Prec. ][k~ian Aoad. Sei., Vol. 88 B, Part II, Number 4, July 1979, pp. 253-268, @ printed in India. The genus Coniogramme F~e in India R D DIXIT and ANJALI DAS Cryptogamic Unit, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah 711 103 MS received 3 April 1978; revised 30 January 1979 Abstract. Thirteen Indian spp. of Coniogramme (including a new species C. purpurea, a new combination C. denticulato-serrata and a new record C. serrulata) are described and their distribution indicated. Keywords. Pteridopbyta ; Filicales ; revision of Indian species of Coniogramme F6e. 1. Introduction Th~ systematic position_ of the fern genus Coniogramme F6e has been variously interpreted by different workers. Copeland (1947) included this genus in the family Pteridaceae as the gymnogrammoid derivative of Pteris. Holttum (1954), Nayar (1970), Nayar and Kaur (1974) and Crabbe et al (1975) included it in the family Gymuogrammaceae and Pichi-Sermolli (1970) considered it as a member of the family Hemionitidaceae. It is a genus of about 20 species spread from Africa to Polynesia, north to Japan artd one in Mexico (Copeland 1947). The shape, size, margins ar.d position of hydathode~ ofpinnae or pirtrtules are the mairt distinguishing characters for recogn:- tiort of species io. this genus. Other features, such as 1-, 2- or 3-pinnate nature of the fronds, ve~.ation, pubescence artd spores are rtot always useful characters of taxonomic value. The syrtoptic treatment of the thirteen taxa of Coniogramme are indicated in table 1. 2. Materials The presertt study is based err all the available vouchored herbarium specimens of the gertus Coniogramme F6e deposited ir~ various herbaria of the Botanical Survey of India together with the specimens housed in the Central National Herbarium, Howrah, and the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun. Icones of type and authen- tic specimens have also been examined wherever found necessary. 253 P. (B)--I 254 R D Dixit and Anjali Das Table 1. Synoptic treatment of 13 taxa of the genus Conlogramme F6e in India. SI. Beddome Hieronymus Mehra and Jto Ohashi No. Present work 1883, 1892 1916 Bir 1964 1966 1975 1. C. falcata (Don) Salom. -- .... 2. C. fraxinea (Don) Syngramme + + + + F6e ex Diels fraxinea (Don) Bedd. sensu lato 3. C. pitelotii Taxd.-Blot. 4. C. serrulata (B1.) F6e 5. C. denticulato- C. fraxinea C. fraxinea serrata (Don) F6e (Don) F6e (Hieron.) ex Diels var. ex Diels var. Dixit and Das denticulato. denticulato- Comb. nov. serrata serrata Hieron. Hieron. 6. C. affmis Wall. ex C. affmis Hieron. (Wall.) Hieron. 7. C. indica F6e + + 8. C. intermedia + C. intermedia C. inter- + Hieron. var. var. villosa media intermedia Ching var. villosa Ching 9. C. intermedia + + + + Hieron. vax. glabra Citing 10. C. purpurea Dixit and Das sp. nov. 11. C. caudata (Wall. ex C. spinulosa + + + Ettingsch) Ching (Christ) Hieron. C. pubeseens Hieron. 12. C. procera Wail. ex -- + + + + F6e 13. C. subcordata Copel. -- .... 1 8 7 5 5 + ----- taxa dealt with the same nomenclature. -- = taxa not dealt with. The genus Coniogramme Fde in India 255 3. Systematic account Coniogramme F~e, Gen. Fil. 167, pl. 4, f. 1, 2, 1850-52 (nora. cons.) Dictyogramme F~e, Gen. Fil. 170, 1850-52. Notogramme Presl, Epim. Bot., 263, 1849. Neuro- sorus Trey., Atti. 1st. Veneto 11, 2 : 168, 1851 (nora. nud,). Type : Coniogramme javanica (B1.) F~:, Gen. Fil. 167, t. 14B, f. 1, 1850-52. Gymnogramme javanica BI., Enum. PI. Java, 112, 1828. Coniogrammefraxinea (Don) F6e ex Diels in Eo_gler and Prantl, Naturl. Pflanzenf. 