Flower bud growth, mortality rate, and population structure of Sapria himalayana> Griffith f. <albovinosa Banziger & Hansen (Rafflesiaceae) in a subtropical forest, northeastern India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9964.18.2.28287-28295Keywords:
Anthesis, anthropogenic, bract, conservation, copule, crucial, endemic, extinction, perigone, rareAbstract
apria himalayana Griff. f. albovinosa Banziger & Hansen (Rafflesiaceae) is rare and endemic to northeastern Thailand, Vietnam, and Manipur, with a short flowering season ranging from late October to late November, due to which its detailed phenology is poorly understood. To protect this valuable taxon from extinction threats, monitoring the growth of flower buds is crucial. The objectives of this study were to analyse the growth of flower buds at various developmental stages, the mortality rate, and the population structure of Sapria himalayana f. albovinosa. The buds were monitored, vertically photographed, and measurements of the plant buds and flowers were recorded for every observation. The present study resulted in the flower bud growth having six different developmental stages, namely the copule, copule-bract transition, bract, bract-perigone transition (BPT), perigone, and anthesis stage, with a diameter range of 0.3–2.3 cm, 2.4–4.0 cm, 4.1–5.5 cm, 5.6–6.1 cm, 6.2–8.1 cm, and 16–20 cm, respectively. The population was dominated by the copule stage in the initial observation, while it was dominated by the perigone and anthesis stages in the final observation, which indicated that the optimal flowering season was from late October to late November. A total of 58 flower buds were recorded, out of which 24.13% of flower buds were dead without reaching maturity due to fungal infections and were injured due to anthropogenic interventions. Hence, the information on the growth of buds, flower development stages and their mortality rate is vital for taxonomic studies, field monitoring, and conservation purposes.
References
Ahmad, A., A. Kumar, G.S. Rawat & G.V. Gopi (2020). Recent record of a threatened holoparasitic plant Sapria himalayana Griff. In Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(10): 16399–16404. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5168.12.10.16399-16401
Andreas, H. & S. Jis (2014). Sapria himalayana Griffith, an endangered species from the Mishmi Hills, Dilbang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Forester 140(4): 433–434.
Arunachalam, A., D. Adhikari, R. Sarmah, M. Majumder & M.L. Khan (2004).Population and conservation of Sapria himalayana Griffith. in NamdaphaNational Park, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 2391–2397. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BIOC.0000048488.94151.f8
Banziger, H. & B. Hansen (1997). Unmasking the real identity of Sapria poilanei Gagnepain emend., and description of Sapria ram sp. n. (Rafflesiaceae). Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society. 45: 149–170.
Bänziger, H., B. Hansen & K. Kreetiyutanont (2000). A new form of the hermit’s spittoon, Sapria himalayana Griffith f. albovinosa Bänziger and Hansen f. nov. (Rafflesiaceae), with notes on its ecology. National History Bulletin Siam Society 48: 213–219.
Bendiksby, M., T. Schumacher, G. Gussarova, J. Nais, M. Kamarudin, S. Nery, D. Madulid, S.A. Smith & T.J. Barkman (2010). Elucidating the evolutionary history of the southeast Asian, holoparasitic, giant-flowered Rafflesiaceae: Pliocene vicariance, morphological convergence and character displacement. Molecular Phylogenetic and Evolution 57(2): 620–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2010.08.005
Borah, D. & D. Ghosh (2018). Sapria himalayana: The Indian cousin of the world’s largest flower. Resonance 23(4): 479–489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-018-0637-8
Cai, L., B.J. Arnold, Z. Xi, D.E. Khost, N. Patel, C.B. Hartmann, S. Manickam, S. Sasirat, L.A. Nikolov, S. Mathews, T.B. Sackton & C.C. Davis (2021). Deeply altered genome architecture in the endoparasitic flowering plant Sapria himalayana Griff. (Rafflesiaceae). Current Biology 31(5): 1002–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.045
Elliot, S. (1992). Status, ecology and conservation of Sapria himalayana Griffith. (Rafflesiaceae) in Thailand. Journal of Wildlife Thailand 2(1): 44–52.
