Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2019 | 11(8): 14083–14086

 

 

Range extension of Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë (Leguminosae) in peninsular India and a new record for Maharashtra State, India

 

Shrikant Ingalhalikar 1 & Adittya Vishwanath Dharap 2

 

1 12, Varshanand Soc. Anandnagar, Sinhagad Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411051, India.

2 E-203, Athena, Balador, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, Maharashtra 410507, India.

1 shrikant.ingalhalikar@gmail.com, 2 adittyadharap@yahoo.com (corresponding author)

 

 

doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4394.11.8.14083-14086

 

Editor: Aparna Watve, Biome Conservation Foundation, Pune, India.       Date of publication: 26 June 2019 (online & print)

 

Manuscript details: #4394 | Received 09 July 2018 | Final received 30 May 2019 | Finally accepted 05 June 2019

 

Citation: Ingalhalikar, S. & A.V. Dharap (2019). Range extension of Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë (Leguminosae) in peninsular India and a new record for Maharashtra State, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 11(8): 14083–14086. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4394.11.8.14083-14086

 

Copyright: © Ingalhalikar & Dharap 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: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors thank the anonymous reviewers and the subject editor for their critical comments that were helpful in improving the manuscript.

 

 

 

Leguminosae is one of the most diverse and widely distributed families in India.  While exploring the flowering plants around Pune District in Maharashtra State, India, in 2018, we found a herb belonging to the genus Trigonella L. of Leguminosae.  In subsequent surveys, specimens were collected from Lonavala, Talegaon Dabhade, and Bhugaon in the district.  Detailed photo-documentation was carried out with the fresh specimens.

A total of 12 Trigonella species are listed in India (Sanjappa 1992), but a key has not been provided.  Out of these, six are reported only from the Himalayan and sub--Himalayan regions.  The Trigonella species reported from northwestern and central Indian regions are T. corniculata, T. incisa, T. occulta, T. obcordata, T. foenum-graecum, and T. uncata.  For the identification of our specimens, a key was prepared using their characters reported by Duthie (1960), Shah (1968), Shetty & Singh (1987), and Verma et al. (1993).

Three of the six species reported from the northwestern and central Indian regions (T. corniculata, T. incisa, and T. occulta) are easily distinguished based on the characters reported in the literature.  Trigonella foenum-graecum is either cultivated or naturalized in some places.  Trigonella uncata and T. obcordata, however, have a large number of overlapping characters.  None of the characters reported in Indian floras or monographs were useful in differentiating these species.  The unavailability of a national key for the Trigonella species made the task more difficult.  Hence, in order to clearly distinguish the two species, we consulted other relevant literature and herbarium specimens.

The identification of the collected specimens was confirmed after viewing the images of the type of T. uncata housed in herbaria  Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (P) and Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (W).  There is no mention of peduncle length of the species in Shetty & Singh (1987).  The description of T. uncata in Shah et al. (1968) indicates the peduncle length to be less than that of the leaves.  The type specimen housed in W (W--–-Rchb. 1889-0361491) and P (MNHN–P–P02952755), however, clearly showed the peduncles to be longer than the leaves.  This feature was further evident after viewing the images of more herbarium specimens from Royal Botanic Gardens  Kew (K) (K000998695 Image!) and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (E) (E00336751 Image!).

We also checked the description of T. obcordata in Duthie (1960), which mentions racemes equaling or shorter than the leaves as one of the characters for T. obcordata Wall.  On consulting The Wallich Catalogue 5986, a specimen of T. obcordata (K001122698 Image!) collected in Tikari (mentioned by Sirjaev 1928) and housed in K, we found the peduncles of the specimen to be much shorter than the leaves.  Sanjappa (1992) mentions the catalogue number as 5989, which seems to be erroneous as it refers to a species of Vitis mentioned on page 205 of The Wallich Catalogue.

The two species also differ in having different pod shapes.  Sirjaev (1928) in description of T. obcordata mentions pods to be straight or a little curved (also evident in K001122698), while the description of T. uncata says pods are a little arcuate to semicircular (also clearly visible in W--–Rchb. 1889-0361491).  The illustrations in Sirjaev (1928) also clearly depict these features.  The pods in our collected specimens are arcuate to semicircular. 

