NeBIO I www.nebio.in I March 2019 I 10(1): 29-31 ALEURITOPTERIS TAMBURII (HOOK.) CHING (PTERIDACEAE): A NEW RECORD TO THE FERN FLORA OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA Norbu Sherpa1 and Lhamu Sherpa2 1Working Plan (North) Division, Sankar Villa, Ladenla Road, Darjeeling 734104, India 2Post Graduate Department of Botany, Darjeeling Government College, Darjeeling 734101, India Email: [email protected] (corresponding author), [email protected] ABSTRACT An endangered fern species Aleuritopteris tamburii (Hook.) Ching is collected and reported from Darjeeling district of West Bengal. In India, the species was known previously from Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya and Sikkim.The present paper reports the presence of this species in West Bengal. KEYWORDS: Cheilanthes, Aleuritopteris tamburii, Darjeeling, new record, West Bengal, Pteridaceae. Introduction The silver Fern or Lip Fern are a group of ferns possessing many The District of Darjeeling lies between 26˚ 31' to 27˚ 13' N latitudes generic names, of which old world genus Aleuritopteris Fee is and between 87˚ 59' to 88˚ 53' E longitudes(O’Malley, 1999) and is distinguished from American genus Cheilanthes Swartz in the around 1364 km² in area. Diverse topographical conditions have shape of lamina and by the presence of white or yellow farina been favored by various altitudinal ranges from 150m at Sukna to (Kholia et al., 2010). Based on molecular data, the genus 3636m at Sandakphu (Das, 1995, 2004). The area is an important comprises about 70 species (Patil and Dongare, 2017) and is constituent of Eastern Himalaya and being bordered by Nepal in distributed in the tropical and sub-tropical areas of the Old and the West, Bhutan in the East, Sikkim in the North and Terai-Plains the New World. The Indian Subcontinent is represented by 18 in the South, it harbors a large number of plant species. species (Fraser-Jenkins and Dulawat, 2009). Aleuritopteris tamburii (Hook.) Ching was described by Sir. W. J. Hooker in 1858 During field exploration todifferent Tea Garden areas of from Tambur Valley of East Nepal as Pellaea tamburii Hook., Darjeeling district, authors came upon a small population of an which was transferred to Aleuritopteris by R. C. Ching (Ching, interesting Silver Fern near Happy Valley Tea Estate.After critical 1941). Apart from its type locality, the species was reported from examination of specimens in different herbaria and literature Sichuan and North West Yunnan (China), Tibet, Myanmar, survey including Hooker (1858); Beddome (1892); Ching (1941); Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, from East Sikkim (Kholia and Kholia & Ansari (2009); Kholia et al.,(2010); Kholia (2010, 2014); Ansari, 2009) and from Uttarakhand as Aleuritopteris punethae Fraser-Jenkins (2012); Gangmin et al.,(2013); Fraser-Jenkins et al., Kholia, Bhakuni & Punethae (Kholia et al., 2010). (2015); Thapa (2016); the plant was determined to be Received 28 February 2018 I Accepted 29 March 2019 I Published online 31 March 2019 Citation: N. Sherpa and L. Sherpa. 2019. Aleuritopteris tamburii (Hook.) Ching (Pteridaceae): A new record to the fern flora of West Bengal, India. NeBIO 10(1): 29-31 Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to Pemba Sherpa (Range Officer) and Shri. Bimal Tamang of Lloyd Botanic Garden Herbarium for necessary helps extended in the herbarium. The authors are also thankful to Dr. Rajib Gogoi, Botanical Survey of India, Sikkim Himalayan Regional Centre, Gangtok for encouragement and logistics. The authors of acknowledge Shri. S.S. Sherpa, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer, Working Plan North, West Bengal for constant support and helpful suggestions. Copyright © Sherpa & Sherpa. 2019. NECEER, Imphal allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication. NeBIO, An International Journal of Environment and Biodiversity Official publication of North East Centre for Environmental Education (NECEER), Imphal I ISSN 2278-2281 (Online), 0976-3597 (Print) I www.nebio.in Sherpa and Sherpa » Aleuritopteristamburii (Hook.) Ching (Pteridaceae): A new record to the fern flora of West Bengal, India NeBIO 10(1): 29-31 Aleuritopteris tamburii (Hook.) Ching. A few collected specimens Type: Nepal, Tambur Valley, 6–7000ft, 22 November 1848, J. D. were processed into mounted herbarium-sheets following Hooker, s.n, K (K001090033) image!. Rajbhandari & Rajbhandari (2015).Voucher specimen has been deposited in the herbarium of Llyod Botanic Garden, Darjeeling Plant deciduous; Rhizomes erect, scaly at apex, Scales bicolorous, and in the herbarium of Botanical Survey of India, Sikkim lanceolate, 0.4–0.8cm × 0.05cm, brown,margins entire– Himalayan Circle, Gangtok. Literature mining revealed the species (irregularly toothed), remotely ciliate with waxy farina, apex finely was earlier not reported from West Bengal, however, its presence long acuminate;Fronds tufted,stipe reddish brown,10–30cm, in Darjeeling was presumed by Ghosh et al., (2004). Hence, the glabrous above, scaly at base,scales bicolorous, lanceolate with present collection of the species from Darjeeling forms a new hooded base, 0.4cm × 0.08cm, dark brown, margins entire– record for the state of West Bengal. A brief description of the (irregularly toothed), apex acuminate;Lamina pentagonal, 6– species along with a line illustration is provided here for easy 20cm× 5–18cm, bipinnate–tripinnatifid, herbaceous, papery when identification in the field. dry, dorsally glabrous, ventrally bright farinose, farina white;Pinnae 4–10 pairs, all connected to form a broad rachis Aleuritopteris tamburii (Hook.) Ching, Hogk. Nat., 10(3–4): 198. wing;Basal pair of pinnae largest, triangular, falcate, 2–10cm × 1941; Kholia & Ansari, Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett., 32(7–8): 227. 