Galindon, J.M.M., P.S. Ong & E.S. Fernando (2016). Rafflesia consueloae (Rafflesiaceae), the smallest among giants; a new species from Luzon Island, Philippines. PhytoKeys (61): 37–46. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.61.7295
Gagnepian, F. (1941). U neespece nouvelle d’un genre monotype: Sapria. Notulae systematicae (Paris) 9: 144–145. https://biostor.org/reference/266807
Hidayati, S.N., W. Meijer, J.M. Baskin & J.L. Walck (2006). A contribution to the life history of the rare Indonesian holoparasite Rafflesia patma (Rafflesiaceae). Biotropica 32(3): 408–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2000.tb00487.x
Kamal, S.H.S., M.N. Suratman, S. Khamis, A.N.N. Hassan & M.S. Mohammad (2022). Growth rate, mortality rate and life cycle of Rafflesia azlanii and R. cantleyi in Belum-Temenggor Forest Complex, Perak, Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana 51(4): 943–957. https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2022-5104-01
Maring, K.S. & A. Pinokoyo (2024). A taxonomic note on Sapria himalayana f. albovinosa Bänziger and B. Hansen from India. Indian Forester 150(3): 292–295. https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2024/v150i3/169401
Meijer, W. (1997). Rafflesiaceae. In: Kalkman, C., D.W. Kirkup, H.P. Nooteboom, P.F. Stevens & W.J.J.O. de Wilde (eds.). Flora Malesiana, Series I: Spermatophyta, 13: 1–42. Rijksherbarium/HortusBotanicus, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Nais, J. (2001). Rafflesia of the world. Sabah Park in association with Natural History Publications (Borneo) Sdn. Bhd., Kota Kinabalu Smith RL. 1986. Elements of Ecology. Harper & Row Publishers. New York, 243 pp.
Nikolov, L.A. & C.C. Davis (2017). The big, the bad, and the beautiful: Biology of the world`s largest flowers. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 55(6): 516–524. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12260
Nikolov, L.A., P.B. Tomlinson, S. Manickam, P.K. Endress, E.M. Kramer & C.C. Davis (2014). Holoparasitic Rafflesiaceae possess the most reduced endophytes and yet give rise to the world’s largest flowers. Annals of Botany 114(2): 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu114
Nowak, D.J., M. Kuroda & D.E. Crane (2004). Tree mortality rates and tree population projections in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Urban Forestry & Urban Greeening 2(3): 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1078/1618-8667-00030
Rambey, R., N. Saputra, I.F. Rambe, B. Nopandry, S. Zunaidi, E.L. Christy, T. Setiawan, Y. Afifuddin & A. Hartanto (2023). Population and autecology of the endangered Rafflesia meijeri in Batang Gadis National Park, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24(3): 1845–1852. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d240360
Sofiyanti, N., K. Mat-Salleh, P. Puruwanto & E. Syahputra (2007). The Note on Morphology of Rafflesia hasseltii Surigar from Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park, Riau. Biodiversitas 8(4): 257–261. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d080402
Susatya, A. (2020). The growth of flower bud, life history, and population structure of Rafflesia arnoldii (Rafflesiaceae) in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21(2): 792–798. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d210247
Syiemiong, P., S.S. Chaturvedi, T. Arbenz & T. Tàmaş (2022). A note on Sapria himalayana (Griffith 1844) (Rafflesiaceae) from Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya, India). Biodiversity Journal 13(1): 73–78. https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2022.13.1.73.78
Tanaka, N., H. Nagamasu, S. Tagane, M.M. Aung, A.K. Win & P.P. Hnin (2019). Contributions to the flora of Myanmar IV: A new species and a newly recorded taxon of the genus Sapria (Rafflesiaceae). Taiwania 64(4): 357–362. https://doi.org/10.6165/tai.2019.64.357
Tolod, J.R., J.M.M. Galindon, R.R. Atienza, M.V. Duya, E.S. Fernando & P.S. Ong (2020). Flower and Fruit Development and Life History of Rafflesia consueloae (Rafflesiaceae). Philippine Journal of Science (150): 321–334. https://doi.org/10.56899/150.sl.23
Tràn, H.D., H.T. Lu’u, Q.D. Nguyen, H.C. Nguyen, P. Athen & K.M. Wong (2018). Identification, sexual dimorphism and aspects of the natural history of Sapria himalayana (Rafflesiaceae) on Vietnam’s Lang Biang Plateau. Botanical Studies 59: 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40529-018-0243-9
Wee, S.K., S.B. Tan, S.H. Tan & B.K.B. Lee (2024). Bud development, flower phenology and life history of holoparasitic Rafflesia cantleyi. Journal of Plant Research (137): 423–443. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-024-01522-7
Wu, Z. & P.H. Raven (2003). Flora of China, No.5 Science Press. Beijing and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 505 pp.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 K. Shamran Maring, Athokpam Pinokiyo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
