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INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH X 43
Volume : 4 | Issue : 7 | July 2014 | ISSN - 2249-555X
ReseaRch PaPeR
Rediscovery of Dalbergia coromandeliana Prain from
Dindigul Hills, Tamil Nadu, India
R. Kottaimuthu N. Vasudevan
Centre for Research in Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan
College, Madurai-625 022, Tamil Nadu, India.
Centre for Research in Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan
College, Madurai-625 022, Tamil Nadu, India.
Keywords
Dalbergia coromandeliana, Endemic, Legume, Rediscovery.
Botany
ABSTRACT Dalbergia coromandeliana Prain, an endemic and endangered species has been recollected from Dindigul
hills after a lapse of 50 years. Detailed description, nomenclature, illustration and other relevant notes are
provided for the easy identification of the taxa in the field.
Introduction
The genus Dalbergia belongs to the tribe Dalbergieae, com-
prising 100-120 species mostly distributed in the tropical re-
gions (Lewis et al., 2005). It has about 25 species in India
(Sanjappa, 1992) of which 17 species are reported from Tamil
Nadu (Vajravelu, 1983). Most species of Dalbergia are charac-
terised by the presence of an alkaloid dalbergin. During the
course of studies on legumes of Dindigul district, the first au-
thor has collected some interesting specimens of Dalbergia
from the foothills of Alagar hills, Karandamalai, Pannamalai
and Sirumalai hills. On critical studies with relevant literature
(Prain, 1901 & 1904) and authentic specimens housed at MH
and Kew it was identified as Dalbergia coromandeliana Prain.
Scanning of literature revealed that the species is poorly
known endemic legume of Tamil Nadu (Ahmedullah & Nayar,
1986; Nayar, 1996; Thothathri, 1987) and it has not been rec-
ollected during the last 50 years. Moreover, it is very poorly
represented in the herbaria. Hence, a detailed description,
nomenclature, ecology and other relevant notes are provid-
ed for the easy identification and better understanding of the
taxa in the field.
Dalbergia coromandeliana
Prain in J. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 70: 60. 1901 & in Ann. Roy. Bot.
Gard. 10(1): 46. 1904; Brandis, Indian Trees 235. 1907. Gam-
ble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1: 382. 1918; Vajr. in Nair & A. N. Henry,
Fl. Tamil Nadu Ser. I, Analysis 1: 102. 1983; Thoth., Tax. Rev.
Tribe Dalberigeae in Ind. Subcontintent 126. 1987. Dalbergia
spinosa Wight & Arn., Prodr. Fl. Pen. Ind. Or. 266. 1834 non
Roxb.
An erect shrub, ultimate branches bifarious, horizontal, rigid
and ending in spines. Leaves imparipinnate, 4-9 cm long,
stipulate, fasicled on tubercles; leaflets 7-11, rarely upto 13,
alternate, rarely subopposite, elliptic or cuneate-oblong,
6-9 x 3-8 mm, entire, obtuse at apex, rounded to cuneate
at base, glabrous, lateral veins indistinct; rachis puberulous,
petiolules very short, 0.5 mm long, stipules small, caducous.
Inflorescence flowers second in cymose panicles which are
fascicled on small tubercles, panicles 2-3.5 cm long. Flowers
white to yellow, 3-4 mm long, distinctly pedicellate; bract and
bracteoles caduceus; bracts lanceolate, bracteoles 2, ovate,
at the base of the calyx cup; pedicels 1-2 mm long. Calyx
campanulate, 2-3 mm long, glabrous without, 5-toothed,
teeth ovate-obtuse except the lowest which is longer and
lanceolate. Corolla papilionaceous, zygomorphic, vexillum
ovate-orbicular / obovate, retuse to emarginated at apex,
3-3.5 mm long, shortly clawed; wings and keels oblong, dis-
tinctly clawed. Stamens 9, mostly monadelphous, sheath 3
mm long. Ovary 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous except at the pu-
berulous dorsal suture, stipitate, style stout, stigma minute,
ovules 2-3. Pod indehiscent, stalked, ovate-oblong, 1.7-3.8
x 1.4-1.5 cm, thin and membranous, subacute to acute at
apex, narrowed at base, glabrous, distinctly reticulate against
the seed portion, 1-seeded; seeds large, reniform, 1.2-1. X
0.5-0.7 cm, compressed.
Flowering & Fruiting: April-July & July-August.
Distribution: India (Tamil Nadu)-Endemic.
Specimens examined: Tamil Nadu:
Dindigul District; Alagar Hills, 260m, foot hills, RKM 151540;
Sirumalai hills, RKM 151547; Palamedu-Vadipatti Ghat road,
RKM 151542; Karandamalai, foot hills RKM 151580; Panna-
malai foot hills, RKM 151570.
Ecology:
Rarely seen in the scrub jungles.
Remarks:
Dalbergia coromandeliana closely resembles Dlabergia hor-
rida but can be distinguished from the later by the distinctly
pedicellate flowers, erect shrubby habit and ovate-oblong,
glabrous pods. Similarly, it also resembles D. spinosa, both
look alike in their vegetative stage but the pod is the chief
distinguishing character between them (Prain, 1901).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful to the Management of Saraswathi Narayanan
College for facilities and encouragements and also grateful
to the Joint-Director, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Cir-
cle, Coimbatore to consult the herbarium.
REFERENCE Ahmedullah, M. and M. P. Nayar 1987. Endemic Plants of Indian Region. Vol. 1: Peninsular India. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta. | Lewis, G.,
B. Schrire, B. Mackinder and M. Lock 2005. Legumes of the World. The Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. | Nayar, M.P. 1996. Hotspots of Endemic
Plants of India, Nepal and Bhutan. Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram. | Prain, D. 1901. Novicae Indicae 18. The Asiatic species
of Dalbergia. J. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 70: 39-65. | Prain, D. 1904. The species of Dalbergia of South eastern Asia. Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. 10(1): 1-114. | Sanjappa, M. 1992.
Legumes of India. Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. | Thothathri, K. 1987. Taxonomic revision of the tribe Dalbergieae in the Indian Subcontinent. Botanical Survey
of India, Calcutta. | Vajravelu, E. 1983. Dalbergia. In: Nair, N.C. and A.N. Henry (Eds), Flora of Tamil Nadu, India. Ser. 1: Analysis vol. 1. Botanical Survey of India,
Coimbatore. |