SHORT COMMVMCAnONS : B- B6T. SmV. tNDM VOL. 22 (I-4), 1980 sly SCAEVOLA TACCADA (GAERm.) ROXB. (GCKDENIACEA-E)-AN INTERESTING FROM VISMKHAPATNAM AREA, ANDHRA PRADESH km~dataccud, an important dement of and at Central National Herbarium, Bota- the coastal flora, has not been recorded as nical Smcy of India, Howrah (CAL), has om~rringin the eastern coast, north of Tu- enabled compilation of the following notes, ticxin, according to recent literature on the establi~hingits distribution north of Turi- specific distribution of coastal plants (Rao corin. R. S. 1959, hoT. A. 1971, T. A- Rae &! Scarnola taccodu (Gaerm.) Raxb. (Good+ A. R K. Sastw 1971, 74, Sastry & Rao 1973, niaceac) is known from Tenasserim to Poly- Thothathri et* 01. ,973 & Vcnkateshvatalu nesia and Australia through Andamaas and '972)- Malesia. In India, the distribution of Scae- Scarnolo inccnda (Gaerrn.) Raxb. has now vola with the two species S, taccndn and S. been colltcicd thrire, in flower and in fruit plzrmieri (I,.) Vahl is we11 known along the during March and July rg78 and October West Coast, from Kuteh and South Gujarat 1979 The study of these fresh collmions to Kerala through Kunkan and Karnntaka and reference to literature on the range of cxtendTngup to Tuticorin, in the Southern dirrri bution, together with earlin collection part of the East Coast. in tht Herbarium of the Botanical Survey Thc two species form a predominant ele- of 'India, Southern Circle, Coirnbato~e(MH) ment, with the strand flora, in the nurner- Plate I. :Tjpica! ira'litat tti'rnckr, ,i#lcy projection into the aea at ~nrnbilliIU!.W .\ll*rba:a;~l!ixmc.;l-crlaql, Andhra Prad~h,showing den* gmwth ti Scamla krcndn, : Ahnormal 6-mcrcrus flower (variation No. 3) ous rocky projections and crevices, offering Anakapalli sea coast, Andhra Pradesh, an ideal habitat. clearly establishes the continuity of distri- S. taccada, a coral sand indicator, grows bution of the species further north of Tuti- rather stunted along oceanic islands like corin along the east coast (Plate I). Further Lakshadweep, Maldives and other adjoin- explorations along the east coast of India, in ing coral islands. S. taccada has so far not the rocky habitats may reveal its presence up been reported further north of Tuticorin to West Bengal and the Chittagong coast of along the East Coast of India (through Bangladesh, including the adjoining coast Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West of Burma (Map). With its known occur- Bengal), Bangladesh and most of the Burma rence in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and at Tuti- coast up to Tenasserim (Map). Though corin, it is a surprise as to why it had not both the species of Scaevola grow along the been collected further north, in the east southern most coastal area of India and coast. In the area between Tuticorin and Northern Ceylcn, S. plumieri does not seem Vishakhapatnam too, a careful look should to spread towards the eastern side and rather very likely find S. taccada in its favoured appears to be moving towards the west habitat. along the Atlantic, while S. taccada grows Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. Hort. Beng. along the eastern coastal region, spreading I 5. I 8 I 4. Lo belia taccada Gaertn. over the Inda-Pacific coastal belt. Fruct. I : I 19.t. 25. I 788. Scaeuola sericea The present collections of S. taccada from Vahl, Symb. Rot. 2: 37. 1791; Leenhouts, the Yarada hill bottom, facing the sea and F1. Males. Ser. I, 5 : 339. 1957;S. koenigii Rambilli coast along Vishakhapatnam- Vahl, Symb. Bot. 3: 36. 1794; Miq., Fl. COMMUNICA'ITONS : BULL. BOT. SURV. INDlA VOL. 22 (1-4), 1980 3'9 &aa& tam& (Gumr.) Roxb. rp 1-9 : 1, -to 2. ~nfi- 3. Rm. 4. Pd. 5. Stamen. 6. mil. 7. *h 8, L. S. of ovq. 9. T. S. ~f ovary. a20 SHORT CO~UMCATSONS: BULL. BOT. SURV. INDIA VOL. 22 (I-+), 1980 Ind. Bot. 2: 580, 1857; Clarke in Hook. f. Specimens examined : INDI~: GUJAMT : FI. Brit. Ind. 3: 421. 1881; Cooke, F1. Dwaraka, T. A. Rao 516, 5-7-1979 (CAL). Bomb. 2 : 128. 1904 (reprint ed. 1958). S. MAHARASHTRA: South Concan, Dalzell s. n., fruteschens auct. (non Lo belia frutescens I 878 (CAL). KARNATAICA: Surathkal beach, Mill. 1768) non Krause in Engl. & Prantl, T A. Rao 10063, Nov. 1972 (CAL). KERALA: Natur. Pflanzenfam. 54: 125. t. 25. 1912; Cochin, A. Meebold 12744, Nov. 1894; Var- Gamble, F1. Madras 2 : 516. 