1(4) : 262, 1899. Diplazium fraxineum Don, Prod. FI. Nepal, 12, 1825. The correct name of the type species is Coniogramme fraxinea (Don) F~e ex Diels, since Coniogramme javanica (B1.) F~e happerts to be the taxor~.omical synonym. Plants terrestrial, 50-250 cm tall, erect. Rhizome sler.der to usually thick, long creeping. Scales nort-clathrate, thio., dull-brown, ovate-la~.ceolate, entire, deci- duous and fragile at maturity. Fro~.ds simple pinnate throughout or the basal pirmae bifid, or basal region tripirtrtate and pie.hate upwards; terminal pinnae larger than the lateral ones. Stipes usually sulcate on the lower surface ap.d terete on the upper surface. Margirts of pinnae and pimmles entire to sharply serrate, and composed of many layered compact sclerosed cells exhibiting birefri~.gence under polarised light. Midrib distinct and slightly raised err the lower surface and grooved on the upper surface. Veins free, ending in hydathodes within the margin (rarely anastomosing). Hairs present ol! the lower surface in some of the species. Sori non-indusiate, linear along the veio.s, leaving a short gap from the margins, sporangia mixed with paraphyses similar to foliar hairs. Spores trilete, vcrracoid, without perispore. 4. Key to Indian species 1. Pio.ttae with entire or wavy margirts, hydathodes away from the margins. 2. Pirmae ovate to obloo.g-lartceolate, round to cur~eate at base, caudate at apex, thick to thin in texture, hydathodes medium in size. 3. Plants small, below 70 era, fronds simple pinnate throughout, pim~.ae 15-20 • 3-5.5 em ........................................ C. falcata 3. Plants large, normally above 70 cm, fronds bifid to bipinnate at basal regiort, pinnae 25-30 • 3.5-5.5 cm ..................... C. fraxinea 2. Pinrtae broadly elliptic-lap.ceolate, cordate to obliquely roturtdotruncate at base, long acuminate at apex, papyraceous in texture, hydathodes largo. .......................................................... C. pitelotii 1. Pirmae with serrulate to sharply serrate margins, hydathodes close to margins. 4. Basal pinnae pinnate with 1-5 pairs of pirmules, rarely simple. 5. Pirmae never linear-lanceolate. 6. Hydathodes at base or reaching deep into marginal serrations. 256 R D Dixit and Anjali Das 7. Hydathodes at base of marginal serrations. 8. Pinrtae ovate to oblong-lartceolate, veins normally twice forked, margins serrulatr 9. Pirmae oblong-lanceolate, 15-25 • 3-4.3 cm, cuneate at base, thick in tex- ture, margins serrulate .................................... C. serrulata 9. Pinnae ovate-lartceolate, 11-14 x 2-2.5cm, auriculate at base, thin in texture, margins serrate-dentate .................... C. denticulato-serrata 8. Piartao lanceolate, 11-15 • 1.8-2 cm, veins normally ortce forked, rardy orte of the branch agairt forked, margir.s irregularly serrulate ...... C. indica 5. Pinnae lirtear-lanceolate. 7. Hydathodes reaching deep into margir~.al serrations ........ C. a~nis. 6. Hydathodes entering by tip into marginal serrations. 10. Pirmae pubescent on the lower surface. 11. Stipe and rachis shining stramineous, sometimes with reddish tirtt or dark purple in colour, pinnae not gradually narrowed at both ends, margins serrate, hairs 3-5 celled. 