D. Siril. A. Wijesundara

• PhD
• Professor at National Institute of Fundamental Studies

Kandy Lake is one of the main tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and recognized as world heritage by UNESCO. The lake's water quality has deteriorated to eutrophic and hyper-eutrophic levels, due to adequate regulations and poor water quality management. Therefore, the present study intends to evaluate the potentiality of duckweed species for phy...

With the simultaneous growth in interest from the mycological community to discover fungal species and classify them, there is also an important need to assemble all taxonomic information onto common platforms. Fungal classification is facing a rapidly evolving landscape and organizing genera into an appropriate taxonomic hierarchy is central to be...

Morpho-molecular confirmation of Ganoderma sichuanense (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) from Sri Lanka

The overuse of synthetic antibiotics has caused multidrug-resistant pathogens, a major health issue. Secondary metabolites of plants are effective alternatives to combat antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the antibacterial and antifungal properties of plant extracts (water, 60% EtOH, and 70% EtOH) obtained from four...

Agarwood, a highly valued, fragrant, dark, resinous heartwood, commands an estimated market value of over US $200 million. With the increasing market demand for agarwood, artificial induction methods have been a subject of study. Fungal induction is one of the methods that can effectively induce agarwood formation and is eco friendly to the environ...

Members of the genus Salicornia have gained a global attraction due to their ability to thrive under high saline conditions and as potential candidates in saline agriculture. However, it has been a taxonomically challenging genus for decades since the members show plastic responses to extreme environmental conditions and due to incongruences betwee...

The WHO emphasizes addressing diabetes and obesity for global health equity, highlighting plant-based traditional medicine as a low-risk, effective alternative to modern pharmaceuticals. This study aimed to evaluate the α-amylase and lipase inhibition activity (IC50) of four duckweed varieties; Spirodella polyriza (SP), Lemina cf. minor (LM), Lemna...

Duckweeds are floating macrophytes that produce a lot of biomass, are adapted to withstand diverse conditions, and have high nutrient uptake efficiency. The present study evaluated the efficiency of two major duckweed species, Spirodela polyrhiza and Lemna perpusilla, for the phytoremediation of dairy farm wastewater generated by a livestock farm,...

Coniella has a wide distribution as a plant pathogen in Eucalyptus species. Here we report a leaf spot disease caused by Coniella eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus camaldulensis in Sri Lanka. The pathogen was isolated from symptomatic leaf samples of E. camaldulensis plants from Polonnaruwa District in Sri Lanka. The isolated fungus was identified as C. e...

The Global Consortium for the Classification of Fungi and fungus-like taxa is an international initiative of more than 550 mycologists to develop an electronic structure for the classification of these organisms. The members of the Consortium originate from 55 countries/regions worldwide, from a wide range of disciplines, and include senior, mid-ca...

Sri Lanka is considered a mega-biodiversity hotspot, with a rich collection of flora and fauna. Basidiomycota is the second largest and most diverse phylum of fungi, comprising over 31,000 species. The present paper is intended to bring together all reported species with their typification details and updated/current nomenclature status of basidiom...

Genus Exacum (Gentianaceae) consists of over 40 species spread around the Indian Ocean Bank from Madagascar to Northern Australia. There are eight Exacum speices and six endemic species found in Sri Lanka where only three of those namely E. macranthum, E. pallidum (corolla deep purplish blue to pale blue respectively) and E. walkerii (corolla white...

Soil fungi play a crucial role in determining soil biodiversity. With relevance to the fruiting patterns of mushrooms, "fairy rings" occupy a specific concern. Fairy rings are a unique type of fungal growth that spread out from an initial point of inoculation, forming colonies in an annular pattern. Fairy rings are formed by more than 50 species of...

Cinnamomum species have gained worldwide attention because of their economic benefits. Among them, C. verum (synonymous with C. zeylanicum Blume), commonly known as Ceylon Cinnamon or True Cinnamon is mainly produced in Sri Lanka. In addition, Sri Lanka is home to seven endemic wild cinnamon species, C. capparu-coronde, C. citriodorum, C. dubium, C...

