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Canscora heteroclita (L.) Gilg A. Flowering twig; B. Single flower; C. Calyx; D. Corolla opened; E. Larger stamen; F. Smaller stamens; G. Gynoecium; H. Stigma; I. Fruit; J. Seeds. (A & D, from Shahina P.M. & Santhosh Nampy 3928; B, C, E-I, from P. Sunoj Kumar 4955).
Source publication
Abstract
The genus Canscora in South India is revised based on field and herbarium studies and in consultation with types and
protologues. C. pauciflora, which was previously treated as conspecific to C. diffusa is reinstated while C. sanjappae and
C. devendrae are synonymised under C. diffusa and C. stricta (= Canscorinella stricta) respectively....
Context in source publication
Context 1
... No. 1786 (Lectotype, designated here). Fig. 4 Erect, annual, glabrous herbs, 7-45 cm tall. Stems 4-angular, winged (wings 2-2.5 mm broad), dichotomously branched. Leaves sessile; blades ovate, entire, 3-16 × 2-15 mm, 3-nerved; apex acute; base truncate or attenuate. Cymes terminal or axillary, 1-3 flowered; flowers sessile; bracts green, linear, falcate, 1-4 × 0.15-0.2 mm. Calyx ...
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Citations
... thiv (2003) revised the tribe Canscorinae and reported nine Canscora species distributed in Asia, Africa and Australia. Shahina & Nampy (2014) revised Canscora from the peninsular India and mentioned 11 species under the genus. thereafter, two new species have been described C. shrirangiana Kambale, Kolte & A. deshp. ...
... these non-congeneric characters led us to review other genera of Canscorinae with the help of available literature (thiv 2003, hul 2003, Shahina & Nampy 2014, Sisakhon et al. 2021) and the specimens housed at K, e, L, Le, Ny and P. the scrutiny of the specimen in question revealed the presence of white or pale-yellow corolla, orbicular, obtuse bracts, nonwinged stem, and tubular non-winged calyx, indicating more affinity with the genus Phyllocyclus Kurz (1873: 235) ) which did not match with the type specimen. these ambiguities were discussed with dr L.V. Averyanov (pers. ...
Canscora ciathula (gentianaceae) was described by Averyanov from Laos. examination of the type specimens revealed that it is conspecific with Phyllocyclus petelotii (Merrill) thiv and reduced here to synonymy.
... as a doubtful species. Shahina & Nampy (2014), in their revision of south Indian Canscora, reinstated C. pauciflora and counted eight taxa from India. Most recently, Kolte et al. (2018) described C. shrirangiana Kambale, Kolte & A.Deshp., making a total of nine species known from India. ...
... However, recently, Rahangdale & Rahangdale (2017) have reported it from the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary. The taxon was synonymised under C. diffusa by Thiv (2003), Shahina & Nampy (2014), Geethakumary (2016) and Subiramani et al. (2019) in their revisionary studies. However, Naik (1998) clearly stated that 'The experts at Rijksherbarium, Leiden, are of the opinion that it may be considered within the broad variable range of C. diffusa. ...
... The taxon was collected from two new localities and the population in the Ramshej is under more threat due to road building for transportation and mining. NOTES.Thiv (2003),Shahina & Nampy (2014), Geethakumary ...
Canscora diffusa var. tetraptera Naik & Pokle is reinstated and elevated to the rank of species. A detailed description, key to the species of Canscora in Peninsular India and photographs are provided to ease identification.
... The stamens are epipetalous, usually inserted on the corolla tube at the same height or in the sinuses between the lobes, and are isomerous and alternating with the petals. In Canscora, Hoppea, and Schinziella some stamens lack fertile anthers or are vestigial (anisomorphy), and the stamens are inserted at different heights in the corolla (Shahina and Nampy 2014;Fig. 71B). ...
The Gentianaceae is an angiosperm family in the order Gentianales consisting of 102 genera and approximately 1750 species, distributed in all areas of the world, except Antarctica. Most species are in temperate areas, but the gentians belonging to the most ancestral evolutionary branches are from the Neotropics. Gentians can be small herbs without chlorophyll to tall rainforest trees, but most are annual or perennial herbaceous plants. This worldwide treatment includes detailed information on vegetative and reproductive morphology, flower and wood anatomy, embryology and cytology, infrafamilial classification and phylogenetic relationships, as well as ethnobotanical uses and conservation for all genera. Keys to the seven tribes and genera are provided, and the morphology and distribution of each genus is described. The tribe Voyrieae is here included in the family classification, giving a total of 7 tribes in Gentianaceae.
... The genus Canscora Lam. is represented by nine species worldwide (Mabberley 2008) distributed in tropical Asia, Africa and Australia. In India it is represented by eight species (Shahina & Nampy 2014), and to date 44 binomials have been published in Canscora of which 11 are accepted (The Plant List 2013). Clarke (1885) treated 12 species of Canscora under three subgenera: Canscora subgen. ...
... Phyllocyclus C. B. Clarke from India. Shahina & Nampy (2014) revised this genus for south India and treated six species: C. alata (Roth) Wall., C. diffusa (Vahl) R. Br. ex Roem. & Schult., C. heteroclita (L.) Gilg, C. pauciflora Dalzell, C. perfoliata Lam. and C. roxburghii Arn. ...
... During floristic surveys along the lateritic plateaus of Goa, the authors collected some interesting specimens of Canscora. After perusing the relevant literature (Clarke 1885;Shahina & Nampy 2014) and consulting the types of all the species reported from India, it became apparent that they represent an undescribed species, which is described and illustrated below. ...
A new species, Canscora shrirangiana Kambale, Kolte & A. Deshp. is described and illustrated here. The new species is morphologically similar to C. pauciflora.
