Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2024 | 16(10): 26049–26052
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9265.16.10.26049-26052
#9265 | Received 04
July 2024 | Final received 13 August 2024 | Finally accepted 06 October 2024
Extended distribution of Trillium
govanianum Wall. ex D.Don (Melanthiaceae), an
endangered species from Arunachal Pradesh, India
Bikash Kalita
1 , Saurov
Jyoti Roy 2 , Khencha Aran 3 , Kuladip Sarma 4 ,
Amal Bawri 5
,
Dhrubajyoti Sahariah
6 & Bhaben Tanti
7
1,2,3,7 Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi
Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India.
4 Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi
Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India.
5 North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda
& Folk Medicine Research, Ministry of Ayush,
Government of India, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh
791102, India.
6 Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi
Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India.
1 bikashkalita1996@gmail.com, 2
sskk2102015@gmail.com, 3 khescha216@gmail.com, 4 kldpsarma@gauhati.ac.in,
5 amalbawri@gmail.com, 6 dhrubajyoti@gauhati.ac.in, 7
btanti@gauhati.ac.in (corresponding author)
Editor: K. Haridasan,
Palakkad, Kerala, India. Date
of publication: 26 October 2024 (online & print)
Citation: Kalita, B., S.J. Roy, K. Aran, K.
Sarma, A. Bawri, D. Sahariah & B. Tanti (2024). Extended
distribution of Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don (Melanthiaceae),
an endangered species from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(10):
26049–26052. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9265.16.10.26049-26052
Copyright: © Kalita et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate
credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: The study was part of a project under Strategic Programs Large Initiatives and Coordinated Action Enabler (SPLICE) climate change programme funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India (Award number: DST/CCP/MRDP/192/2019(G)).
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the
Arunachal Pradesh Biodiversity Board (APBB), Government of Arunachal Pradesh,
India, for granting the necessary permissions for our field study. We also
acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India,
for funding this research through Strategic Programmes, Large Initiatives, and
Coordinated Action Enabler (SPLICE) climate change programme (Award number:
DST/CCP/MRDP/192/2019(G)). Additionally,
we are grateful for the support provided by the DST-PURSE 2022 Program (Special
Call) [TPN-84912].
The Indian Himalayan region (IHR)
is known for its rich biodiversity, where a large number of threatened plant
species have been reported (Mehta et al. 2021). A large number of endemic
species have been found to occur from the western to eastern Himalayan regions
of India. Apart from its natural beauty and mountainous terrain, it is home to
various rich cultural heritage with diverse ethnic groups and languages
coexisting in the region. Moreover, the
state of Arunachal Pradesh which falls under the eastern Himalaya region is
considered a major hub of plant diversity (Choudhury et al. 2009). A large number of both endemic and
medicinally important plant species have been recorded from Arunachal Pradesh,
India (Paul et al. 2005; Sarma et al. 2023). Despite
the rich biological diversity of the state, the biodiversity is yet to be
explored and not properly documented.
The genus Trillium L. (Melanthiaceae) is represented by 38 species from North
America and 11 species from Asia (POWO 2023) from which two species, viz., Trillium
govanianum and Trillium tschonoskii
are endemic to the Indian Himalayan region (Kubota et al. 2006; Chauhan et
al. 2019, 2020). So far, the species has been recorded from other regions of
Asia like Japan, which has recorded the highest number of species of this genus
Trillium (11 species; Chauhan et al. 2019, 2020). Among the two species
of Trillium in India, is T. govanianum Wall.
ex D.Don is a long perennial
herb with an underground medicinally important rhizome (Kubota et al. 2006).