Considering the specimens, peduncle length and pod shape can be used as key characters that distinguish T. obcordata and T. uncata.  We concluded that the collected specimens belong to Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë.

This species was not reported from Maharashtra in the earlier regional floras by Cooke (1903), Santapau (1967), Almeida (1998), and Singh et al. (2000).  Sanjappa (1992), in his list of Trigonella species from India, only mentions Gujarat and Rajasthan in the distribution of T. uncata.  Hence, our collection from Pune District extends the known distribution of the species in peninsular India to include Maharashtra and is a new record for the state.

There have been different opinions regarding the identity and nomenclature of this species.  Townsend (1968) considered T. uncata to be a subspecies of T. hamosa (Trigonella hamosa ssp. uncata).  According to him, “The differences between T. hamosa and T. uncata are slight and purely of degree, are correlated with geographical distribution, and it seems best to regard them as subspecies”.  Later, Lassen (1987) treated it as T. glabra ssp. uncata (Boiss. & Noë) Lassen; the same was used by The Plant List (2013) for which T. uncata is given as a synonym.  Sanjappa (1992), however, treated it as a separate species.  The determinavit slip on type sheet from W (W--– -Rchb. 1889-0361491) also mentions the species as T. uncata.  Taxonomic resolution of the species is beyond the scope of the current paper.  Hence we place the current specimens under T. uncata following Sanjappa (1992).

We suggest here a key to aid identification of Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë.

Description: Description is prepared based on specimens collected.

Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë (Images 1 & 2)

in Boiss., Diagn. Ser. 2: 12. 1856; Boiss, Fl.Orient.2: 84. 1872; Sirj. in Publ. Fac. Sci. Univ. Masaryk no. 102; 45.t.2 f. 38. 1928; Shah et al., in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.65: 262. 1968. T. hamosa subsp. uncata (Boiss. & Noë) Townsend, Kew Bull. 21: 437. 1968,Townsend & Guest, in Fl. Iraq 3: 91. pl. 14 f. 16. 1974; B.V. Shetty & V. Singh, Fl. Rajasthan 1: 268. 1987.

Diffuse annual herb; caespitose, branches prostrate, many from base, 10–50 cm long; stem angled, glabrous.  Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 10–15 mm, angular, softly hairy, extending 5–8 mm beyond basal pair of leaflets; petiolules 1–2 mm; leaflets 10–15 mm, obovate, cuneate, dentate, retuse to truncate, glabrous above, softly pubescent beneath; stipules 4–6 mm, auricled at base, ovate-lanceolate, laciniate, softly hairy.  Flowers head-like, capitate in a raceme on axillary peduncle 10–30 mm long, peduncle terminating in a spine, peduncle slightly shorter than, equal to, or longer than leaves; racemes 6–18-flowered; pedicels recurved, 1–2 mm long; calyx 1.5–2.0 mm long, softly hairy, teeth shorter than tube.  Corolla 4–5 mm long, yellow.  Pods 8–11 mm long, 1.5–2.0 mm wide, turgid, semi--circular, 4–6-seeded, veins transverse; seeds 0.8–1.5 mm, ovoid, brownish-yellow.

Flowering and fruiting: February–March.

Habitat: Locally common in moist places, along banks of rivers and streams and on margins of drying ponds in association with Hygrophila serpyllum T. Anderson, Cyathocline purpurea (Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don) Kuntze, Gnaphalium luteo-album L., and Grangea maderaspatana (L.) Poir.

Distribution: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Pune District in Maharashtra).

Specimens examined: Trigonella uncata Boiss. & Noë. India, Maharashtra, Pune District: 002 (BSI!), 25.ii.2018, Lonavala, 18.7610N & 73.4440E, 676m, coll. Shrikant Ingalhalikar; AVD–20183 (BSI!), 17.ii.2018, Kamshet, 18.7550N & 73.5220E, 610m, coll. Adittya Dharap; AVD–20181 (AHMA!), 09.ii.2018, Talegaon Dabhade, 18.7370N & 73.6530E, 614m, coll. Adittya Dharap; 003 (BLAT!), 26.ii.2018, Bhugaon near Pune, 18.4940N & 73.7380E, 739m, coll. Shrikant Ingalhalikar; K000998695 (K Image!) 1018, Iraq, coll. F.W. Noë; E00336751 (E Image!), 27.iii.1974, Iran, coll. P.H. Davis & M.H. Bokhari-.

