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Bioscience Discovery, 8(3): 495-501, July - 2017

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Research Article

Some new distributional reports to Arunachal Pradesh, North

East India

K. Jeyaprakash1*

and S. Rathinavel2

1North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India), Pasighat-791102, East

Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh 2Department of Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan College (Autonomous), Perungudi, Madurai-625 022, Tamil

Nadu, India

*[email protected]

Article Info

Abstract

Received: 06-06-2017,

Revised: 29-06-2017,

Accepted: 30-06-2017

Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster (Euphorbiaceae), Rotula aquatica Lour.,

(Boraginaceae) Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn., Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T.

Anders., Torenia fournieri Linden ex Fourn., and Trivalvaria dubia (Kurz) J.

Sinclair are recorded first time from Arunachal Pradesh, North Eastern India.

Detailed descriptions and photographs are provided for easy identification.

Keywords:

Six new records, Arunachal

Pradesh, North East India.

INTRODUCTION

The exploration of vegetation wealth of a region

gives us correct understanding of bio resources for

the betterment of human beings (Khan et al., 2015).

Arunachal Pradesh, by virtue of its geographical

position, climate conditions and altitudinal

variations, is a biodiversity rich region in North

East India, with large zone of tropical wet

evergreen, subtropical, temperate and alpine forests

(Bawri et al., 2014). The present report of floristic

records provides available information on six

species of vascular plants which were reported from

the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India for the first

time. These plants were collected from nearby

forest area of Pasighat (28.0619° N, 95.3259° E)

and its surrounding area during the recent field

surveys. All the specimens were taxonomically

verified using existing floristic treatises listed ahead

and herbarium consultation at Botanical Survey of

India, Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar

(ARUN). The flora of Arunachal Pradesh is still

under explorations, and the present botanical survey

only contributes to some extent to the floristic

diversity of Arunachal Pradesh State. Perusal of the

old literature on the flora of Arunachal Pradesh,

such as A Contribution to the Flora of Namdapha,

Arunachal Pradesh (Chauhan et al., 1996),

Materials for the flora of Arunachal Pradesh (Hajra

et al., 1996), Note on the floristic diversity and

vegetation types of the Mouling National Park,

Arunachal Pradesh. Himalayan Biosphere Reserves

(Kumar et al., 2004), A preliminary report on

floristic diversity of Dihang Dibang biosphere

reserve of Arunachal Pradesh, Bulletin of

Arunachal Forest Research (Choudhary, 2008),

Phytodiversity and forest resources of Kane

Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh (Dash,

2009), recent study from Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary

and Tiger Reserve in East Kameng District (Tag et

al., 2012), Floral diversity of Arunachal Pradesh-

Upper Subansiri District (Ambrish, 2013) revealed

that, Phyllanthus fraternus, Rotula aquatica,

Synedrella nodiflora, Thunbergia erecta, Torenia

fournieri and Trivalvaria dubia are new records for

the state. For all the species, voucher specimens

were deposited at the CAL and at North Eastern

Institute of Folk Medicine, Pasighat, Arunachal

Pradesh, for future reference. Detailed description,

http://jbsd.in 496 ISSN: 2229-3469 (Print)

K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel

geographical distribution, ecology and photo plates are provided for its easy recognition.

TAXONOMIC TREATMENT

Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster in Contr. Gray

Herb. 176: 53. 1955 & in J. Arnold Arbor. 38: 309,

f. 19 G & H. 1957; R.L.Mitra & S.K. Jain in Bull.

Bot. Surv. India 27: 172, f. 3. 1985 (publ. 1987). P.

niruri auct. non L. 1753: sensu Hook.f., Fl. Brit.

India 5: 298. 1887, p. p.

