Diversity and Ethnobotany of genus Garcinia L. (Clusiaceae) in Assam, Eastern Himalaya Sanjib Baruah, Pranjan Barman, Sanswrang Basumatary, Birina Bhuyan Databases and Inventories knowledge associated with Garcinia could generate further research activities for the benefit of human Abstract kind. The traditional utilization of Garcinia members The genus Garcinia is an important component of observed are most prevalent amongst the rural the flora of Assam and is well known for being used communities of the studied area. It is also a fact traditionally in many different ways. To preserve this that in spite of having ample economic potential, the knowledge, this study recorded the ethnobotanical species of the genus Garcinia occurring in Assam importance of the genus Garcinia in this region. The and also in northeast India has not been studied study revealed that there are 12 species and one properly. variety of the genus indigenous to Assam. Correspondence Methods: This study was conducted in different parts of Assam, Northeast India based on extensive Sanjib Baruah1*, Pranjan Barman2, Sanswrang field work involving collection and documentation of Basumatary1, Birina Bhuyan1 members of genus Garcinia. Important characteristic features of the specimens like colour 1Department of Botany, Bodoland University, of leaf and stem, branching pattern of the stems, Bodoland territorial Region (BTR), Assam – 783370, India. habit, habitat, size, etc. were noted down in the field 2Department of Biotechnology, Gauhati University, during collection. Ethnobotanical data were Assam – 781014, India collected by interviewing local communities through a semi-structured questionnaire, interview and *Corresponding Author: Sanjib Baruah; literature review. [email protected] Results: In present communication, we provide Ethnobotany Research & Applications 21:33 (2021) ethnobotanical and botanical descriptions and Key words: Garcinia, Clusiaceae, Diversity, illustrations of 12 Garcinia species that are Ethnobotany, Assam, Eastern Himalaya popularly used among ethnic communities of Assam for fruits, medicines and fixative or as a mordant for saffron dye. These species consist of Background G. anomala Planch. & Triana., G. assamica J. Assam is one of the Indian states of Eastern Sarma, Shameer & N. Mohanan, G. cowa Roxb. Ex Himalayas recognized as a hotspot of biodiversity, Choisy, G. dulcis (Roxb.) Kurz, G. indica (Thouars) possessing an enormous plant wealth. Choisy, G. kydia Roxb., G. lanceifolia Roxb., G. Geographically, Northeast India is a part of morella (Gaertn.) Desr., G. paniculata Roxb. ex Southeast Asia. The state is not only rich in Wight, G. pedunculata Roxb. Ex Buch-Ham., G. biodiversity but also has the distinction of having nervosa Miq. And G. xanthocymus Hook.f. ex rich ethnic diversity and rich flora and fauna T.Anderson. (Baruah et al. 2018). A total of 4273 species comprising of 1448 genera, distributed in 272 Conclusions: This study concludes that families of vascular plants were recorded from documentation and preservation of traditional Assam, which represents about 25.12% of the total Manuscript received: 07/01/2021 – Revised manuscript received: 09/05/2021- Published: 26/06/2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.32859/era.21.33.1-14 Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2 flora of India (Chowdhury 2005). But unfortunately, state is bordered on the east by Nagaland, Manipur there are areas and certain plant groups still remain and Myanmar, on the west by West Bengal, on the to be explored scientifically. Assam is very rich in north by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and on the ethnic diversity and has a great indigenous south by Meghalaya, Bangladesh, Tripura and knowledge base in plant resources. It has more Mizoram. Topographically Assam can be divided to than 21 major tribes and 35 other sub tribes with two major divisions, i.e., the plains and the hills. their own indigenous traditional knowledge and The plains can further be divided into two great cultural practices adapting with the forest physiographic divisions: (i) the Brahmaputra valley biodiversity (Baruah et al. 2012). and (ii) the Barak valley. The hills are also divided into two units – the Karbi Plateau and North Cachar The genus Garcinia L. belongs to the family Hills (Barooah & Sarma 2016). The locations of the Clusiaceae and comprises of about 250 species in present study area are covers both the world. Garcinia members are distributed in Brahmaputra valley and Barak valley lies between Malaysian region to South Asia ranging from 24o 18/ and 28o 18/ N latitude to 89o 42/ and 96o southern parts of Thailand and Indonesia but mainly 30/E longitude (Figure 1). confined to South East Asian region (Mabberly 2005, Sharma et al.1993). In peninsular Malaysia Taxonomy there are 49 Garcinia species out of 250 species The present study is based on field work involving estimated worldwide (Stevens 2007, Whitemore collection and documentation of members of genus 1973). The name Garcinia honors a French Garcinia made regularly from different districts of