Report on the extended distribution of two endemic plants ( Angiospermae ) in the central Western Ghats of Karnataka , India

The Western Ghats of India is one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots of the world (Myers et al. 2000) and over one-third of its angiosperms are endemic (Kaveriappa & Shetty 2001). Both plant diversity and plant endemism are higher towards the wet southern region compared to the dry northern region (Nihara et al. 2007). An endemic taxon, being limited in range to the geographical area under consideration, no doubt has special phyto-geographical interest. In every flora there are many endemic species or small groups of endemics awaiting intensive investigation by combined field observation, experimental ecology and comparative taxonomy (Turrill 1951). It is likely that these endemics have gone unrecorded outside their present day distribution due to insufficient field surveys. Karnataka, one among the important areas falling under the Western Ghats track of peninsular India,

harbours many endemic plants and is also the limiting range for the distribution of many southern endemics.
Flowering and Fruiting: April-October.
Habitat: According to Matthew (1991), this plant occurs in the montane forest at an elevation of 1300-2100 m, often along the periphery, characteristically on tree tops.But in Uttara Kannada District, the plant occurs in the lower elevations ranging from 91m at moist deciduous forests (Khandagar) to 620m (Devimane Ghat) above MSL of tropical wet evergreen forests.
Notes: The genus Celastrus L. has 32 species distributed in the world (Mabberley 2005) and in India seven species are reported (Ramamurthy 2000).Matthew (1991) studying the collections from the Palni Hills of Tamil Nadu in southern India segregated Celastrus paniculatus Willd.into two subspecies namely paniculatus and aggregatus based on the differences in position of inflorescences, number of bisexual flowers, number of capsules for infrutescence and leaf apex.But, the subsp.aggregatus was not recorded by any workers thereafter, till Francis et al. (2009) reported it from Aurangabad District of Maharashtra.In Karnataka, so far the genus is represented by only one species C. paniculatus Willd.(Sharma et al. 1984;Saldanha & Singh 1996).The present collection of subsp.aggregatus from central Western Ghats is an addition to the flora of Karnataka State and also connects the distribution link of this taxon between southern and northern Western Ghats.Annual erect herb, with dichotomous branches reaching up to 65cm high.Stems quadrangular, not winged.Leaves vary in size and shape; lower cauline leaves 1.5-3.2x 0.5-1.8cm, elliptic, attenuated at base; petioles c. 1 cm long; upper leaves 0.5-1.6 x 0.5-1.2cm, broadly ovate, rounded to subcordate at base, sessile.Inflorescence a compound dichasial cyme.Bracts foliaceous, ovate, membranous.Pedicels c. 2cm long.Calyx-tube c. 8mm long, without wings, teeth triangular.Corolla almost actinomorphic, rosy pink to white, tube slightly curved, c. 9mm long, lobes 4, almost equal, some times two are slightly smaller.Stamens 4, didynamous, 2 upper with larger anthers and the lower with smaller anthers.Ovary oblong; style c. 5mm long; stigma bilobed.Capsules oblong; seeds irregular in shape.
Habitat: Along wet slopes and in between rocky crevices of moist deciduous and wet evergreen forests, at an elevation range of 50-450 m.
Notes: The genus Canscora Lam. is represented by about 30 species in the world (Mabberley 2005), mainly confined to the tropical regions.Out of eight species of this genus with two endemics in India, Karnataka State harbours seven species (Sharma et al. 1984).Recently, Canscora sanjappae, Diwakar & R. Kr.Singh, has been described from Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary of Udupi District (Diwakar & Singh 2009).The present collection, at an elevation range of 50-450 m along the wet slopes in wet evergreen and moist deciduous forests of Kumta Taluk of Uttara Kannada District, is outside the type locality, and extends its distribution towards the northern part along the Shimoga-Belgaum corridor of wet evergreen belt of central Western Ghats.In addition, our specimen measured about 65cm in height, almost three times the height of the type collection by Diwakar & Singh (2009).
0 55'-15 0 31'N & 74 0 09'-75 0 40'E) District of Karnataka State, we sighted the populations of two of the Western Ghat's endemics, namely, Celastrus paniculatus Willd.subsp.aggregatus K.T. Mathew and Canscora sanjappae Diwakar & R. Kr.Singh.Critical examination of the plant specimens and comparison with the earlier literature confirmed their extended distribution up to the central Western Ghats.

Image 2 .
Canscora sanjappae Diwakar & R.Kr.Singh D -habit; E -close view showing dichotomous branching; F -enlarged view of flower D E F