Herbs, annual, erect or ascending, 10 - 50

cm high; stem without leaves; deciduous branchlets

4 – 8 cm long, subterete with a narrow sharp wing

on either side, scabridulous, especially along ridges

of wings, 10 – 30-leaved; internodes 2 – 4 mm long;

leaf-bearing branchlets 2 - 15 cm long, flat, striate

and winged or angled, usually scabridulous. Leaves

narrowly to broadly oblong, elliptic-oblong,

orbicular, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, rounded,

obtuse, acute or cuneate at base, rounded, obtuse,

apiculate or mucronulate at apex, 2 – 20 x 1 – 12

mm, membranous to thinly coriaceous, glabrous or

sometimes scabrid on midrib above, glabrous to

scabrid on major nerves beneath; lateral nerves 4 - 7

pairs; petioles 0.4 - 1 mm long; stipules linear-

lanceolate or subulate, truncate at base, entire, 0.4 -

2 x 0.3 - 0.5 mm, thin, scarious. Inflorescences

proximal cymules consisting of 1 - 3 male flowers

or together with 1 female flower, distal cymules

usually bearing solitary female or sometimes with a

male flower also; bracts ovate-lanceolate or linear-

lanceolate, 0.5 - 1.5 x 0.2 - 0.6 mm, scarious, white-

margined.

Fig.: 1. Phyllanthus fraternus: A. Habit, B. Male flower twig, C. Tender fruit and D. Mature fruit

Male flowers: pedicels 0.5 - 1 mm long, slender,

scabrid to glabrous; sepals 3 + 3, subequal, broadly

elliptic, obovate-elliptic, obovate-oblong to

suborbicular, 0.3 - 1 x 0.2 - 0.5 mm, hyaline and

white-margined, glabrous; disc glands 6,

suborbicular, obovate or flabellate, ca 0.1 mm

across; stamens 3; filaments connate into ca 0.2 mm

long column; anthers sessile at column apex,

suborbicular or squarish, ca 0.1 mm across,

horizontally or obliquely dehiscent; antherthecae

divergent. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5 - 3 mm

long, glabrous; sepals 3 + 3, unequal, obovate,

oblanceolate, linear-spathulate, obtuse to subacute

at apex, 1 - 2 x 0.3 - 1 mm, entire, scarious and

white-margined, sometimes scabrid outside; disc in

a ring, irregularly cup-shaped, deeply dissected with

linear or subulate segments; ovary subglobose, 0.5 -

0.8 mm in diam., glabrous; styles 3, free,



erect or ascending, slender, bifid at apex. Fruits

subglobose or depressed, 1 - 2 x 2 - 3 mm,

shallowly 3-lobed or 3-angled, smooth; fruiting

pedicels 1.2 – 3.5 mm long; seeds trigonous, 1 - 1.5

x 0.7 - 1 mm, with 6 or 7 longitudinal ribs on the

back.

Flowers & Fruits: July – January.

Distribution: India: N.E. India: Arunachal Pradesh,

Mizoram and Tripura; North & South India and

Lakshadweep Islands.

Habitat and Ecology: This species is commonly

found on the road side, slopes along stream sides

with stone mixed soil, at 183 – 226 m elevations.

The commonly associated species in the habitat

include Pachira aquatica Aublet, Mikania

micrantha Kunth, Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees,

Cyathula prostrata (Linnaeus) Blume, Polygonum

chinense Linnaeus, Amorphophallus napalensis

(Wallich) Bogner & Mayo, Dioscorea bulbifera

Linnaeus, Elsholtzia blanda (Bentham) Bentham,

Piper sylvaticum Roxburgh., Chloranthus

officinalis Blume, Mussaenda frondosa Linnaeus

and Solanum spirale Roxburgh.

Specimens examined: N.E. India: Arunachal

Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along roadside;

K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00389 & 00431.

Rotula aquatica Lour., Fl. Cochinch.121. 1790;

I.M. Johnst. in J. Arn. Arb. 32:15.1951; Haridasan

& Rao, For. Fl. Meghalaya 2: 633. 1987;

Chowdhery et al., in Giri et al., Mater. Fl. Aruun.

Pradesh 2:189. 2008. Rhabdia lycioides acut. Non

Mart. 1827:C.B. Clarke in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India

4: 145 1883; Kanjilal et al., Fl. Assam 3: 335.1939.

