Table Of Content)
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURALHIST. SOCIETY. Vol. 93(1996)
R.S.I.C. for the use ofScanning Electron Microscope
(PSEM
500)
BANDYOPADHYAY
January 5, 1995 S.
Botanical Survey ofIndia,
P.O. Botanic Garden,
Howrah 711 103.
THOTHATHRI
K.
Plot No. 71,
Indira Gandhi Street,
Kaverirangan Nagar,
Fig. Scanning electron micrograph of a stoma on
1 . Saligramam,
mature seed of B. purpurea, x 650.
Madras 600 093.
Note its normal appearance.
SEM STUDIES ON THE TESTA SURFACE PATTERN OF SOME SPECIES OF
35.
BAUHINIA (LEGUMINOSAE: CAESALPINIOIDEAE)
(With a text-figure
Kaur et al. (1992) studied the testa surface the scanning electron micrographs were taken from
pattern of some species ofBauhinia based on SEM the central part of the seeds.
observations. Their studies, however, provided little Specimens examined: B. acuminata: Sur
detailed information and adequate attention was not 15201; B. malaharica: Jain 4082; B. purpurea:
paid to the correct names. Furthermore, in the course Bandyopadhyay 15206; B. semla: Tarafder 18314.
SEM
of a study on the testa surface pattern of 4
species ofBauhinia it was observed that our findings Observations and Discussion
either did not fully agree with theirs or even differed
entirely though we, too, had studied the same part B. acuminata (Fig. la): The testa surface is
of the seed (Datt, pers. comm. 1994). Thus in the pitted. The pits are sparsely or closely situated and
present paper we have described, in detail, the testa vary in size. They are circular, angular or elongated.
surface pattern of 4 species, namely Bauhinia Kaur et al. (1992) described the testa surface
acuminata L.,B. malabaricaRoxb.,B. purpureaL. as pitted and reported of some deposition which
and B. semla Wund. seems to be scattered on the testa surface (see Fig.
2B in Kaur et al. (1992).
Materials and Method B. malabarica (Fig. lb): The testa surface is
regulate with scattered pits.
Mature seed samples were obtained from Kaur et al. (1992) described the testa surface
herbarium specimens deposited in CAL. For SEM as smooth with distinct cracks (Fig. 2A) but this
the seeds were cleaned with cotton soaked in absolute could not be corroborated.
ethanol, air dried, mounted on metallic stubs with B. purpurea (Fig. 1 c-d): The testa surface is
silverpaint aftercorrectly orientating them (see Gunn reticulate. The reticula vary in size and are angular
1991:16) and then gold coated in an Edward sputter- or more or less polygonal.
coater. Observations were made with PSEM 500 and B. triandraRoxb. studied by Kauretal. (1992)
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
117
Fig. 1 . a-f. Scanning electron micrographs of testa surface pattern, a. B. acuminata: a, x650.
b. B. malabarica: b, x650. c-d. B. purpurea: c, x650. d, x 1300. e-f. B. semla: e, x650. f, x 1300.
is a synonym of B. purpurea. They described the B. semla (Fig. 1 e-f): The testa surface is pitted.
testa surface as pitted but this, too, could not be The pits are closely situated and vary in size. They
corroborated. However, it might be that they are circular, angular or slightly elongated and have
inadvertently studied the part near the margin of the fine striations around them.
seed where the testa surface pattern ranges from Kaur et al. (1992) overlooked B. semla nom.
,
reticulate to pitted. Further, it was confirmed (Datt, nov. forB. retusa Roxb. The description of the testa
pers. comm. 1994) that the scanning electron surface pattern provided by them, however,
micrograph of the testa surface pattern (Fig. 2D) corroborates with ours but the scanning electron
labelled as B. triandrci is actually that of B. semla. micrograph of the testa surface pattern (Fig. 2C)
18 JOURNAL BOMBAYNATURALHIST. SOCIETY. Vol. 93(1996)
\
labelled as B. return was likely to have been us the latter’s comments to ourqueries regarding part
interchanged with that of B. triandra. of seed studied by them and the caption of Fig. 2D
given in their paper.
Acknowledgements
BANDYOPADHYAY
April 8, 1995 S.
We are grateful to the Director, Botanical Botanical Survey ofIndia,
Survey ofIndia forproviding necessary facilities and P.O. Botanic Garden,
encouragements to the Scientist-in-Charge, R.S.I.C. Howrah 711 103.
for the use ofSEM and to Dr. Bhaskar Datt, National K. THOTHATHRI
Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, who on our Plot Ho. 71, Indira Gandhi Street,
request kindly made contact with one ofthe authors Kaverirangan Nagar, Saligramam,
of the paper cited in the reference and conveyed to Madras 600 093.
References
Gunn, Charles R. (1991): Fruits and seeds of genera in Kaur, Harbans, R.P. Singh, A. Pal & K. Sahai (1992):
the subfamily Caesalpinioideae (Fabaeeae). U.S. Morphology, spermoderm pattern and anatomy of some
Department ofAgriculture, Technical Bulletin No. 1755: Bauliinia species (Caesalpinioideae-Leguminosae). J.
"
200-205. Indian bot. Soc. 71(1-4): 135-138.
36. ON THE OCCURRENCE OF GENTIANA INFELIX CLARKE (GENTIANACEAE) IN
GARHWAL HIMALAYAS
(With a text-figure)
During plant explorations in the alpine zones identification of the species from North-West
of Garhwal Himalayas a few plant specimens Himalayas.
belonging to the GenusGentiana were collected from The voucher specimens are deposited and
Kedarnath area. After checking at the Herbaria of maintained at Herbarium H.N.B. Garhwal
Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun (DD) and B.S.I. University, Srinagar Garhwal, India (GUH).
Dehran Dun (BSD) and checking recent literature Gentiana infelix Clarke in Hook. f. FI. Brit.
(Garg 1987, Gentianaceae of Northwest Himalaya. India 4:111.1883; Kusn. in Acta Horti Petrop.
CSIR, New Delhi) they have been identified as 15(3): 359.1904; Nair, FL Bashahr Himal.
Gentiana infelix Clarke (Gentianaceae). 186.1977.
This species has been considered extremely Perennial, subglabrous, woody based herbs,
rare in India and except the syntype from Sikkim branching from the base. Branches many from
and Kumaon there is only one collection from rootstock, prostrate or ascending, .0-2.5 cm long,
1
Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh and one from Sikkim woody in lower half. Leaves opposite, dry on lower
(Garg 1987). It is interesting to note that although it half portion of stem, ovate-oblong, sessile,
is described from Kumaon on the basis of Strachey subobtuse-acute, imbricate, 1-3 x 2-6 mm, one
and Winterbottom’s specimen it has not been nerved, leaves of uppermost pair pointing upward;
collected from Kumaon and Garhwal. leaf pair forming tubular sheath up to mm long,
1
In this communication the full description of imbricate in sterile branches. Flowers pedicellate,
the species together with illustrations has been solitary - terminal, inflexed, violet, 8-11 mm long,
provided to facilitate further collections and easy