The species is commonly known as ‘Nag Chhatri’ in India, which is native to the
Himalayan region, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, China (Tibet), and Pakistan (Fukuda
2001; Roskov et al. 2018). The species mostly grow in
the temperate and sub-alpine regions at an altitude of 2,400–3,500 m (Uniyal & Datta 2012; Sharma
et al. 2018). The species distribution is restricted to distinct
pockets in the Himalaya due to specialised
ecological needs (Chauhan et al. 2020). In the Indian Himalaya, the species is
known from Uttarakhand (Gangotri, Govind Pasu Vihar, Harsil,
Kedarnath, Munsiyari, Pindari, Panchachuli, Raithal, Sukhi, Sayara, Sunderdunga, and Tehri-Garhwal in Bhagirathi Valley), Himachal Pradesh (Kullu, Shimla, Kinnaur, and Lahul Spiti), Jammu & Kashmir
(Doda & Kishtwar, Bandipora district, Fatehpur, Gulmarg, Kanzalwan,
Pahalgam, Poonch, Gurez, Sonamarg, Machil, Sinthan top, Lidderwat, Bangus, and Ramnagar forest range), and Sikkim (Chauhan & Bisht
2020). The population of T. govanianum species
has drastically decreased from its natural habitat within the Himalayan region
since 2010 due to its high medicinal properties which are very similar to Paris
polyphylla Smith (Ajuha
2013). The rhizome of this species is used to treat different ailments such as
inflammation, menstrual, and sexual illness and possesses other properties such
as anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and anticancer (Pant & Samant 2010; Rahman et al. 2017; Singh et al. 2017; Chauhan
et al. 2019; Chauhan & Bisht 2020). Over the past few years, high demand
for rhizomes in the commercial market resulted in unsustainable harvesting and
over-exploitation by the local inhabitants of the Himalayan region. Therefore,
the population status of the species T. govanianum
is considered ‘Endangered’ under criterion A4cd as per the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species (Chauhan & Bisht 2020). While exploring medicinal plant
diversity in Arunachal Pradesh from April 2022 to May 2023, an interesting
species was recorded at Mandala, West Kameng
District, Arunachal Pradesh. Scrutiny of relevant taxonomic literature (Hajra et al. 1996; Wu & Raven 2000), the species is
identified as Trillium govanianum. The
identity has been confirmed through consultation of protologue and image of the
type specimen (E00318412image!). Even though this part of the eastern Himalaya
has been aptly surveyed botanically by different botanists since the period of
Griffith (1836), Hooker (1892), Ward (1929), Ward (1930), Bor
(1938), none of them reported the existence of the species under study in the state
of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The present study also revealed that the species T.
govanianum is one of the major associated species
of P. polyphylla in the Mandala region. The
details of information regarding the distribution of this species in the Sikkim
Himalaya region are also limited. Hence, the present collection of the taxon
from Arunachal Pradesh is a new record for the state.
Type: India, Himachal Pradesh, Sirmore, G. Govan sn. (E00318412 image!)
Herb, up to 30 cm tall, rhizome
up to 2 cm thick, fibrous roots numerous. Leaves 3, petiole 0.3–1.5 cm long;
oval to ovate or cordate, 3.5-–11 × 3–11 cm, acute to acuminate, glabrous,
reticulate venation. Flower solitary, terminal, pedicellate; pedicel 0.8–2.2 cm
long, stout. Perianth segments, dark purple, narrowly lanceolate, outer
segments broader, inner narrower. Stamens six, in two whorls, shorter than the
perianth; filaments up to 4 mm long; anthers 4–5 mm long, basifixed, curved,
longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary purple, 3–locular; styles 3, linear. Fruit
berry, ovoid-globose, red, 1–2 cm in diameter; seeds many, oblong, small.
Flowering: April–May
Fruiting: May–June
Ecology: The species is
mostly distributed under shady, moist, and low humid areas at an altitude
3,100–3,250 m along with Paris polyphylla Sm.,
Senecio diversifolius
Wall., Fragaria nubicola
Lindl. ex Lacaita
Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh,
Mandala, West Kameng, 27.274° N, 92.258° E, elevation
3,154 m; Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand);
Afghanistan; Bhutan; China (Tibet [or Xizang] Guizhou); Nepal; Pakistan (Figure
1).
Specimen Examined: INDIA: Mandala, West Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh 27.274° N, 92.258° E, elevation
3,154 m, April 2022, B. Kalita (GUBH 20632; 07 September
2022).
Note: The species is listed as
‘Endangered” in the IUCN Red List (3.1 version; Chauhan & Bisht 2020). The
present investigation revealed that the occurrence of the species is very rare,
and the population is confined to only one locality in Arunachal Pradesh with a
few individuals. The species shares the same habitat with Paris polyphylla in the high-altitude areas in the state,
which is a fragile habitat. Therefore, for the conservation of this taxon along
with other high-altitude medicinal plants, the habitat of this species needs to
be declared a conservation site. A distribution map is also provided for the
conservation management of this taxon.
For
figure & image - - click here for full PDF
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