botanist, Laurent Garcin (1683-1751) who lived and Assam. Important characteristic features of the worked in India. In India the genus hosts by 43 specimens like colour of leaf and stem, branching species and 5 varieties, of which 37 species and 4 pattern of the stems, habit, habitat, size, etc. were varieties occur in wild, whereas 6 species and 1 noted down in the field during collection. Provisional variety introduced into cultivation (Anderson 1874, identification of the specimens was made by Maheshwari 1964, Mohanan et al. 1997, Sabu et al. comparing the field notes and observations with the 2013, Singh 1993, Srivastava 1994). In Northeast descriptions available in authentic literatures. The India, it is represented by 17 species- of which 2 specimens on which the present study is based species and 1 variety are endemic to the region. In have been preserved following standard herbarium flora of Assam, Kanjilal et al. (1934) reported 9 techniques (Jain & Rao 1977). The nomenclature species from undivided Assam. Kar et al. (2008) was confirmed by consulting herbarium sheets in reported 8 species from Sonitpur districts of Assam. India (ARUN, ASSAM and CAL) and foreign digital In addition to the above, the occurrence of certain herbaria (A, MO, NY) (acronyms following Thiers taxa was reported for the first time from Assam viz., 2018). The voucher specimens are deposited in the G. indica (Sarma et al. 2014) G. dulcis (Begam et Bodoland University Herbarium (BUH), Kokrajhar, al. 2013) G. nervosa (Dutta et al. 2014). Recently, Assam. The distribution map of all collected species Sharma et al. (2016) discovered Garcinia assamica in the study area has been prepared by using from Manas National Park and surroundings, ArcGIS 10.5. Assam. Garcinia species are considered as taxonomically complicated as majority are dioecious Ethnobotanical study in nature and complex in floral characters. Field work relevant to the ethnobotanical However, several useful identification keys have information was undertaken during the period of been reported for Garcinia species across the globe January 2018 to February 2020. Field survey was based on morphological features of flower, fruit and carried out by interviews with local people, elderly leaf (Jones 1980, Nimanthika & Kaththriarachchi people as well as traditional healers of the study 2010). This present study was conducted to site having knowledge of folk medicine and plants. highlight the diversity and the ethnobotanical Interview technique employed based on knowledge associated with the Garcinia species questionnaire to collect the data about the use of reported by the local population and herbalists in Garcinia members. The interviews were conducted Assam. with 45 men and 40 women from different parts of Assam reputed for ethnobotanical knowledge and Materials and methods expertise. Among the informants, 20 claimed to be Study area traditional healers. The age group of informants Assam is located at the central part of the North- ranged from 20 to 75 years. Apart from this, East India and with an area of 78,438 km² secondary information on the traditional knowledge representing 2.39% of Indian land mass situated in uses of different species of Garcinia was collected between 24o 18/ and 28o 18/ N latitude to 89o 42/ from different sources like journals, articles, floras and 96o 30/E longitude (Baruah et al. 2011). The etc. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 3 Fig. 1. MAP showing the study area Results Phenology:—Flowering February–May, fruiting Species Descriptions and Distributions August. Distribution: India (Assam: Manas National Park) A total of 12 species and 1 variety were recorded from the present political boundary of Assam. The 2. Garcinia assamica J. Sarma, Shameer & N. detail distributions of recorded Garcinia members in Mohanan (Figure 4) the state of Assam is showing in Figure 2. Dioecious; evergreen trees 15-20 m tall, branchlets terete; bark latex greenish-yellow; Leaves leathery, 1. Garcinia anomala Planch. &Triana (Figure 3) elliptic–oblong, 6–10.5 × 2–5.5 cm, apex Dioecious; evergreen trees, Bark exudes yellowish. acuminate; lateral veins 10–12 pairs; petioles 1–1.5 Leaves simple, opposite, decussate; lamina elliptic cm long, angular. Flowers grouped in axillary or or oblong-lanceolate 9-20 × 4-9 cm, green, round at terminal fascicles. Male flowers 1–3 creamy-white; base, acuminate at apex, Flowers polygamous; pedicel 4–7 mm long. Sepals 4, orbicular, ca. 6 × 8 Male flowers 12-20 mm., pale green; pedicels ca. 2- mm. Petals 4, pale white, 6–9 × 4–6 mm. Stamens 4 mm long; bracts 2; bracteoles 2, ca. 1.5-3.5 mm ca. 22-25. Female flowers 2–5 at each node, long, opposite; sepals 4, ca. 8-10 mm long, petals creamy-white. Sepals 4, orbicular, ca. 6 × 6 mm, 4, ca. 10-12 mm long, yellow; stamens indefinite; membranous. Petals 4, 8–10 × 5–8 mm, pale filaments short, free, compressed. Female flowers: yellow. Staminodes 4–5, slender, brownish. Ovary sepals persistent; petals whitish-green; ovary globose 4–5-locular, vertically grooved; stigmatic bilocular, oblong, locules 1-ovuled; stigma rays 8–10.