12. Stipe and rachis shining stramineous in colour, sometimes with reddish tint, pinnae obloug-lanceolate, 15-20 • 2.5-3.5 cm, cuneate at base .... ...................................... C. intermedia var. intermedia 12. Stipe and rachis shining dark purple io. colour, pinnae ovate-lar_ceolate, 11-13 • 2.3-2.6 cm, rounded to truncate at base .......... C. purpurea 11. Stipe and rachis dull brown in colour, pirtnae gradually nan owed at both ends, margins sharply serrate to spinose, hairs 6-8 celled ........ ...................................................... C. caudata 10. Pirmae glabrous on the lower surface ............................ ........................................ C. intermedia vat. glabra 4. Basal pinnae pirtnate with 7-15 pairs of pinnules. 13. Pinrmles small, 2-10 • 1-2 cm, adnate, cuneate to sometimes truncate at base, margirts serrulate ................................ C. procera 13. Pirtnules large, 9-14.5 • 2-2.5cm, stalked, except towards the apical region, sub-cordate to roundly truncate at base, margio-s serrate to d~tate .................................................... C. subcordata Coniogrammefalcata (Don)Salem., Nomenclatr., 139, 1888; Hi~ron., Hedw. 57: 325, 1916 ; Dixit and Das, J. Indian bet. Soc. 56 (3) : 254, figures 1-3, 1977. Diplazium falcatum Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal, 13 1825. Hemionitisfalcata Ham., mss. ap. in Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal, 13, 1825 (nora. nud.). Gymnogrammefalcata (Deft) J. Sin., J. Bet. 4 : 51, 1842. Plants 50-65 era. Rhizome thick, creeping, clothed with many dull-brown, ovate-lanceolate scales. Fronds simple pinnate throughout. Sfipes 25-28cm, yellowish-brown. Pinnae 15-17 X 3-5.5cm, stalked (stalk 3-5 mm long), ovate The genus Coniogramme Fde in India 257 to oblortg-lanceolato, obliquely roturtdate to curteate at base, caudate to some, times falc,ato at apex, margirts entire to repartd with a narrcw cartilagir.ous band of sclerotic ceils, thin but firm irt texture. Veins forked above the base, some- times o11o of the forks again forked above the middle, endip.g irt hydathcdes, away from the margirts. Spores 40-45/zm, yellow (figures 1, 16). Specimens examined : West Bertgal--Darjeelio.g : Karseor.g, J: 2000m, 1976, R. K. Ghosh 54579, 54579A, 545780 (CAL). Sikkim : Tumlong, :]: 1800m, 1908, Craib 395 (CAL); Murtso~.g, 4- 800 m, 1909, Karl 421 (CAL). Arunachal Pradesh --Kamertg: SissirS, 1959, Panigrahi 6037A (CAL); 6037B (ASSAM). Nagaland-- Kohima : Naga hills, 1886, Prain s. n. (CAL-2418l). Nepal--Kathmar,.du, 1950, Srinivasan s.n. (ISIM-44394). Icones examined : Received from the Herb. Brit. Mus. (N.H.), Lor,.don (BM). Figures 1-7. 1. C. falcata. 2-4. C. fraxinea. 2. Frond trifid at basal region. 3. Frond bipmnate at basal regien. 4. Part of the frond with largest pinnae and short caudate apex. 5. C. pitelotii. 6. C. serrulata. 7. C. denticulato-serratq. 258 R D Dixit and Anjali Das Type photograph : Nepal : Narainhetty, 1-3-1803, Buchanan s.n. (CAL). Originally identified as Hemionitis falcata Buch.-Ham. which is the manuscript iiame. Other photographs : East Nepal : 1818, s. I. s. n., idep.tified as Ceterach caudata Wall. bat another label also pasted on the same sheet reads Nepalia~ Wallich 1821 and above it identified as Gymnogramme caudata Wall. Nepal, Wallich 1821, identified as Gymnogramme caudata Wall. (CAL). The detailed study of popu- lations in the field in future may suggest that C.