Trailing shrubs with flexuous branches, 1-3 m

height, gray or black-gray, tender branch usually

reddish, glabrous. Leaves alternate or fascicled, 1-

2.5 x 7 mm, sessile, oblong-oblanceolate, ±

leathery, strigose, base rounded, cuneate to broadly

cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, mucronate.

Flowers solitary or in few flowered cymes axillary;

calyx 3.5 mm long 5-partite, lobes lanceolate;

corolla pink, 6 mm long, 7 mm across,

campanulate, 5-lobed; stamens 5, anthers sagitate at

base; ovary 4-celled, style filiform, stigma capitate.

Fruit drupe, globose, brownish red when ripe,

nearly dry. ca. 4 mm in diam., tipped with a

persistent style. Seeds 4, (1-seeded) pyrenes, free,

yellowish, smooth.

Flowers & Fruits: November-March

Distribution: Nearly throughout India; China,

Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,

Thailand, Vietnam.

Habitat and Ecology: This species is rarely found

in Pasighat Siang River with stone mixed soil from

Komlighat to D’Ering Wildlife sanctuary. The

commonly associated species in the habitat include

Dichrocephala integrifolia (L.f.) Kuntze, Homonoia

riparia Lour., Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan,

Fimbristylis bis-umbellata (Forssk.) Bubani,

Kyllinga nemoralis (Forst.) Dandy ex Hutch., and

Dalziel, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.

Specimen examined: N.E. India: Arunachal

Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat, Siang river

(Komlighat); K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-413.

Fig.: 2. Rotula aquatica Habit



Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn., Fruct 2:456. T.

171. F. 7. 1791; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 3:308.

1881. Deb, the Fl. Trip. 2:227. 1983; Islam, Fl.

Majuli 183. 1990; Chowdhery in Hajra et al., Fl.

India 12: 413. 1995. Bora and Kumar, Fl. Diver. of

Assam: Study of Pabitora WL. Sanct. 201. 2003.

Verbesina nodiflora L., Cent. Pl.1:28. 1755 &

Amoen. Acad 4:290. 1759.

Erect herbs; stem adpressed hairy. Leaves

simple, opposite, 4-8 x 0.6-4 cm, ovate or ovate

lanceolate, apex acute, base cuneate to truncate,

narrowly winged on the petiole, margin serrate,

scabrous on both sides, basally 3-nerved; petiole to

3 cm. Heads solitary, axillary and terminal, few-

flowered, 0.5-1 cm across, radiate. Phyllaries 2-

seriate; outer foliaceous, inner paleaceous. Flowers

heterogamous, yellow. Ray flowers: female; corolla

tube 2-2.5 mm long; ligule 1-2 mm long, 2-3-lobed;

ovary 3 mm long, oblong, winged; style-arms acute.

Disc flowers; bisexual; corolla tube 2-3 mm long,

lobes 5; stamens 5, included, ovary 2-3 mm long.

achenes 3-4 mm long, dimorphic: of ray florets

dorsally compressed, with lacerate wings; of disc

florets trigonous, not winged, with 2 or 3 rigid

awns.

Flowers & Fruits: Throughout the year.

Distribution: Pantropics.


found on the road side, slopes along stream sides

with stone mixed soil. The commonly associated

species in the habitat include Mikania micrantha

Kunth, Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees, Cyperus

rotundus Linnaeus, Cyathula prostrata (Linnaeus)

Blume, Polygonum chinense Linnaeus,

Amorphophallus napalensis (Wallich) Bogner &

Mayo, Dioscorea bulbifera Linnaeus, Chloranthus

officinalis Blume, Mussaenda frondosa Linnaeus

and Solanum spirale Roxburgh.


Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along road side;

K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-356 & 501.

Fig.: 3. Synedrella nodiflora Habit

Thunbergia erecta (Bentham) T. Anderson in J.

Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 7: 18. 1863. Bor &

Raizada, Beaut. Ind. Climb. & Shrubs 107. pl. 38.

1954; Lanewala & H.M. Nasir, Dec. Fl.

Kar. 65. 1982. Meyenia erecta Benth, Niger Fl. 476.

1849 (GRIN).

Shrub, 1.5-3 m tall, glabrous, branches

slender, tetragonous, leaves small, ovate to

subrhombic, 2-5 X 2.8 cm, acute or acuminate at

apex, obtuse or acute at base, entire to slightly

undulate, glabrous or slightly strigillose, 3-5 veined;

flowers axillary, solitary, pediciels 2-2.3 cm long,

bracts 15 x 10 mm, oblique, acute, deciduous,

globrous or nearly so; calyx teeth 8-12, subulate, 1-

4 mm long, glandular hairy; corolla tube curved,

deep violet with white abaxial and yellow adaxial

throat, lobes equal, suborbicular, 5 – 6 cm long and

3 – 4 cm across apex and 1.5 cm throat, glandular

hairy outside, lobes subequal, 1.5 cm long, obtuse;

staminal filaments glandular-hairy; anthers oblong,

4 mm long, mucronate; style 3 – 3.5 cm long;

stigma 2-lobed.



Flowering: November – March; Fruiting: February

– April

Distribution: Throughout tropics.


grown for ornament and cultivated widely in

tropics. The commonly associated species in the

habitat include Amorphophallus napalensis

(Wallich) Bogner & Mayo, Crotalaria retusa

Linnaeus, Cyperus rotundus Linnaeus, Dioscorea

bulbifera Linnaeus, Duranta erecta Linnaeus and

Mikania micrantha Kunth.

Fig.: 4. Thunbergia erecta Habit


Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat, in front of

NEIFM office, K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM- 561.

Torenia fournieri Linden ex Fourn., Ill. Hort. 23:

129. 1876; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 957(672).

1923; Manilal & Sivar., Fl. Calicut 196. 1982.

Herbs, 15–50 cm tall. Stems erect,

quadrangular, simple or branched above middle,

subglabrous. Petiole 1–2 cm; leaf blade oblong-

ovate to ovate, 3–5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, subglabrous,

margin coarsely serrate. Racemes often terminal;

bracts linear, 2–5 mm. Pedicel 1–2 cm. Calyx

ellipsoid, 1.3–1.9 × ca. 0.8 cm, green or purple-red

at apex and margin, 5-winged; wings decurrent, ca.

2 mm wide, becoming ca. 3 mm wide in fruit; lips

subtriangular, 1.5–1.7 cm, sometimes apically

lobed. Corolla 2.5–4 cm, exceeding calyx by 1–2.3

cm; tube pale violet, upper side yellow; lower lip

lobes purpleblue, middle lobe with a yellow patch

near base, oblong to suborbicular, ca. 10 × 8 mm,

subequal; upper lip pale blue, erect, broadly

obovate, 1–1.2 × 1.2–1.5 cm, emarginate. Stamens

unappendaged. Capsule narrowly ellipsoid ca. 12 ×

0.5 mm. Seeds yellow.

Flowering: June; Fruiting: January

Distribution: Throughout the world.

Habitat and Ecology: This species cultivated for

ornamental purposes. The commonly associated

species in the habitat include Duranta erecta

Linnaeus, Mikania micrantha Kunth, Mussaenda

frondosa Linnaeus and Pachira aquatica Aublet,

Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster Solanum spirale

Roxburgh.


Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat under

cultivation; K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00331.

Trivalvaria dubia (Kurz) J. Sinclair in Gard. Bull.

Singapore 14:47. 1995. Polyalthia dubia Kurz, For.

Fl. Brit. burma 1:38. 1877. Popowia kurzii King in

Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Calc. 4:122, t. 163 B. 1893.

