Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October
2019 | 11(13): 14784–14786
Extended
distribution of Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri &
Ansari (Apocynaceae) to the state of Gujarat, India
Mukta Rajaram Bhamare
1, Hemantkumar Atmaram
Thakur 2 & Sharad Suresh
Kambale 3
1 M.V.P. Samaj’s
KRT Arts, BH Commerce and AM Science College, Nashik, Maharashtra 422002,
India.
2 Department of Botany, H.P.T. Arts
& R.Y.K Science College, Nashik, Maharashtra 422005, India.
3 Department of Botany, Maratha
Vidya Prasarak Samaj’s
Arts, Commerce & Science College, Tryambakeshwar-
Nashik, Maharashtra 422212, India.
1 tanmaii123@rediffmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 hemant13570@gmail.com, 3 skambalesu@gmail.com
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3103.11.13.14784-14786
Editor: Aparna Watve,
Biome Conservation Foundation, Pune, India. Date
of publication: 26 October 2019 (online & print)
Manuscript details: #3103 | Received 18 October 2017
| Final received 05 April 2019 | Finally accepted 31 August 2019
Citation: Bhamare, M.K., H.A. Thakur & S.S.
Kambale (2019). Extended distribution of Ceropegia
mahabalei Hemadri &
Ansari (Apocynaceae) to the state of Gujarat, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(13): 14784–14786. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3103.11.13.14784-14786
Copyright: © Bhamare et al. 2019. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by adequate credit to the author(s)
and the source of publication.
Funding: Self funded.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing
interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors (MRB & SSK) thank the Principal,
M.V.P. Samaj’s KRT Arts, BH Commerce and AM Science
College, Nashik and Principal, M.V.P. Samaj’s Arts,
Commerce and Science College, Tryambakeshwar for
necessary facilities. SSK thanks Sushant
More (Mumbai) and Dr. N.V. Malpure,
S.S.G.M. College, Kopargaon for the helpful
discussion. Authors are grateful to Dr. K.V.C. Gosavi for the help
during field work and necessary photographs.
Ceropegia L. with more than 200 species is distributed in
tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Maximum diversity of Ceropegia occurs in southeastern
Asia, India, Madagascar, tropical Arabia, South Africa, and Kenya (Meve 2002). The
genus is represented by 53 species, two subspecies, and six varieties in India,
of which 41 taxa are endemic to India.
A majority of the species are under threat as per Kambale & Yadav
(2019).
Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri & Ansari is one
of the endemic and rare species of Maharashtra and so far known from only a few
localities. It was described from Ralegaon Shinde and Bhivade
Khurd, the villages nearby Junnar (Pune District) by Hemadri & Ansari (1971). After type collection it has been frequently
collected from type locality by botanists and amateurs for their studies and
interests. Malpure
et al. (2006) mentioned its occurrence from Kasara Ghat
(Thane District). Pethe
& Tillu (2016) collected this species from Ramshej fort (Nashik District). A new variety of Ceropegia
mahabalei was described by Rahangdale
& Rahangdale (2012) but has been merged under Ceropegia oculata
Hook. by Kambale & Yadav (2015).
During botanical explorations of the higher ranges of
Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the senior author collected some
interesting specimens in vegetative stage from Salher
(Nashik District) and Chichali Ghat
(Dang District, Gujarat). When they
flowered in the botanical garden of HPT Arts & RYK Science College, Nashik
they were confirmed as Ceropegia mahabalei.
Recently, Bhagat (2018) reported it from Mulashi Tehsil of Pune District. This report shows the extension of the
distribution of this endemic species from Mulashi in
the south to Chinchali Ghat
(Gujarat) in the North.
Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri
& Ansari
(Images 1–3)
in Indian Forester 97(2): 105. 1971; Ansari, Fasc. Fl.
India 16: 24. 1984; Nayar & Sastry (eds.), Red
Data Book Indian Pl. 2: 49. 1988.
Perennial erect tuberous herbs with the beaked corolla
lobes.
Flowering & Fruiting: July–October.
Distribution: India: Maharashtra, Gujarat (present
report); Endemic to northern Western Ghats (Fig. 1).
The localities Panchgani, Satara and Kalsubai peak
mentioned by Pethe & Tillu
(2016) are erroneous and mentioned neither in Mishra & Singh (2001) nor in Malpure et al.
(2006).
The occurrence of this species in Kasara is not
corroborated by any specimen in the Indian herbaria though mentioned by Malpure et al. (2006).
Its occurrence in Kasara has been confirmed with the collection (S. More
s.n.) by Sushant More. He has collected the species (Sushant More
pers. comm., 2017) from Kasara and located only one individual.
Notes: Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri &
Ansari, commonly known as ‘Gavati Kharpudi’,
is found growing on grassy slopes of hills.
It has been reported as Critically Endangered and endemic to Maharashtra
(Nayar & Sastry 1988; Mishra & Singh 2001;
Yadav & Kamble 2008).
Specimens examined: India: Maharashtra, Pune District,
Junnar, Ralegaon Shinde, s.d. S.R. Yadav 5812; Tuber collected from Ralegaon Shindi & grown in
Garden, 19.ix.2011, S.S. Kambale & A.A. Adsul SUK-2600;
8.x.2012, S.S. Kambale & A.A. Adsul SSK-25; 19.ix.2013,
S.S. Kambale & A.A. Adsul SSK-91 (SUK);
Thane District; Kasara, 17.ix.2015, S. More s.n.;
Nashik District; Salher, 2.viii.2016 M. Bhamare MB 01. Gujarat; Dang District, Chinchali
Ghat, 21.viii.2016, M. Bhamare
MB 02. (Herbarium, Dept. of Botany, RYK Science College, Nashik).
For
figure & images – click here
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