Despite being a biodiversity-rich country, Sri Lanka’s fungal diversity remains largely unexplored. In the 19th century, British mycologists conducted extensive research, leading to the identification of more than 1,800 fungal taxa, including ascomycetous and basidiomycetous species. However, the majority of these taxa have not been revisited since...

Studies on the vegetation at Yala national park, Sri lanka

(Aberdeen, Colombo university Ecological expedition 1979) The construction of the Buttuwa tank in recent years has initiated concern as to the tank's future, notably the gradual vegetation surrounding the waterhole due to visiting animals, particularly elephants which have long been known to have a destru vegetation. The water provided by the tank...

Investigation of Eucalyptus Foliar Pathogens in Sri Lanka

Artocarpus nobilis Thwaites (Ceylon breadfruit) is an under-utilized, native plant in Sri Lanka that produces seeds with a unique taste. This study investigated the nutritional properties, antioxidant potential, and anti-diabetic effect of raw and processed (roasted, boiled, and microwaved) A. nobilis seeds in comparison with some popular nuts. Acc...

Two new species of Syzygium Gaertn. from Sri Lanka, S. aureum Jayasinghe and S. hemachandrae Jayasinghe, are described. Syzygium aureumis distinguished from S.grande (Wight) Walp. in having a thick ring of nectarial glands near the rim of the hypanthium and in having subglobose fruits tinged with red at ripening. Syzygium hemachandrae differs from...

Strobilanthes glandulata, a new species of Acanthaceae is described from Sri Lanka. It has been previously misidentified as Strobilanthes lupulina. It is similar to S. lupulina having an inflorescence of heads, funnel-shaped gradually widened corolla, hispids on the stem, and both surfaces of leaves and petioles, but can be easily distinguished fro...

This book is a pocket guide for the NIFS Popham Arboretum, Dambulla, Sri Lanka. An introduction to the arboretum, the services provided, photogaphs of various groups of flora and fauna are included in the book.

This review investigates the wild edible mushrooms in Sri Lanka. Wild edible mushrooms are nutritious, delicious and an economically important non-timber forest product. Due to the unawareness and scattered information about mushrooms in the local communities, a few mushroom species are considered edible. Mushrooms live saprotrophically on decaying...

During the past three decades, the field of plant taxonomy has made substantial progress due to the advancement of science and technology and as result, many taxonomic revisions have been carried out. Hence, it is important to update the taxonomic status of species with modern taxonomic findings. Accordingly, we have prepared this checklist of pter...

Species radiations, despite immense phenotypic variation, can be difficult to resolve phylogenetically when genetic change poorly matches the rapidity of diversification. Genomic potential furnished by palaeopolyploidy, and relative roles for adaptation, random drift and hybridisation in the apportionment of genetic variation, remain poorly underst...

Both native and non‐native bamboo populations can expand their distributions in a rather irregular manner, inflicting changes in native vegetation with potential consequences for litter‐dwelling arthropod communities. To our knowledge, no studies have been undertaken to explore the impacts of bamboo spread on litter‐dwelling arthropods. This study...

Sri Lankan pteridophytes are important on a global and regional scale, because of the isolation of the flora in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lankan pteridophytes have been collected and studied since 1674. However, adequate attention has not been given to all aspects of the study of Sri Lanka’s pteridophytes over the last century. The current knowledge is...

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni is a herb producing zero-calorie diterpene glycosides in its leaves, which are extensively used as a substitute for sugar since they are about 200-400 times sweeter than sucrose. It is an economically important plant in the food and beverage industry around the world. The drawbacks associated with the conventiona...

Sri Lanka is rich in biological diversity, but its fungal diversity is not adequately studied and documented. Recent fungal diversity estimations have predicted that the tropical regions would harbour a large number of novel fungal species. Fungi are ubiquitous, hence it is important to carry out proper investigations to discover novel taxa in diff...

This paper provides an updated classification of the Kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi) and fungus-like taxa. Five-hundred and twenty-three (535) notes are provided for newly introduced taxa and for changes that have been made since the previous outline. In the discussion, the latest taxonomic changes in Basidiomycota are provided and the class...

