February 2016 TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 91 No. 1 57

J. Jpn. Bot. 91: 57–60 (2016)

Lal Ji Singha, Brijesh Kumarb, Bhupendra Singh Kholiab,* and Pushpesh JoShib: Diplazium proliferum: An Addition to the Indian Pteridophytic Flora from Little Andaman

aBotanical Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Center, Port Blair, INDIA;bBotanical Survey of India, Northern Regional Center, Dehradun, INDIA*Corresponding author: bskholia_bsi@yahoo.co.in

Summary: A double sorus lady fern Diplazium proliferum (Lam.) Thouars is reported here as an addition to the Indian pteridophytic flora from Little Andaman (Andaman & Nicobar Islands). A brief note on its taxonomy and distribution is presented along with its diagnostic characters for easy identification.

The Athyrioid fern genus Diplazium Sw. is represented by about 400 species (Kato 1977, 1990) mainly growing in tropical and subtropical rain forest, however, a few species also extended to the temperate and subalpine regions of the Himalayas and cold climate of Eurasia. Taxonomically the genus is very complex and poorly understood. The characters of distinction and taxonomic delimitation between Diplazium and related genera (Diplazium Sw., Deparia Hook. & Grev., Allantodia R. Br., Diplaziopsis C. Chr., Callipteris Bory, Dictyodroma Ching, Hemidictyum C. Presl., Cornopteris Nakai etc.) are well characterized (Kato 1977, Praptosuwiryo et al. 2007). The recent molecular studies (Liu et al. 2011, Rothfels et al. 2012) are also applied to understand the generic concept of Diplazium and allied genera. The majority of the taxa of the genus Diplazium are distributed in Malesian countries where about 300 species are thought to occur (Roos 1995, Praptosuwiryo et al. 2007). Hence, it is postulated here that Southeast Asia is one of the centers of diversification for Diplazium. Recently, Fraser-Jenkins (2008) scrutinized the Indian species of Diplazium and enumerated 40 taxa from India. During the plant collection

tour to Little Andaman of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in April 2012, a few interesting plants of Diplazium were collected by one of the author (LJS) from Little Andaman. Voucher specimens are housed at Herbarium Botanical Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre (PBL). The living material was also collected for ex-situ conservation in Dhanikhari Experimental Garden of Botanical Survey of India, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Center near Port Blair, Andaman, also exhibits the same sub-terminal rooting bud. On scrutiny of the literature and critical examination the identity of plant was confirmed as Diplazium proliferum (Lam.) Thouars, hitherto unreported from Indian Territory by previous workers (Beddome 1883, Kurz 1870, 1876, Prain 1891, Balakrishnan 1980, 1982, Chakraborty 1983, Parkinson 1923, Nayar and Kaur 1974, Dixit 1984, Chandra 2000, Ellis 1987, Dixit and Sinha 2001). Hence, this collection is found to be an addition to the pteridophytic flora of India and reported here.

Taxonomic treatmentDiplazium proliferum (Lam.) Thouars,

Esquisse Fl. Tristan D’Acugna 35 (1808).Asplenium proliferum Lam., Encycl. 2: 307

(1786). Callipteris prolifera (Lam.) Bory, Voy. Iles

Afrique 1: 283 (1804). Diplazium accedens Blume, Enum. Pl. Jav.

192 (1828); Holttum, Gard. Bull. S. S. 11: 81 (1940).

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Fig. 1. Diplazium proliferum. A. Habit. B, C, D. Part of lamina showing characteristic rooting buds. E. Rhizome. F, G. Undersurface of lamina showing veins and sori.

February 2016 TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 91 No. 1 59

Athyrium accedens (Blume) Milde, Bot. Zeit. 353 (1870).

Athyrium ridleyi Copel., Philip. J. Sci. 11: 39 (1916).