Erect shrub, less than 1 m height and stem

2.5 - 3 cm girth, young shoots pubescent, dark

brown. Leaves, elliptic-oblong-obovate, 9.4-32 x

3.7-10.2 cm, base cuneate or round, sometime

oblique, apex acuminate, leaf blade leathery,

adaxially dark green and abaxially pale green,

glabrous above, slightly pubescent on midrib and

later nerves beneath (whole blade on tender leaves),

9-13 pairs of secondary veins, petiole pubescent, 8-

11 mm long. Inflorescences extra axillary, single or

in pair white; bracts 1-3, triangular-ovate, 4 x 4

mm. Flowers polygamous (male and bisexual).

Pedicel 5 mm, brown tomentose. Buds 5 mm, sepal

pink. Sepals-3, triangular to ovate, ca. 5 x 4 mm,

densely brown tomentose outside, apex acuminate.



Fig.:5. Torenia fournieri Habit

Petals 6 in two whorls in imbricate. Outer petals

valvate, convex, oblong, thick (succulent), white-

dirty pale yellow, rarely with pinky violet batch on

middle adaxially, spreading silky tomemtose on

abaxially especially mid vein and margin, glabrous

inside, ca. 13-15 x 6 mm, apex acute. Inner petals

valvate, concave, elliptic-obovate, ca. 13-15 x 5

mm, thick (less than outer petals), white, tomentose

on only mid vein on abaxially, acuminate and

incurved at tip. Male flowers: torus conical;

stamens 29 nos. ca. 2 mm oblong, pubescent,

connective apex shield like. Bisexual flowers: torus

cylindrical; stamens few, around the carpals; carpals

15-17, densely tomentose; style white, pubescent,

ca. 3 mm. Fruiting pedicel 5 mm, sepals and scaly

bracts are persistence, stipes red, ca. 7-8 mm,

monocarp 9-17, green when tender, sometimes

glaucous, ripening red, ellipsoid to oblong, ca. 16-

20 x 6-8 mm, sparsely tomentose, apex cuspidate

slightly curved., seed pale brown, 16 x 8 mm with

two longitudinal channels.

Flowering: April-June; Fruiting: June-November

Distribution: India: N. E. India: Assam, Arunachal

Pradesh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Myanmar.

Fig.:6. Trivalvaria dubia Habit




found on the slopes along stream sides with stone

mixed soil, at 183 – 226 m elevations. The

commonly associated species in the habitat include

Amorphophallus napalensis (Wallich) Bogner &

Mayo, Chloranthus officinalis Blume, Cyathula

prostrata (Linnaeus) Blume, Dioscorea bulbifera

Linnaeus, Elsholtzia blanda (Bentham) Bentham,

Mikania micrantha Kunth, Mussaenda frondosa

Linnaeus and Pachira aquatic Aublet.,

Phlagocanthus thirciflorus Nees, Phyllanthus

fraternus G.L.Webster Piper sylvaticum Roxburgh.,

Polygonum chinense Linnaeus, Solanum spirale

Roxburgh.

Ethnobotany: Local name: Singkyng bonyang

(Adi); Uses: Fruits are edible.


Pradesh: East Siang Dist. Pasighat along roadside,

K. Jeyaprakash NEIFM-00513.

Phyllanthus fraternus, Rotula aquatica,

Synedrella nodiflora, Thunbergia erecta, Torenia

fournieri and Trivalvaria dubia were found that

growing in stone mixed soil in the nearby area

Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. The present initiative

to study those species in Arunachal Pradesh

believed to provide the baseline information on the

species that can be useful for formulation of

conservation strategy.

Acknowledgement

The first author is thankful to The Director and

other officials of North Eastern Institute of Folk

Medicine (Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India),

Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh for their

encouragements and providing facilities for

carryout research work and Dr. R. Murugan,

Assistant Professor in Research, School of

Chemical & Biotechnology, Sastra University,

Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, also acknowledged for his

help on species identification.

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How to Cite this Article:

K. Jeyaprakash and S. Rathinavel, 2017. Some new distributional reports to Arunachal Pradesh, North

East India. Bioscience Discovery, 8(3):495-501.

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