Table Of Content,
138 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. 88
Verdcourt ssp. wighlii var. coimbatorensis Sen. Indian J. Sen, A. (1977): Anew variety ofGlycine wightii subsp. wightii
Forestry4(1): 65. Verdcourtfrom South India.J.Bombaynat.Hist. Soc. 74:
Lackey,J.A. (1977):Neonotonia Anewgenericnametoinclude 330-332.
Glycine wightii (Wight & Am.) Verdcourt (Leguminosae, Verdcourt, B. (1966): Aproposal concerning Glycine L. Taxon
Papilionoideae). Phytologia 37(3): 209-212. 15: 34-36.
&
Meyer, E.H.F. (1836): Commentariorum de plantis Africae Wight,R. Arnott, G.A.W. (1834): Prodromus Horae Penin-
&
australioris. Leipzing p. 127. sulae Indiae Orientalis. London 207-208 449.
Roxburgh, W. (1832): Flora Indica. Serampore I: 168.
VEGETATIVE AND FLOWERING PHENOLOGIES OF SOME WEEDY LABIATES
40.
IN RELATION TO RAINFALL
There have been very few studies attempted to define characteristic feature of weedy flora (Baker 1974). Each
flowering andotherphenologicalevents in tropical latitudes individual plant produced flowers every day throughout
(Stem and Roche 1974, Frankie et al. 1974, Gentry 1974, its floweringphase, afeatureknownassteadystateflower-
Bawa 1977,Opleretal. 1976, SubbaReddiandReddi 1982). ing (Gentry 1974). The continuous flowering for
They demonstrate that breaking of dormancy leads directly prolonged periods, particularly in rainy seasons, is a rare
orindirectly to anthesis as aresultofreductionofwaterstress characteristic of perennial shrubs or herbs. In this sense,
andtemperaturedropassociatedwithrainstormsormonsoon it is a peculiar perennial feature in these Labiates.
rains. The adaptations in floral seasonality, phenology and Although rainfall has a great bearing on breaking
morphologyaretherawmaterialswhichproducevariouspol- dormancy and stimulating vegetative growth and then
lination mechanisms in different flower species. This paper flowering, it does not influence the timings ofanthesis or
examinesthevegetativeandbloomingphenologyoffivedif- anther dehiscence in any of the five species, unlike what
ferent species of Lamiaceae which flower annually in rela- has been reported by Opler et al. (1976). In Anisomeles
tion to rainfall. and Hyptis, anthesis as well as anther dehiscence is
Role ofrainfallin vegetative and flowering phenology: delayed about an hour on cloudy and foggy days. Pol-
my
In the course of studies of the reproductive behaviour linator activity is similarly delayed.
andecology oftropical weedy Labiates in AndhraPradesh Floral features in relation to pollinators: The in-
from 1983 to 1987, 1 have found that rainfall directly or dividuals of out-crossing species must flower in relative
indirectly plays an important role in the initiation, timing synchrony to effect appropriate gene exchange and seed
and synchronization ofvegetative and flowering phenol- set. Furthermore, for outcrossing different species must
ogy with the resultant reduction in water stress or sharp have seasonally different flowering periods or be
temperature drop in Ocimum americanum O. basilicum, separatedby diurnal anthesis times. The outcrossing Ran-
,
Anisomelesmalabarica,A. indica and Hyptis suaveolens. dia species which have simultaneous flowering have dif-
The species are herbaceous perennials and grow from ferent diurnal anthesis times and different pollinators
perennating root stocks or seeds. Except for A. indica, (Opleretal. 1976). ThetwoAnisomeles species aremain-
theirnatural habitats are disturbed andundisturbedplaces lyout-crossers andusuallyoccupydifferenthabitats.They
with soils saturated or unsaturated. A. indica is confined have simultaneous seasonal flowering but have diffemt
to undisturbed areas with saturated soils. They usually diurnal anthesis times. Their diurnal pollinators are the
havepatchy distribution, andeachpatch may reseed itself same. Competition for such pollinators has been avoided
and persist for several years. by their natural distribution in different habitats.
Ocimum and Anisomeles broke dormancy and in- The two Ocimum and Hyptis species, on the other
itiated vegetative growth with the first rains in June after hand, are mainly selfers and usually grow intermingled
a 3 month dry spell. Two weeks later Ocimum began with each other. The flexibility in their mating system to
flowering in October. Anisomeles began flowering 5 reproduce by selfing or crossing has made it possible to
weeks after the end of the dry spell and continued until overcome unfavourable pollinator conditions for their
January. InA. indica flowering was associated withmois- continuous perpetuation in colonizing different habitats.
ture content of the soil. Vegetative growth in Hyptis ap- I thank Prof. L.W. Macior, Biology Department,
peared in September and flowering began 3 weeks later University of Akron, Akron, U.S.A. for his constructive
and continued until December. Such phenology has been criticism on the manuscript.
evident in Croton bonplandianum and Euphorbia
geniculata (Subba Reddi and Reddi 1982). It shows that
these species have a long flowering season, which is a January 23, 1990 RAJU J. S. ALURI
: :
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 139
References
Baker, H.G. (1974): The evolution of weeds. Ann. Rev. Ecol. & Opler, P.A., Frankie, G.W. & Baker, H.G. (1976): Rainfall as
Syst. 5: 1-24. a factor in the release, timing, and synchronization of an-
Bawa, K.S. (1977): The Reproductive biology of Cupania thesisbytropicaltrees andshrubs.J.Biogeography3 231-
guatemalensisRadik. (Sapindaceae).Evolution31 52-63. 236.