Rhizome erect, arborescent or sub-arborescent, scaly at apex; stipe 30–70 cm long, dull brown, scaly when young, glabrous and smooth on ageing, sometimes with short protuberances near base; frond tufted on rhizome, oblong-lanceolate, 80–130 cm long, glabrous, simple pinnate; pinnae 10–15 pairs, sessile, lanceolate, 30–50 × 15–20 cm, truncate at base, apex acute, broadly shallowly lobed down the edges or sometimes toothed, often bulbiferous in their axile towards the terminal part, bulbils scaly at base; rachises and costae glabrous; veins 6–9 pairs, spreading or erecto-patent, parallel, distinct, distant from costa, basal veinlets of adjacent lobes anastomosing and producing series of costal areoles; sori linear, along the veinlets, often throughout their length, indusiate, indusia linear, persistent (Fig. 1).

In Asia Diplazium proliferum is separated as an independent species “D. accedens Blume” by some researchers (Holttum 1954, Piggott and Piggott 1988). In the present communication following Copeland (1947) authors synonymized D. accedens under D. proliferum. This treatment is also accepted in Tropicos (http://www.tropicos.org) and Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org).

Specimens examined: INDIA. Andaman & Nicobar Island, Little Andaman, White Surf Water Fall, 10°37.176ʹN, 92°31.276ʹE; 76 ft. a.s.l., 2 Feb. 2012, Lal Ji Singh 29501 (PBL); Krishna Nalah, 10°40.586ʹN, 92°32.129ʹE, 63 ft a.s.l., 4 Feb. 2012, Lal Ji Singh 29507 (PBL).

Ecology and habitat: A mesophyte or lithophyte. Prefers shady and humid places or grows near streams.

Distribution: Africa, Mauritius & Rodriguez, Malaysia, Indonesia, Peninsular Thailand, the Philippines, Polynesia to Queensland, Spread through the tropics of the old world.

Notes: In general appearance the plant is similar to juvenile or once-pinnate precociously

fertile forms of the vegetable fern Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw. but with many sub-terminal rooting gemmae on rachis are characteristic feature of this species. However, the mature fertile fronds of Diplazium esculentum are 2-pinnate and without rachis gemmae. These rooting buds also give the appearance of the common thelypteroid fern Ampelopteris prolifera (Retz.) Copel. [= Thelypteris prolifera (Retz.) C. F. Reed]. Hence due to these similarities it is often overlooked by taxonomists. A nomenclatural note on this species is also given by Holttum (1955). The occurrence of this species in Africa in west, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and pacific islands in Oceania (Baker 1877, Johns 1991) also strengthen that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are within the normal ranges of its distribution.

The authors are indebted to Prof. M. Kato of Japan for going through the manuscript, giving suggestions and encouragements. The authors are also grateful to Dr. P. Singh, Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata and Dr. S. K. Srivastava, Joint Director, Botanical Survey of India, Northern Regional Centre, Dehradun for encouragement and providing necessary facilities. Two anonymous reviewers are also acknowledged for the fruitful comments and suggestions.

ReferencesBaker J. G. 1877. Flora of Mauritius and the Seychelles. L.

Reeve & Co, London. Balakrishnan N. P. 1980. Notes on some little known ferns

of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Bull. Bot. Surv. India 22: 136–140.

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Beddome R. H. 1883. Handbook to the Ferns of British India, Ceylon and the Malay Peninsula. Thacker Spink & Co., Calcutta.

Chakraborty P. 1983. Seven new records of ferns from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Bull. Bot. Surv. India 24: 207–208.

Chandra S. 2000. The Ferns of India (Enumeration, Synonyms & Distribution). International Book

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Distributors, Dehra Dun. Copeland E. B. 1947. Genera Filicum. 247 pp. Waltham,

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Rothfels C. J., Sundue M. A., Kuo L-Y., Larsson A., Kato M., Schuettpelz E. and Pryer K. M. 2012. A revised family-level classification for eupolypod II ferns (Polypodidae: Polypodiales). Taxon 61(3): 515–533.

L. J. Singha，B. Kumarb，B. S. Kholiab，P. Joshib：インドのシダ・フロラへ小アンダマン諸島産 Diplazium proliferumを追加する　小アンダマン諸島（アンダマン・ニコバル諸島）からインドのシダ・フロラへ Diplazium proliferum (Lam.) Thouars（メシダ科ノコギリシダ属）を追加した．本種の同定を容易にするために，ここでは特徴を記述すると

ともに分類学的なノートを記した．（aインド・植物調査所

Andaman and Nicobar Regional Center，bインド・植物調査所 Northern Regional Center）