Type: W---Rchb. 1889-0361491(W image!) 1018, 1851, Iraq, coll. F.W. Noë; MNHN-P-P02952755 (P image!), 1018, 1851, Iraq, Kattam Tigris, coll. F.W. Noë.

Note: The T. uncata specimens collected under 1018 by Noë are in P (MNHN-P-P02952755), K (K000998695), and W (W---Rchb. 1889-0361491).  While the specimens in W and P are clearly designated as ‘type’, the specimen in K is not.  The resemblance of collection numbers, however, indicates that all the specimens probably belonged to the same set collected by Noë.

 

 

Key to northwestern and central Indian species of Trigonella

 

1            Flowers solitary or clustered in leaf axils ............................................. ....................................... ............. 2

1            Flowers clustered at the end of axillary peduncles ............................................................................... ..... 3

 

2            Pods more than 2cm long, with a long beak ............................................................ Trigonella foenum-graecum

2            Pods less than 2cm long, without a beak .................................................................. Trigonella occulta

 

3            Pods not turgid, flat ............................................................................................................... ....... T. corniculata

3            Pods turgid ............................................................................................................. ...................... ................ 4

 

4            Pods with 10–20 seeds ............................................................. .................. .................................. T. incisa

4            Pods with 4–6 seeds ............................................................ ........ ............ ................................................ 5

 

5            Racemes slightly shorter, equal to or longer than leaves, pods arcuate to semicircular ................ T. uncata

5            Racemes equal or much shorter than leaves, pods straight or slightly curved .............................. T. obcordata

 

 

For images – click here

 

 

References

 

Almeida, M.R. (1998). Flora of Maharashtra, Vol. 2. St. Xaviers College, Mumbai, 457pp.

Cooke, T. (1903). The Flora of the Presidency of Bombay, Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis, London, 645pp.

Duthie, J.F. (1960). Flora of the Upper Gangetic plain and of the adjacent Siwalik and Sub-Himalayan tracts. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, 554pp.

Lassen, P. (1987). Trigonella. In: Greuter, W. & T. Raus (eds.). Med-Checklist Notulae, 14 (Willdenowia) 16: 447. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3996512?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Sanjappa, M. (1992). Legumes of India. Bishen Singh Mahendrapal Singh, Dehra Dun, 338pp.

Santapau, H. (1967). The Flora of Khandala on the Western Ghats of India. Records of the Botanical Survey of India, Vol. XVI, No. 1. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, 372pp.

Shah, G.H., R.J. Patel & M.H. Patel (1968). Additions to the flora of Bombay. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 65(1): 262.

Shetty, B.V. & V. Singh (eds.) (1987). Flora of Rajasthan - Vol. 1. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, India, 451pp.

Singh, N.P., P. Lakshminarasimhan, S. Karthikeyan & P.V. Prasanna (eds.) (2000). Flora of Maharashtra State, Vol. 1. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, India, 882pp.

Sirjaev, G. (1928). Generis Trigonella L. Revisio Critica I. Spisy Priro. Faku. Masarykovy Univ. 102, Brno, Czech Republic, 57pp.

The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Trigonella glabra subsp. uncata (Boiss. & Noë) Lassen. Available online at http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/ild-33117. Accessed on 15 March 2019.

Townsend, C.C. (1968). Contributions to the flora of Iraq, V: notes on the Leguminales. Kew Bulletin 21(3): 435–458.

The Wallich Catalogue Entry number 5986: Trigonella obcordata Wall. Available online at http://wallich.rbge.info/node/16410. Accessed on 03 April 2019.

The Wallich Catalogue Entry number 5989: Vitis cinnamomea Wall. Available online at http://wallich.rbge.info/node/16413. Accessed on 03 April 2019.

Verma, D.M., N.P. Balakrishnan & R.D. Dixit (eds.) (1993). Flora of Madhya Pradesh, Vol. 1. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, India, 668pp.