An intensive field survey was carried out from the hilly regions, plains of different climatic regimes and agricultural land of Gujarat state. About 23 species were collected from Gujarat state, from which eight species viz., Actiniopteris radiata (Sw.) Link, Adiantum caudatum L., A. incisum Forssk., Lygodium flexuosum (L.) Sw., Pteris vittata L., Selaginella ciliaris (Retz.) Spring, S. delicatula (Desv. ex Poir.) Alston, and S. repanda (Desv. ex Poir.) Spring. were added as new distributional record for the Gujarat state. Increasing anthropogenic pressure, destruction of forest ecosystem and development of infrastructure facilities including road widening and rainwater harvesting program by deepening of the natural ponds are additional reasons for declining terrestrial and aquatic pteridophyte diversity respectively. Our survey concludes that E. debile is regionally extinct in the wild while Isoetes coromandeliana, will be lost from its natural habitat in short time if not conserved properly. Therefore, there is an urgent need of in situ conservation by developing action plans in collaboration with the state forest department.
Occurrence of Isoetes coromandeliana L.f. in natural ponds of Harni, Savali and Tuwa (India) is known since 1956 by earlier workers. Equisetum debile Roxb. ex Voucher was also reported in 1962 growing as wild at Savali. Available literature indicates that I. coromandeliana falls under the category of ‘near threatened’ in Asian continents and as an ‘endangered species’ at national (India) level. In the current field work study, the authors could not locate the investigated species from the locations earlier documented by researchers. Few saplings of I. coromandeliana were observed at Talod and Vaktapur near Gandhinagar, a new location for the species. In contrast, E. debile appeared to be lost in wild from Gujarat. Their extinction from earlier reported locations is associated with anthropogenic pressure and thus legal action for their protection is needed. The present paper suggests further survey and habitat based studies and recommends conservation and management action plans based upon the ecology of the habitat.
A new species, Ophioglossum gujaratense, is described from Gujarat state (India). It resembles O. polyphyllum in the presence of sheathing rhizomorph and 1–4 (rarely 5) trophophylls. On the other hand, rhizomorph morphology, common stalk, trophophyll arrangement, leaf lamina and leaf base make it distinct from O. polyphyllum. Stoloniferous roots, trophophyll number and their arrangement of the new species also resemble O. parvifolium and O. nudicaule. However, both these species lack a sheath around the leaf-stem base. A comparative account of morphologically similar species, viz. O. gujaratense, O. polyphyllum, O. parvifolium and O. nudicaule is provided. The distinctness of the new taxon has been confirmed using molecular data from chloroplast genome markers viz rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnF-trnE and trnL-trnF.
Gujarat is the westernmost state of India and is known for varied climatic conditions starting from moist deciduous forest to pure desert conditions as in the Greater Rann of Kachchh. A major part of the geographical area of Gujarat is a semi-arid region with dry climatic conditions; but studies on pteridophyte diversity of Gujarat state have always been neglected by botanists. Consequently, the diversity of pteridophytes in the state was poorly represented with 12 genera and only 16 species reported in previous literature. The present investigation was carried out to document species diversity and to update the checklist of pteridophytes occurring in Gujarat state. A total of 50 naturally occurring species or subspecies representing 23 genera in 14 families were collected from different regions of the state. An additional 13 species cultivated in the University Botanical Garden or in homes and gardens have also been noted. Among the indigenous species, Aleuritopteris anceps, A. formosana, Ceratopteris thalictroides subsp. thalictroides, Ophioglossum indicum, O. lancifolium, O. lusoafricanum and O. petiolatum are reported as new distributional records for the state. The maximum diversity was observed in south Gujarat, followed by Central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region whereas less diversity was observed in the North and Kachchh regions. Results of our study are compared to findings made by earlier workers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.