192I (Reprint kala, T A. Rao 7963, 16.6.72. Tellichery ed. 1956). (Figs. 19) shore, T. A. Rao 9924, Nov. 197%(CAL); Shrubs 1-3 m high. Stems 10-15cm thick Cannanore, Gamble 28961 (MH). LAKSHA- with prominent leaf scars. Leaves fleshy, DWEEP ISLANDS: Keltan, Stocks s.n.; Minicoy, crowded at the ends of branches; lower leav- Wadi~wa698 14; Kalpeni, Srinivasan s. n.; es larger, often up to 20 x 10 cm; upper ones Kavaratti, Srinivasan s. n.; Androth, I 3 x 6 cm. Inflorescences of short axillary Wadhwa 68632; Amini Island, Wadhwa s. dichotomous cymes. Flowers white, 2.5-3.5 n.; Eetra par, "HMIM Investigator" collec- cm long. Sepals 5 (6, 7), 8-1I mm long, tion (CAL). TAMILNADU: Krusadi Island, often enlarged in fruit. Petals 5 (6, 7); 15- Ramnad dt., Daniel 6 Raju 8822 I, 25.9.1944; 22 x 4-5 mrn; tube hairy inside. Stamens 5, Parthasarathy & Daniel 88 149, 26.9.1946; rarely 6, 12-15 mm long. Ovary bicarpel- Gopala Rao 9304% (MH); A. K. Mukherjee lary, syncarpous hilocular with one pendu- 214; T A. Rao 1494 (CAL). ANDHRAPRA- ious ovule in each locuIe. Style 18-20 mm DESH: Rocky coast of Rambilli, 30 km south long, the lower half hairy. Stigma flat, bi- of Vishakhapatnam, Sudhakar 284,4.3.78; Su- lobed covered by an indusium-like cup, dhakar 293, 13.7.79; Dolphin nose, down fringed by dense short hairs. Fruit a drupe, Yarada hill, Vishakhapatnam, Sudhakar subglobose, 15x 18 mm, succulent, white 300, 5.10.1979 (all in Botany Dept. Herbari- when ripe, crowned by the accrescent calyx. um, Andhra University). (CAL). ANDAMAN Lobelia frutescens Mill., in Gard. Dict., ISLANDS:North Bay hill jungles, King ed. 8, 1768, is not Scaevola (Harold St. John 28962, on 9.8.1891: Little Andamans, Tho- in Taxon g: 200-208. 1960). The earliest thathri 18183, on 10.3.59 (all in HM);Leba- specific epithet available is Lobelia tccccada ngre, Ellis & K. R. Murthy 36773, 36774, Gaertn, (I 788). Harold St. John's opinion on I 8.4.1964; Port Blah, Balakrishnan I; is accepted by me, and the combination as South Andamans, Thothathri 9269 (CAL). indicated above is considered the correct NICOBARISLANDS : Hut Ray, Bhurgava 33 16; name. Narcondam Island, Prain s. n.; Barren Is- Flowers are generally pentamerous Eut in land, Prain s. n., Nancowry Island, King's some, abnormal features in floral parts as Coll.; Kilten Island, Stocks s. n. (CAI;). noted below have been observed. (I) Flow- MALDIVES: J. S. Gardner s. n. (CAL). ers with 6 sepals, 5 petals and 5 stamens: (2) with 7 sepals, 6 petals and 5 stamens; (3) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS with 6 sepals, 6 petals and 6 stamens (Plate Grateful thanks are due to Prof. Rolla S. I inset). Of the 45 flowers examined, varia- Rao, formerly Professor and Head of the tions (I) & (2) are fairly common with 20- Department of Botany, Andhra University 35% and variation (3) is rather rare. Inter- for his kind guidance, critical scrutiny and estingly many fruits are seen with 6 correction of the paper. Thanks are also due cent calyx lobes which are considered to be to Shri Vatsavaya S. Raju of Nagarjuna formed from flowers of (I) and (2) variation University and Dr. T. A. Rao, former$ of types. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, for SHORT COMMUNfCAnONS: BULL. BOT. SURV. WDU VOL. 22 (7-4). 1980 22 1 hir kind help in the field work, and to the b,T- A- The dimibution81 resume of the maritime strand flora of India. 81111. kt. Sum. India 13: 192- University Grants Commission, New Delhi, 202. 1971. for the imrd of a Junior Resear& Fel. -Am A. R. K. SASTRY. An outline of the cyst.! vegetation of India Ibid. 16 : 101-1 15. 1974. lowship, under the Special Assistance A. N, dbtributional r@ for -t~ plants from Andhra Pradcsh. Jm. Botnboy rmt. Hkt. SOC.67(9) : 614-615. 1971. S~RY,A. R. K. AND T. A. Rm. Studica ol+ thr: S. SUDm~ flora and vagctation of coastal Andhra Raded., India. Bull. bot. Smv. India 15 :92-107. 1973. h&m uniwn'@*Wuluir T~onumr.K., S. P. BANERJEE,P. K. M-p, P. K. H~JRAAND G. D. PAL. Botanical results of the 1REFERBNCBS joint Scientific emition to the Great Niwbar Island. Ibid. 15 : 235-265. 1973. ho, R S. Obeavotions on tht mnvevcgetatim of VE-~WARLIJ,J. a al. The Flora of Viaakhapatnam, tbe Mnvari Estuary. Pm. Mdngr~~S*. Calcutta. Andhra Pradah Academy of Sciences, Hydcrabad. 36-39, 1959. 1972. A NEW SPECIES OF CEROPEGlA LINN. (ASCLEPIADACEAE) FROM THE WESTERN GHATS IN MAHARASHTRA STATE (INDIA) Cimpsgf. frtntf Ansari et Kulkami sp. nov. Cercpgiu pusitlac Wt. et Am. affinis in habitu pumilo et cyrnis unifloris. sed diffen foliis ellipticis, floribus usque ad 2 cm long$, coroI:ae Iohis ovatis et intus basi pilosis, et tubo aequantibus. Holotypus (Kulkami r 2 1885A) et isotypi (Kulkami 121885 B-F) lecfi ad Ambolighat in dist. Ratnagiri ditione Maharashtra die 13th Augusti anni 1g71; holotypus positus in CAL; iqpi Kulkami 121885 BC in BSI; D in CAL; E in K;F in BLAT. Ccrapegla frM Ans.