 families which have been used locally for curing various diseases and other purposes. All the chromosome counts are new to the study area. On worldwide basis, meiotic chromosome counts of =14 and =8in Rosularia alpestris and Corydalis govaniana, respectively, are the first ever reports. The present study indicates that the people of the area possess good knowledge about the different uses of plants in the area. It has been noticed that due to the lack of interest among younger generations in the preservation of invaluable ethnic knowledge, there is every possible chance of losing such a rich heritage of knowledge. It is very urgent to conserve such invaluable ethnic knowledge before it gets lost. 1. Introduction the ancient time, people classified plants on the basis of their medicinal uses. No comprehensive attempt has been made so Present study was conducted in Lahaul-Spiti, a cold and far to gather ethnobotanical information and to assess the desolate alpine region in northwest Himalayas which is cytological diversity and natural propagation of the plants known for its seclusion, Buddhist culture, hostile climate, and growing in the higher altitude and cold desert regions of unexplored, formidable, and breathtaking scenic beauty of Lahaul-Spiti. Presently an attempt has been made to collect thehighsnowcladmountains.ItisapartoftheIndiancold ∘ ∘ information on the ethnobotanical uses and to examine the deserts which is situated between 31 44 57 and 32 59 57 N ∘ ∘ cytomorphological diversity and natural propagation in the latitudes and between 76 29 46 and 78 41 34 E longitudes. species of Lahaul-Spiti and adjoining high hills. Climatic conditions are typical of dry temperate and alpine zones. The vegetation which is mainly composed of perennial 1.1. Topography and Vegetation. The topography of the area herbs and prostrate shrubs survives extreme variation in is entirely different from the adjoining regions of northwest temperature including months buried under several feet of Indian Himalayas. The cold desert plants of Lahaul-Spiti snow. Using plants for different purposes and in curing and show a wide range of habitat diversity which includes alpine healing is as old as man himself [1]. It was very well known to pastures and slopes, moist shady and exposed places, forests primitive people that plants contain beneficial and medicinal and forest undergrowth, water courses, scree slopes, rock properties which they used in some form or the other. Even in crevices, rocks/boulders, roadsides, riverbeds, and sandy 2 Journal of Botany (a) (b) (c) (d) Figure 1: (a) Alpine pasture. (b) A part of Lahaul Valley near Baralacha Pass with scanty vegetation. (c) Dry temperate forests near Keylong. (d) Sheep grazing on alpine moist slopes. areas (Figures 1(a)–1(d)). The Lahaul-Spiti which is the largest other parts of country for more than six months due to heavy 2 district of Himachal Pradesh with an area of ca.13835 km snow fall, observations on ethnobotanical information and consists of two regions (Lahaul Valley and Spiti Valley) natural propagation and collection of material for cytological which are different in many aspects. One such aspect is the studies were made between June and October in the years vegetation which is quite different. The Lahaul Valley ison 2006–2009. During the intensive cytomorphological and the greener side compared to the barren Spiti region where ethnobotanical surveys, 40 plant species used by the local climate is much drier. Since the district possesses a great range people of Lahaul-Spiti had been collected from different of elevation, ranging from 2400 to 6500 m, the vegetation localities (Figure 2). For documentation of ethnobotanical is diverse, unique, and plentiful. It comprises dry temperate information, personal observations and interviews were con- to high alpine type except for some parts of Pattan Valley ducted with medicine men, hakims, farmers, shepherds, local (Lahaul) adjoining the Pangi area of Chamba district, where healers, and old aged people. Plant identification was done it is of dry temperate to moist temperate type (Figure 1(c)). by consulting the Flora of Lahaul-Spiti [2], the Flora of 2. Materials and Methods Kullu district [3], and Flora of Chamba district [4]. Besides, the plant accessions were also compared to the samples 2.1. Information Collection, Fixation of Material for Cyto- lying in the Herbaria of the Department of Botany, Punjabi logical Studies, Identification of Plants, and Male Meiotic University, Patiala (PUN), Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Chromosome Counts. As the valley remains cut off from and Forest Research Institute (FRI) at Dehra Dun. Voucher Journal of Botany 3 gathered from different sources, the local people used a good number of plant species for curing the stomach troubles, pain N reliever, cough, gastric disorders, and aphrodisiac; as fodder and fuel; to obtain different dyes; and in religious ceremonies and as offerings to deities (Figures 4(a)–4(d)). 3.2. Chromosomal Status. In addition to the gathering of eth- nobotanical information, chromosome number and details of male meiosis have also been investigated in all the species. Of the 40 cytologically studied species, 30 (75%) exist at diploid level with basic chromosome number ranging between x = 5 (Biebersteinia odora Steph. ex Fish., 2 = 10)and18 (Cerastium cerastoides (L.) Britt., 2 = 36),whilenine(22.5%) of them were found to be at polyploid level (4x, 6x, 12x). One species, Ranunculus hirtellus Royle (2 = 16,), 32 existed at Pass both diploid and tetraploid levels based on x =8.Allthe Lake chromosome counts are new to the study area. On worldwide basis, meiotic chromosome counts of =14(Figure 5(a)) Figure 2: Study area: Lahaul Spiti, Chamba, and Kullu districts of =8 Himachal Pradesh (India). and (Figure 5(b)) in Rosularia alpestris (Kar and Kir) Boriss. and Corydalis govaniana Wall., respectively, are the first ever chromosomes counts. While in some other species specimens of the cytologically worked-out specimens were new cytotypes have been added to the already existing diploid 2 = 6 =42 deposited in the Herbarium, Department of Botany, Punjabi (Thalictrum foetidum L., new, x (Figure 5(c)), 2 = 2 =14 2 = 4 = University, Patiala (PUN). For male meiotic studies, floral previous, x ; Geranium pratense L., new x buds of suitable sizes from the wild plants were fixed in 56 (Figure 5(d)), previous 2 =x 2 =28) or polyploid cyto- Carnoy’s fixative (mixture of ethanol, chloroform, and glacial types (Malva verticillata L., new, 2 = 104,previous,2 = acetic acid in volume ratio of 6 : 3 : 1) for 24 h and preserved in 76, 84, 126). New/additional intraspecific cytotypes for India 70% ethanol in a refrigerator until analysed. For chromosome have also been established in Indigofera gerardiana Wall. ex counts and detailed meiotic behavior in pollen mother cells Baker (=24,6x),Epilobium angustifolium L. (=18, (PMCs) at early prophase-I, metaphase-I (MI), anaphase-I/II 4x), Cerastium cerastoides (L.) Britt. (=18,2x),Geranium (AI/II), telophases-I/II (TI/II), and sporad stage developing wallichianum D. Don ex Sweet (=14,2x,Figure 5(e)), and anthers were squashed in 1% acetocarmine. Pollen fertility Impatiens sulcata Wall. (Don) (=9,2x,Figure 5(f)). Present was estimated through stainability tests by smearing mature study also recorded additional intraspecific diploid/polyploid anthers from different flowers in glycerol-acetocarmine mix- cytotypes from India in Ranunculus hirtellus Royle (=8, ture (1 : 1) and aniline blue dye (1%). Best plates of chro- 2x; =16,4x)andPotentilla atrosanguinea Lodd.var. argyro- mosome counts, meiotic abnormalities, sporads, and pollen phylla (Wall. ex Lehm.) Griers. and Long (=21,6x;=42, grains were photographed from the temporary mounts with 12x). As many as eight species,
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