... The diagnostic features of genus Canscora included branched, angular stem, oval pointed leaves 4 unequal petals and 4 unequal stamens [17] .The taxonomic status of species C. decurrens was doubtful as this plant has been reported by many workers under different species names like C. tenella, C. diffusa, C. khandalensis [12] C. diffusa var tetraptera and other. All of them are now considered to be conspecific [14]. Hence the present experimental material is C. decurrens and is conspecific with C. diffusa.Similar attempts were made by defining the generic limits in the genus Gentiana (Gentianaceae) [10] . ...
Macro and micromorphology study of C. decurrens was conducted with a view to elucidating their taxonomic significance and presenting complementary data to aid in the identification of the plant. Macromorphological characterization includes study of visible characters (habit, branching, colour, shape, texture of stem and leaves, root morphology) and reproductive characters namely inflorescence, morphology of different parts of flowers and pollen grain and seeds while micromorphology studies included anatomical details of stem, leaf and root as well as structure of stomata and trichome which are stable characteristic features of the given species and hence they help in the identification of plant at microscopic level.
... Flowers many; pedicel 1 cm long, filiform; calyx 6 mm long, wingless, 5-toothed, glabrous; corolla white, 9 mm long, tube cylindrical, lobes lanceolate, acute; two stamens fertile, two sterile. Capsule 5 mm long, linearoblong [2,3]. Profusely branched; quadrangular, wings upto 0.3 mm wide; 6-48 cm high. ...
... Phyllocyclus is treated as a distinct genus and subgenus Pentanthera is placed under the synonymy of Duplipetala [12]. In his recent classification of the tribe Canscorinae, circumscribed Canscora as monophyletic, characterized by zygomorphic corolla and anisomorphic androecium, represented by 9 species and without any infrageneric taxa [2]. ...
... Diagnosis: They differentiated their species from C. diffusa by its apical branching and regular actinomorphic corolla. [2] Concluded that C. sanjappae and C. diffusa are synonymous. The branching of stem is neither confined to its apex nor is their flowers actinomorphic. ...
A variety of Canscora diffusa was placed as a new species by their taxonomical and anatomical characters. Previous studies concluded that Canscora diffusa and its variety were synonymous. C. racemosa was differs from C. diffusa by the presence of limited branches, yellowish 4-angled stem, persistent corolla, stigma longer than stamens, yellow coloured anisomorphic stamens, usually each dichotomous branch ends in a solitary flower, raceme in nature and gynoecium longer than stigma style. Anatomical difference between both the species of Canscora reflects that C. racemosa differs mainly by the presence of trichomes in T.S of stem and leaf sections. Both taxonomical and anatomical studies conclude that the variety of C. diffusa differs from C. diffusa by various characters. Hence, variety of C. diffusa can be treated as a new species and named as Canscora racemosa by their raceme type of inflorescence.
The utilization of herbal-based remedies for disease prevention and treatment has proved its resilience, making a substantial contribution to the progress of traditional medicine. This therapeutic approach has demonstrated the efficacy of herbal drugs and has been an enduring practice. As a routine practice, the identification of plant species relies on morphological characteristics. However, there exist scenarios where the conventional strategies are inadequate due to the insufficient amount of material available for the examination. Molecular approaches for species distinction are promising, recognizing DNA or metabolite differences among taxa as biomarkers. This review focuses on the genus Canscora, known for its wide range of pharmacological uses, including antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant. We explore the taxonomic challenges of this genus, which is made up of synonyms and morphologically overlapping features. We highlight the utility of DNA barcodes for accurate species identification and focus on investigating the taxon-specific, high-throughput DNA barcoding methods that emphasize the efficiency in validating molecules. Our findings highlight the potential of DNA barcoding to overcome the limitations of traditional techniques. This guarantees the accurate identification of Canscora species for medical purposes. The creation of a comprehensive DNA barcode library is recommended to promote phytochemical research, increase drug awareness, and protect biological diversity.
Canscora pauciflora Dalz. an Indian endemic species is reported for the first time from Maharashtra state. Apart from the type collection, the species was previously collected from Karnataka and Kerala. The present collection has a taxonomic value as the species was originally described from Maharashtra. It also highlights northernmost distribution of the species. This article provides detailed description, photographs and distributional notes of the Canscora pauciflora. Introduction:
Canscora alata (Roth) Wall. (Gentianaceae) commonly known as Shankhapushpi, is an annual herbaceous threatened medicinal plant distributed mainly in the understory of wild Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forest and demands immediate conservation measures, for which understanding of its reproductive ecology is important. We studied aspects of floral biology, reproductive phenology and the breeding systems of the plant species. While undertaking the experiments, it was found that the species is self-compatible with a greater capability of autonomous self-pollination and doesn’t depend largely on pollinators for seed sets. However, geitonogamous and xenogamous modes of reproduction were observed. In natural habitat, visitors' frequency was extremely low, and most of the time they were absent. Outcrossing is rare, but it is occasionally facilitated by the fly, Paragus (Paragus) Latreille. We observed an "open-close-reopen" flowering rhythm during the anthesis of a flower. The mode of floral development clearly indicates that autonomous self-pollination is favored by the movement of stamens, styles, and stigmas during its “open-close-reopen” pattern of flowering. The plant also exhibits a larger anisomorphic stamen, orange in color. Even though the “fail safe” mechanism is an adaptive trait seen in outcrossing plant species, we have observed it here as well. The larger anisomorphic stamen helped to pollinate in order to ensure reproductive assurance through a delayed selfing mechanism; this is a rare occurrence in autogamous species. Despite self-compatibility, the ability to produce fruits and seeds through hand cross-pollination treatments implies that the plant species follow a selfing-outcrossing strategy to assure successful reproduction in its natural habitat. We hope these findings will be useful in strategic planning for the conservation of this plant species.