2009; 2–4cm,with 2–10 pairs of pinnules, distal acroscopic pinnules of Gangmin et al., Fl. China, 2–3: 228. 2013; Fraser-Jenkins et al., basal pinnae larger than proximal acroscopic pinnules, proximal Ferns & Fern-allies of Nepal, 1: 250. 2015; Aleuritopteris basioscopic pinnule largest, falcate, bipinnatifid,lobes 1–5 pairs; punethaeKholia, Bhakuni& Punethae, Telopea 12(4): 485–489. Second pair of pinnae deltoid–oblong, smaller than the basal and 2010; Pellaea tamburii Hook., Sp. Fil., 2: 134, t. 129A. 1858; third pair of pinnae; other pairs of pinnae sub-opposite, distally Beddome, Handb.Ferns Brit. India, 101.1883; Cheilanthes tamburii shortened with uneven lobeson basioscopic side; ultimate (Hook.) Moore, Ind. Fil., 254. 1861; Allosorus tamburii (Hook.) segments deltate–ovate–(oblong), apex obtuse; rachis and costae Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl., 2: 806. 1891; Doryopteris tamburii (Hook.) brown, raised beneath, glabrous, veins pinnate, C. Chr., Acta. Hort. Gonthob., 1: 86. 1924. [Fig. 1] dichotomous;soriapical on veins, sub-marginal,pseudo indusiate, indusia narrow, continuous,margin entire. Figure 1. Aleuritopteris tamburii : a & b. Fronds, c. Scales, d. Rhizome. 30 ISSN 2278-2281 (Online), 0976-3597 (Print) I www.nebio.in Sherpa and Sherpa » Aleuritopteristamburii (Hook.) Ching (Pteridaceae): A new record to the fern flora of West Bengal, India NeBIO 10(1): 29-31 Exsiccates Das, A.P. 2004. Floristic studies in Darjiling hills. Bulletin of Lloyd Botanic Garden Herbarium, Norbu Sherpa & Lhamu Sherpa, Botanical Survey of India 46(1–4): 1–18. 0810AA and 0810AB, 10 October 2018, India, West Bengal, Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. and Dulawat, C.S. 2009. A Summary of Darjeeling, Happy Valley Tea Estate, 27˚03’03.12’’N, 88˚15’ Indian Cheilanthoid ferns and the discovery of Negripteris 15.32’’E, 1845m ±5m; Botanical Survey of India, Norbu Sherpa & (Pteridaceae), An Afro-Arabian fern genus new to India. Lhamu Sherpa, 0810B, 10 October 2018, India, West Bengal, FernGazette 18(5): 216–225. Darjeeling, Happy Valley Tea Estate, 27˚03’03.12’’N, 88˚15’15.32’’ Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. 2012. Rare and Threatened Pteridophytes of E, 1845m ±5m. Asia 2. Endangered Species of India—the Higher IUCN Categories. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Habitat Botany Series 18: 323–477. The species was found growing on South facing steep slope near Fraser-Jenkins, C.R., Kandel, D.R. and Pariyar, S. 2015. Ferns and a small stream along the fringe of Tea garden. The area is Fern-allies of Nepal–1. National Herbarium and Plant dominated by non-tree species likeDicranopteris taiwanensis, Laboratories, Department of Plant Resources, Ministry of Diplopterygium giganteum, Athyrium foliosum, Selaginella Forests and Soil Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal. chrysocaulos, Rubus efferatus, Oxyspora paniculata, Lindenbergia Gangmin, Z., Yatskievych, G. and Hooper, E.A. 2013. grandiflora, Erigeron bellidioides, Eupatorium adenophorum, Aleuritopteris, Pp. 224–235. In Flora of China, Vol. 2–3(eds Gonostegia hirta, Hydrocotyle himalaica and Pogonatherum Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. and Hong, D.Y.) Beijing: Science Press; paniceum. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Ghosh, S.R., Ghosh, A., Biswas, A. & Ghosh, R.K. 2004. The Distribution Pteridophytic flora of Eastern India 1.Flora of India series 4. Nepal, China, Myanmar, India (Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata. Uttarakhand, Sikkim and West Bengal). Hooker, W.J. 1858. Species Filicum, Vol. 2. Lubrecht& Cramer. Kholia, B.S. (2010, 2014). Ferns and Fern-allies of Sikkim–A Conservation Status Pictorial Handbook, Part-I and II. Sikkim State Biodiversity Fraser-Jenkins (2012) and Fraser-Jenkins et al., (2015) mentioned Board, Department of Forest, Environment and Wild Life the status of the species as Endangered in both Nepal and India. Management Govt. of Sikkim, Forest Secretariat, Deorali In Sikkim, there are only two collections made by C.R. Fraser- Gangtok & Botanical Survey of India, Ministry of Environment Jenkins et al., in 1998 (H. 1717510) and B.S. Kholia & A.A. Ansari and Forests, Govt. of India. in 2009 (BSHC 27697, 35297).In Darjeeling, wefound only 32 Kholia, B.S. and Ansari, A.A. 2009. On the occurrence of individuals in an area of 5m2 where the species was located. Aleuritopteristamburii (Hook.) Ching in India. National Academy of Science Letter 32(7–8): 227–230. Other Specimens examined Kholia, B.S., Bhakuni, K. and Punetha, R. 2010.