Pattanaik, C.

Reddy, C. S,

Reddy, K. N.

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Check List 5(3): 468–470, 2009. ISSN: 1809-127X  NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION     468Magnoliopsida, Gamopetalae, Gentianales, Asclepiadaceae, Heterostemma deccanense (Talb.) Swarup & Mangaly: Distribution, extension and geographic distribution map  Chintala Sudhakar Reddy 1  Chiranjibi Pattanaik 2 Kamasani Narsimha Reddy 3  1 Forestry & Ecology Division, National Remote Sensing Centre. Hyderabad 500 625, Andhra Pradesh, India.  2 Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History, Deccan Regional Station.  Hyderabad 500 017, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-mail: chiranjibipattanaik@gmail.com  3 Laila Impex, R&D Centre, Unit-1, Phase-3, Jawahar Autonagar.  Vijayawada 520 007, Andhra Pradesh, India.  Heterostemma deccanense belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae, order Gentianales, subclass Gamopetalae, Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledonae) is a wiry climber species, endemic to Tropical moist mixed deciduous forests of Peninsular India (Figure 1).   Figure 1. Heterostemma deccanense plant.  —————————  The species was first described as Oianthus deccanensis  by Talbot based on the specimens collected by Krishna from West Pune (Northern Western Ghats) of Maharashtra state of India in 1887.  After the type collections the species has not been collected from type locality and elsewhere. Hence, Nayar and Sastry (1987) included it in Red Data Book of Indian Plants, under endangered and possibly extinct category.   Swarupanandan et al.  (1989), while studying generic circumscription of Heterostemma, Oianthus deccanensis is included in the genus Heterostemma.  Sasidharan and Swarupnandan (1994) reported it as a rediscovered species from tropical moist deciduous forests of Peechi in Thrissur district of Kerala (Southern Western Ghats), where they located very few individuals. This location is found at about 940 km from the type locality towards south.  Of late, Reddy et al. (2001) located this taxon in the tropical moist deciduous forests of the Eastern  Ghats of Northern Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari district, Maredumilli: Geo. coordinates: Latitude 17º39'54" N, Longitude 81º40'10" E altitude 850 m); Khammam district, Sukumamidi: Geo. coordinates, Latitude 17º46'26" N, Longitude 81º36'32" E, altitude 600 m). From the previous reports, this record shows extension of the distribution of Heterostemma deccanense to about 850 km from West Pune and about 970 km from Peechi towards east.   It is of considerable phytogeographic interest in context of its distribution pattern, since all the reported sites relatively far to each other (Figure 2). Further intensive studies and a taxonomic revision of the genus Heterostemma is required to better define the distribution.   Heterostemma deccanense is also having ethnobiological significance (Reddy et al., 2006), used by Kondareddis tribe of Andhra Pradesh in kidney troubles (100g of root powder mixed with wheat flour (ratio: 1:5), roasted and taken as bread) and stomachache (root paste made into pills like a pigeon pea and taken daily twice to till cure). Check List 5(3): 468–470, 2009. ISSN: 1809-127X  NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION     469 Figure 2. Distribution of Heterostemma deccanense in Peninsular India.  ————————————————  Acknowledgements We are thankful to Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata for permission to work in herbarium and Prof. V.S. Raju, Kakatiya University, Warangal, Dr. N. Sasidharan, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala for suggestions and encouragement.  ————————————————  Literature cited Nayar, M. P. and A. R. K. Sastry.  1987. Red Data Book of Indian Plants, Vol. 1. Botanical Survey of India. Calcutta, 69 p. Reddy, C. S., K. N. Reddy, Chiranjibi Pattanaik and V.S. Raju. 2006. Ethnobotanical observations on some endemic plants of Eastern Ghats, India. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 10: 82-91.  Reddy, K. N., C. S. Reddy  and S. N. Jadhav. 2001. Heterostemma deccanense (Talb.) Swarup & Mangaly (Asclepiadaceae): An endangered and endemic taxon in Andhra Pradesh.  Indian Forester 127: 1403-1404. Check List 5(3): 468–470, 2009. ISSN: 1809-127X  NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION     470Sasidharan,  N. and K. Swarupanandan. 1994. Discovery of some rare and interesting Asclepiads from Kerala. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 18(3): 34-35. Swarupanandan, K., N. Sasidharan and J. K. Mangaly. 1989. A reconsideration of the generic circumscription of Heterostemma Wight & Arn. (Asclepiadaceae) and a new species from India. Journal of Linnean Society 101: 249-259.   Received October 2008 Accepted July 2009 Published online August 2009  

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Magnoliopsida, Gamopetalae, Gentianales, Asclepiadaceae, <I>Heterostemma deccanense</i> (Talb.) Swarup & Mangaly: Distribution, extension and geographic distribution map

Magnoliopsida, Gamopetalae, Gentianales, Asclepiadaceae, <I>Heterostemma deccanense</i> (Talb.) Swarup & Mangaly: Distribution, extension and geographic distribution map

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