Frankie, G.W., Baker, H.G. & Opler, P.A. (1974): Compara- Stern, K. & Roam, L. (1974): Genetics of Forest Ecosystems.
tive phenological studies of trees in tropical wet and dry Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 330.
&
forests inthelow lands ofCostRica.J. Ecol. 62: 881-919. Subba Reddi, C. Reddj, E.U.B. (1982): Flowering phenology
Gentry, A.H. (1974): Coevolutionary patterns in central in someEuphorbiaceae species.Indian hot. Reptr. 1: 150-
American Bignoniaceae. Ann. Missouri Dot. Gard. 61: 155.
728-759.
41. FIRST REPORT ON TYPE LOCALITY AND REDISCOVERY IN NATURE OF A RARE
INDIAN ORCHID SPECIES, BULBOPHYLLUM ROTHSCHILDIANUM (O’BRIEN) JJ. SMITH
(With a text-figure)
During the course of a botanical exploration in the Merit by the American Orchid Society (Linder 1987).
Mokokchung district (25°45,-26°36’ N; 94°-94°45’E; Bulbophyllum rothschildianum (O’Brien) J.J. Smith,
averageannualrainfall2500-3000mm)ofNagaland, wecol- Bull. Buitz. 2. s. 8: 27, 1912. Cirrhopetalum rothschil-
lected some interesting and rare species of Bulbophyllum dianum O’Brien, Gard. Chron. 1895. 2: 608; O’Brien,
fromcertainforestpockets. Oneofthese was identified asB. Proc. R. Hort. Soc. 19: 208, Fig. 83, 1896; Rolfe, Orch.
rothschildianum. The species has been reported only once Rev. 15: 328, 1907; Gard. Chron. 60: 188, Fig. 75, 1916;
from thehills beyond Darjeeling in theeastern Himalayas as Orch. Rev. 30:353; 1922; J.T.B., Gard. Chron. 78: 288;
a new species named Cirrhopetalum rothschildianum by 1925; R.E. Arnold, Orch. REv. 45: 275, 1937; Orch. Rev.
O’Brien in Gard. Chron. 1895, 2:608. O’Brien’s report is 65: 36, 1957; Seidenf., Notes on Cirrhopetalum in Dansk
based merely on specimens received from a nursery man Bot. Arkiv. 29. 1973.
somewherein thehillsbeyond Darjeeling. Further, thereport A creqhng epiphytic plant with a stout rhizome,
is silent about the actual place of iLs occurrence, habitat, growth sympodial; pscudobulbs 4-angled, borne 5 cm apart,
flowering time, and distribution. Our search for the type varying in form from ovate to pear-shaped, each 1-leaved.
locality ofthis species in and around Darjeeling hills proved Leaf fleshy, erect, elliptic - oblong, the apex retuse, the base
futile, leadingto theconclusion thatthehills beyond Darjeel- twisted, up to 16 cmlong, 3 cmbroad, scapeerect, 13-14cm
ing cannot be the type locality. So farno oneknows the type in height, bearing a terminal one-sided umbelofbrightcrim-
localityofthisorchidspecies. SubsequenttoO’Brien’sreport son-purple. Flowers blotchedwithyellow onthesepals, each
in 1895 there is no oilierreport on its collection from nature flower over 15 cm in length and 1.5 to 2 cm across the
(Seidenfeden 1973). The present collection from Mokok- broadest part of the lower sepals, the cucullate upper sepal
chung district is after a lapse of about a hundred years and yellow withpurplelines, andwithmarginalfringeand avery
forms the firstreport on its type locality. sensitiveplumeofapurplecolourattheapex,thelowersepals
The species, commonly called red chimney, is per- with 2 slender tail-like appendages; the petals are narrower,
haps themostbeautiful among all bulbophyHums andhor- butsimilarlycoloured anddecorated; thetriangular,grooved,
ticulturally, it is one of the most attractive orchid species. hinged labeUum is purple (Fig. 1).
The whole flower is so remarkably attractive that it com- Flowering: September - October.
mands attention even from those who prefer none but the Specimen cited: INDIA: Mokokchung district (Nagaland):
most flamboyant orchids. At the meeting of the Orchid Longkhum, 11 Oct. 1987, Gurung 847 (NEHU). The ab-
Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society on 15 Oc- breviation ‘NEHU’ is used for the herbarium oftheNorth
tober 1895, Hon. WalterRothschild exhibited what was u- Eastern Hill University; it has not yet been registered in
nanimously agreed to be the handsomest of the plume Index Herbarium.
bearing section of Cirrhopetalum and under the above Distribution: INDIA:Mokokchung (Nagaland), Hillsbeyond
,
name, it was awarded a First-Class Certificate (O’Brien Darjeeling (7) (Fig. 2). Epiphytic on tree trunks in mixed
1895). It is also the parental source ofmany attractive or- evergreen broad-leaved humid forest, predominantly com-
chid hybrids. One such hybrid, i.e. Cirrhopetalum posed of Elaeocarpus floribundus, Quercus serrata, Cin-
‘Elizabeth Ann’ rothschildianum x longissimum com- ncBnornum sp. and Engelhardtia spicata.
( )
monly known as huckleberry was awarded the Award of We are grateful to Dr. Jeffrey J. Wood, Orchid Her-
