Caralluma bicolor Ramach. et al., (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) - a rare and little known endemic plant as a new record from Palakkad District, Kerala State, India

K.A. Anilkumar ¹, K.M. Prabhu Kumar ² & P.S. Udayan ³

^1,2 Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR), Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal P.O., Malappuram District, Kerala 676503, India

³ P.G. Department of Botany and Research Centre, Sree Krishna College Guruvayur,Ariyannur P.O., ThrissurDistrict, Kerala 680102, India

¹ anilakkaanil@gmail.com, ² prabhumkrishna@gmil.com,³ psudayan@rediffmail.com (corresponding author)

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3274.5007-9

Editor: N.P. Balakrishnan,Retd. Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore, India. Date of publication: 26 November 2013 (online & print)

Manuscript details: Ms # o3274 | Received 28 July 2012 | Final received 12 October 2013 | Finally accepted 29 October 2013

Citation: Anilkumar, K.A., K.M.P. Kumar & P.S. Udayan (2013).Caralluma bicolor Ramach. etal., (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) - a rare and little known endemic plant as a new record from Palakkad District, Kerala State, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(15): 5007–5009; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3274.5007-9

Copyright: © Anilkumar et al. 2013. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 UnportedLicense. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

Funding: University GrandsCommission, (UGC), New Delhi., Government of India (Awarding letter No. F.16-541(SC)/2007(SA-III) 31st March 2008)

Competing Interest: None.

Acknowledgements: The authers are thankful to the authorities of Arya Vaidya Sala,Kottakkal for support; thanks are to Dr. Vidyasagaran, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikarafor various help; Dr. Indira Balachandran, CMPR, Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal for her constant encouragement and support; Attappady Hill Area Development Society (AHADS), Palakkad and to the authorities of Kerala Forest Department, Mannarkkad Division for granting collection permission.

The publication of this article is supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.

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The name Caralluma R. Br. is derived from ‘Car-allum’, the vernacular name of the Telingas for the type species C. adscendens (Roxb.) Haw. originallydescribed as Stapelia adscendens Roxb. (Roxburgh 1795; Meve & Liede 2002). While Ramachandran(1992)mention “Karalluma”, Gravely & Mayuranathan (1931: 5–6), mention many other vernacular names.

The genus ranges from the Mediterranean, Macaronesia to Somalia, northeasternTanzania to Burma. It belongs to thesubtribe Stapeliinae G. Don. of the tribe Ceropegieae Decne ex Orb. of the subfamily Asclepiadoideae R. Br. ex Burnett (Endress & Bruyns 2000; Meve & Liede 2004; Bruyns et al. 2010). This subfamily has traditionally been treated as the family Asclepiadaceae, but molecular evidence has demonstrated that the group, monophyletic though it is, is included in the Apocynaceae Juss. (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2009).

Caralluma bicolor V.S. Ramach., S. Joseph, H.A. John & Sofiyain Nordic J. Bot. 29: 447-450. 2011.

Holotype: CAL, isotypes: MH 1501, 13.viii.2009, ca. 450m, BharathiarUniversity Campus, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, SiljoJoseph.

Local Name: ‘Bokkal’ (Malayalam)

Plants up to 60–80 cm tall, stems fleshy, growing in dense clumps, branchlets unbranched, ascending, quadrangular, acute; internodes 1.5–3.5 cm long and glabrous. Racemes subterminal, 15–20 cm long; flowers pentamerous, 7–12, distant, solitary or paired; pedicel up to 1.5cm long. Bracts and bracteoles minute. Calyx lobes 1.4x1 cm, ovate, apex acuminate. Corolla glabrous, 1.8–2.5 cm long, greenish yellow with reddish brown striations; tube up to 0.2cm long, lobes rotate, lanceolate-oblong, 7x2.5 mm, apex cuspidate. Corona biseriate; the outer linear, 0.8–1cm long, lobes slightly curved with small projections between the lobes; the inner corona basally united with the outer corona, slightly keeled near the base, 7–9 mm long, reddish brown with small projections between the lobes. Anthers 0.5mm long, yellowish, basally united with inner surface of the middle corona. Pollen masses ca. 1mm long, solitary in each anther cell, yellow round, waxy attached by the reddish brown caudicle. Gynostegium 1mm long. Follicle cylindrical with tapering ends, green with black stripes, 8–12 cm long; seeds oblong-obovoid, 5x2 mm; coma silky-white.

Specimens examined: 3918, 08.x.2009, ca. 900m, Cheerakadavu Eastern AttappadyHills, Palakkad District, Kerala, P.S. Udayan & K.A. Anilkumar; 2005, 11.viii.2007, ca. 850m, Ranganathapuram, Eastern AttappadyHills, Palakkad District, Kerala, (Fl & Fr). P.S. Udayan & K.A. Anilkumar, CALI, CMPR, and MH (Images 1 & 2; Fig. 1).

Distribution: Endemic to the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats of the Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. In the Attappadyarea the distribution of Caralluma bicolor is restricted to Mattathukadu(recorded), Ranganathapuram and Cheerakadavulocalities (with flowers and fruits) where only 20 individuals were noted (Image 2).

Habitat: Rocky crevices in scrub jungles.

Flowering & Fruiting: August–December.

Status: The conservation status of C. bicolour was not mentioned by Ramachandran et al.(2011). The species is endemic to Tamil Nadu in a small number of populations. Our study confirmed that the distribution is restricted and the plants are very rare. Detailed field studies will help to understand the threat status.

Uses: The whole plant is used as a vegetable by the tribals of Attappady. The dried parts of C. acutangula (Decne.) N.E. Br. and C. retrospiciens Ehrenb. ex N.E. Br. are used as a dish in the drier parts of western and eastern Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia (Sanogo 2010).

Notes: Caralluma bicolor is similar to C. adscendens(Roxb.) Haw. and C. sarkariae Lavranos & R. Frandsen, but differs in its larger size, unbranched branchlets, sagittate leaves, glabrous petals and large seeds. This species was so far known only from the scrub forests of the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats of Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu (Ramachandranet al. (2011). The present collection from Ranganathapuram and Cheerakadavu forests of Eastern AttappadyHills, Palakkad District extending its distribution further towards western slopes of Western Ghats and form a new record for Kerala.

References

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