Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2024 | 16(10): 26035–26039

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9277.16.10.26035-26039

#9277 | Received 05 July 2024 | Final received 19 September 2024 | Finally accepted 05 October 2024

 

 

 

Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar (Balsaminaceae): an addition to the flora of Jammu & Kashmir, India

 

Naresh Kumar 1 ,  Diksha Kumari 2, Dhani Arya 3  & T.S. Rana 4

 

1,2 CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001, India.

1,3 Department of Botany, Soban Singh Jena, University Almora, Uttrakhand 263601, India.

1 Department of Botany, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttrakhand 263001, India.

2 Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India.

4 CSIR–Human Resource Development Centre, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 201002, India.

1 nareshbotanytaxo@gmail.com, 2 dikshabhardwaj783@gmail.com, 3 dhaniarya@gmail.com,

4 ranatikam@gmail.com (corresponding author)

 

 

Editor: K. Haridasan, Palakkad, Kerala, India.                 Date of publication: 26 October 2024 (online & print)

 

Citation: Kumar, N.,  D. Kumari, Dhani Arya & T.S. Rana (2024). Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar (Balsaminaceae): an addition to the flora of Jammu & Kashmir, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(10): 26035–26039. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9277.16.10.26035-26039

  

Copyright: © Kumar 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: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the director, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow for facilities and encouragement. The authors are also thankful to the authorities of the Forest Department, Jammu & Kashmir for permission to collect the plant materials. D. Kumari is also thankful to DBT for financial assistance. The manuscript has the CSIR-NBRI communication number: CSIR-NBRI_MS/2024/07/03.

 

 

Abstract: Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar is reported here as a new distribution record for the flora of Jammu & Kashmir from the Nathatop area in the forest range Batote of Ramban District. The identifying characteristics of the species include the presence of yellow streaks on the triangular lateral united petals, pinkish-white flowers, oblong-bucciniform lower sepals, abruptly constricted into hooked spurs. Previously, the species was reported from Uttarakhand.

 

Keywords: Balsams, Batote Forest Range, flora, new record, Nathatop, Ramban District.

 

 

Impatiens L. is the largest genus of the family Balsaminaceae and comprises 1,120 species in the world (POWO 2024). The genus Impatiens is mainly distributed to five distinct areas of the world: the eastern Himalaya, southern India, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia, tropical Africa, and Madagascar (Grey-Wilson 1980). The Himalaya and Western Ghats are the major centres of Impatiens diversity in India (Vivekananthan et al. 1997; Viswanathan & Manikandan 2003). In India, the genus consists of 340 taxa (314 species and 26 varieties/subspecies) mainly distributed in the eastern Himalaya, the neighbouring northeastern states, and the Western Ghats (Prabhukumar et al. 2022; Richard & Ravichandran 2023). In recent years, a few studies have been done in the western Himalaya (Pusalkar & Singh 2010; Akhter 2018; Sharma et al.  2019; Singh et al. 2022; Thakur et al. 2023;  Singh & Kumar 2024). The members of the genus Impatiens commonly called ‘Balsams’ are beautiful plants bearing curious and variously colored flowers with peculiar floral structures and are responsible for their great horticultural potential (Akhter et al. 2018).

 

Methods

Study area: The field exploration was carried out during 2019–2023 in the Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir, for the assessment and documentation of floristic diversity. While exploring the floristic diversity, the first author found an interesting population of Impatiens in the Nathatop area (Figure 1) of the Batote Forest Range in the Ramban District, growing in moist, humid places, near the passage of water, along the roadside at an elevation ranging 1,800–2,290 m. The live sample specimens were collected, and photographed. The specimen was examined for detailed micromorphological characters using a Leica stereo microscope (S8 APO). The scrutiny of protologue (Pusalkar & Singh 2010) and available relevant literature Polunin & Stainton (1984), Naithani (1984), Pusalkar & Singh (2012), Rana et al. (2003), Singh & Kachroo (1987), Sharma & Kachroo (1981), Swami & Gupta (1998), Kapur & Sarin (1990), Ishwari et al. (2017), Naithani (2019), Collett & Botting (1921), Singh & Prakash (2002),  Sharma & Jamwal (1988), and Roxburgh (1875) has confirmed the identity of the specimen as Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar. The species was first collected from Nathatop on the way to Sanasar, in the Bataote  forest  range of Ramban district. Earlier, this species was reported from the state of Uttarakhand, India (Pusalkar & Singh 2010); it has not yet been reported from the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory. The present study therefore revealed that the species would be an addition to the flora of Jammu & Kashmir, India. The collected plant herbarium specimen was prepared following the standard methods of De Vogel (1987) and Bridson & Forman (1998), and deposited in the LWG herbarium of CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow for future reference (Image 2). The habit, habitat, and flower close-up photographs are provided for easy identification (Image 1).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Taxonomic treatment

Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar.

