Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com International Journal of CODEN: IJRSFP (USA) Recent Scientific International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research Vol. 11, Issue, 04 (B), pp. 38105-38106, April, 2020 ISSN: 0976-3031 DOI: 10.24327/IJRSR Research Article FLOWERS OF MORINGA OLIEFERA: A PREFERRED FOOD OF INDIAN PALM SQUIRREL FUNAMBULUS PALMARUM Meera Srivastava P.G. Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2020.1104.5241 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found naturally in India and Sri Lanka. Moringa oleifera is a fast- Received 10th January, 2020 growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions Received in revised form 2nd of South Asia. The flowers are fragrant and hermaphroditic, surrounded by five unequal, thinly February, 2020 veined, yellowish-white petals. Almost all parts of Moringa are edible, with regional uses varying Accepted 26th March, 2020 widely. The present observations were made in the house garden situated in the city of Bikaner, Published online 28th April, 2020 Rajasthan. The observations were made in the month of March when flowers were in their full bloom on the tree. It was noted that the squirrel nibbled and ate the flowers of M.oliefera with great Key Words: liking, suggesting its preference towards the flowers of this tree which possesses various medicinal The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped properties. palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found naturally in India and Sri Lanka Copyright © Meera Srivastava, 2020, this is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. INTRODUCTION Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta- The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped palm squirrel carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, Sciuridae found naturally in India and Sri Lanka. The squirrel beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In is about the size of a large chipmunk, with a bushy tail slightly addition to its compelling water purifying powers and high shorter than its body. The back is a grizzled, grey-brown nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its colour with three conspicuous white stripes which run from medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as hind legs only. It has a creamy-white belly and a tail covered cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, with interspersed, long, black and white hair. The ears are antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, small and triangular. It is well known that F. palmarum antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterol squirrels eat mainly nuts and fruits. They tend to be very lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, protective of their food sources, often guarding and defending antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed them from birds and other squirrels. for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of system of medicine, particularly in South Asia (Anwar etal., the family Moringaceae, native 2007, Gopalakrishnan, 2016). to tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia. The flowers The observation area are fragrant and hermaphroditic, surrounded by five unequal, thinly veined, yellowish-white petals (CABI, 2018). Almost The present observations were made in the house garden all parts of Moringa are edible, with regional uses varying situated in the city of Bikaner (28°N latitude and 73°18'E widely. The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds and flowers are longitudes), Rajasthan. The observations were made in the used in traditional medicine (NPCS Board, 2018). It has an month of March when flowers were in their full bloom on the impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. tree. *Corresponding author: Meera Srivastava P.G. Department of Zoology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India Meera Srivastava., Flowers of Moringa Oliefera: A Preferred Food of Indian Palm Squirrel Funambulus Palmarum OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSSION But nevertheless why these flowers of Moringa are preferred by the squirrel a reason yet to be explored and further studies During the present study, it was noted that the squirrel nibbled are needed for confirmation!! and ate the flowers of M.oliefera with great liking (Plate 1.). During this period the garden also had various other herbs, References shrubs and trees like black plum (Syzygium cumini with flowers), curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii with flowers), Alhakmani F, Kumar S and Khan S A (2013). Estimation of sweet lime (Citrus limetta with flowers), Rohida (Tecomella total phenolic content, in–vitro antioxidant and anti- undulatea without flowers) and species of ornamental & inflammatory activity of flowers of Moringa oleifera. vegetable plants and creepers. Asian Pac. J. Trop.Biomed. 3(8):623-627. Anwar F, Latif S, Asraf M and Gilani AH (2007). Moringa oliefera: a food plant with multiple medicinal use. Phytother Res. 21(1):17-25. CABI (2018). "Moringa oleifera (horseradish tree)". 17 September 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018. Gopalakrishnan L, Kruthi D and Devarai S K (2016). Moringa oliefera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application. Food Science and Human Wellness, 5(2):49-56. NPCS Board (2012). Handbook on Agro Based Industries (2nd Revised ed.). Niir Project Consultancy Services. p 66. Srivastava M (2018). Food preference of Indian palm squirrel Funambulus palmarum as observed in a house courtyard at Bikaner, Rajasthan. International Peer Reviewed Refreed Journal, V(IX):19-22. Srivastava M (2019). A short note on food preference of parakeet Psittacula krameri as observed in a house garden at Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. International Peer Reviewed and Refreed Journal, VI (V):13-15. Plate 1 The squirrel nibbling the flowers of M. oliefera Not much of literature is available on squirrels feeding on M. oliefera flowers. Phytochemical analysis of extract has shown the presence of major classes of phytochemicals such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides etc. M. oleifera flowers were found to contain 19.31 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent of total phenolics in dry extract but exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. The anti-inflammatory activity of plant extract was significant and comparable with the standard drug diclofenac sodium (Alhakmani et al., 2013). This could therefore be suggestive that as flowers of M. oleifera possess potent anti-inflammatory activity and are also a good source of natural antioxidants, and there is a possibility of some natural mechanism in squirrel which identifies this property and might be exploiting the same, as also suggested earlier by Srivastava (2019) for parakeet. Funambulus has earlier been reported to feed on flowers of Techomella by Srivastava (2018). How to cite this article: Meera Srivastava.2020, Flowers of Moringa Oliefera: A Preferred Food of Indian Palm Squirrel Funambulus Palmarum. Int J Recent Sci Res. 11(04), pp. 38105-38106. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2020.1104.5241 ******* 38106 | P a g e .