Type: India, western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, Chamoli District, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Alkananda  Valley, on way to Ghangria, 1 km behind Ghangaria towards Govindghat, 2,900–3,100 m, 06 August 2008, Pusalkar 111017 (holotype et isotype: BSD).

Terrestrial, erect annual herb, 30−80 cm in height. Stem branched sparsely, erect, cylindrical, green, glabrous; sessile glands rounded. Leaves simple, alternate below, aggregated at the top of the stem, 5−20 × 2.5−10 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, base cuneate, apex acuminate, margin crenate with basal teeth or bristle, glabrous abaxially and adaxially, petiolated 1−4 cm long. Inflorescence both axillary and terminal, interrupted racemes, 5−15 flowered. Bract at base of pedicel, ovate, 2.5−5 × 1.5−2 mm, apex acuminate, glabrous. Flowers 2.5−3.0 cm long, pink, pedicellate; pedicel 1.8−2 cm long, glabrous. Lateral sepals 2, broadly ovate, 3.5 × 2.5 mm, green with pinkish tinge, apex acuminate, gland-tipped, glabrous. Lower sepal bacciform, 2.2 × 1.5 mm pink, abruptly constricted into spur, apex beaked, glabrous; Spur hooked, curved downwards, ca. 7–10 mm long, yellow pinkish, tip unifid. Standard petal ellipsoid, cucullate, 13−15 × 23−26 mm, pinkish, dorsally keeled; keel beaked at its apex, glabrous. Lateral united petals bilobed, 19−22 mm long, pink flushed with white and red or brown streaks on the lower portion of basal lobe; basal lobe broadly triangular 9 × 12 mm, distal lobe, 12 × 8 mm, orbicular; dorsal auricle 2 mm, rounded. Stamens 5, filaments 6.0−7.1 mm long, pinkish. Ovary ca. 6 mm long, linear, apex acuminate, green, glabrous. Capsule 18–25 mm long, linear or cylindrical, green; fruiting pedicel 22 mm long. Seeds 5−9 per capsule, 3 × 2 mm, brown, rough surface.

Specimens examined: India. Jammu & Kashmir, Ramban District, Nathatop, on the way to Sanasar, 33.115-0N, 75.2470E, 2,290m, 7 June 2019, Naresh Kumar 119393 (LWG); Uttarakhand, Chamoli District, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Alkananda Valley, on way to Ghangria, 1 km behind Ghangaria towards Govindghat, 2,900–3,100 m, 6 August 2008, Pusalkar 111017 (BSD).

Phenology: June–September

Habitats: Common in moist humid places, near the passage of water, along the roadside at an elevation range of 1,800–2,290 m.

Distribution: India (Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir).

 

Discussion

Impatiens devendrae Pusalkar was previously reported from the Uttarakhand District of Chamoli, the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, the Alkananda Valley, on the way to Ghangria, behind Ghangaria towards Govindghat in Uttarakhand (Pusalkar & Singh 2010). The species is distinguished from all the allied species by its pinkish-white flowers; oblong-bucciniform lower sepal; abruptly constricted into the hooked spur, lip white with yellowish-orange and purple spots or purple streaks within, appears pale from the outside, upper petal keeled with keel purplish-maroon on back, upper lateral petals, somewhat triangular in outline with orange, purple-colored and lower lateral petals lobed with oblong or oblong-triangular lobes, lateral lobes of lower petals are not auricle-like, usually as long as or larger than lower lobes and lower lobes of lower wings. The species was first collected from Nathatop on the way to Sanasar, in the Bataote Forest Range of Ramban District, it has not yet been reported from Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory. The present study therefore revealed that the species would be an addition to the flora of Jammu & Kashmir, India. The species is used as a fodder plant for domesticated animals and as an ornamental plant by the local inhabitants.

IUCN Status: Not assessed.

 

 

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