In addition to the numerous known and unknown ecosystem services provided, forests contain a vast flowering plants have been explored, studied and documented extensively. Compared to the other countries in South Asia, flowering plant diversity in Sri Lanka is remarkably higher due to a multitude of factors. One of the striking features of our angio...

Some native plants expand their populations rapidly in their home ranges, altering their structure and composition. Bambusa bambos, a native bamboo species, shows a rapid population expansion in tropical moist evergreen forests in the intermediate climatic zone, Sri Lanka. The present study was conducted to evaluate its impacts on the regeneration...

Some of the largest expanses of ultramafic soils occur in South Asia, but knowledge of the plant diversity and biogeochemistry of these systems in Sri Lanka is very limited. This study aimed to assess the plant diversity and bedrock and foliar chemistry of all known Sri Lankan ultramafic outcrops. The field survey yielded a total of 132 plant taxa...

Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthaceae) is one of the largest genera in the flora of Sri Lanka and is most interesting for its diversified habits, gregarious occurrence, and elegant flowering. Approximately 450 Strobilanthes species are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical parts of Asia. Wood recognized 30 Strobilanthes species in Sri Lanka...

Melicope lunu-ankenda is an important medicinal plant of the family Rutaceae, commonly distributed in the mid-country wet and montane zones in Sri Lanka and tropical regions of Asia. Previous studies have displayed the chemistry and bioactivity of the plant found in various regions in Asia. This study focuses on the bioactivities of the leaf and ba...

Species radiations have long fascinated biologists, but the contribution of adaptation to observed diversity and speciation is still an open question. Here, we explore this question using the clove genus, Syzygium, the world’s largest genus of tree species comprising approximately 1200 species. We dissect Syzygium diversity through shotgun sequenci...

Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Madan) is widely distributed in South Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, where it was naturally found. There were only few studies reported on S. cumini for its values and other benefits in Sri Lanka. This study focuses on morphological characterization and the diversity of S. cumini trees in seven locations of Sri L...

Strobilanthes medahinnensis, a new species of Acanthaceae is described and illustrated from Sri Lanka. The new species is similar to S. anceps in having ovate leaves, yellow gland dots of abaxial leaf surface and reflexed bracts but differs by rounded stem, leaves with acuminate apex, elongated spikes, lanceolate outermost bract with long acuminate...

Nut and seeds are recommended for a healthy diet as being recognized as a source of high-quality protein, lipids with bioactive compounds. Although many indigenous species of edible nuts could address food insecurity in developing countries, there are not enough researches to explore its possibilities of using them to improve the nutritional status...

Changes in the climate have worsen the problems caused by weeds and invasive alien plants (IAPs) in agro-ecosystems at global scale resulting from their changes in the range and population densities. Over the past six decades, Sri Lanka has experienced a slow but steady increase in annual environmental temperature by 0.01–0.03°C. Increasing extreme...

There have been few studies investigating the implications of the potential distribution of plant invasions on native biodiversity due to climate change. In this study, we used combined climatic suitability maps of 14 priority Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) in Sri Lanka under the current climate and under Representative Concentration Pathway (...

The genus Cinnamomum consists of about 250 species spread globally. Out of these, C. verum (C. zeylanicum), also known as true cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon, has gained worldwide attention due to its culinary uses and medicinal values. Sri Lanka is the largest true cinnamon producer in the world and accounts for about 80–90% of global production. Oth...

For many years the term ‘invasive species’ has been used by ecologists and others involved in biology and related fields. The spread of those species in new areas has drawn attention of different groups including the general public, scientists and even policy makers. The impact of Invasive species on biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems has b...

Studies to evaluate consequences of native species showing invasive behaviour are rather scarce in the tropics. Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss., a native bamboo species, expands populations in its native range causing changes to the appearance of forests in dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. The study evaluated the impacts of B. bambos spread in Tr...

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomoph...

Chemical investigation of the essential oil obtained from the heartwood of Erythroxylum monogynum Roxb. yielded three beyerene type diterpenoids ent-beyer-15-ene (1), ent-beyer-15-en-19-ol (erythroxylol A) (2) and ent-beyer-15-en-19-al (3). Ent-beyer-15-en-19-al (3) was found to be unstable at room temperature, giving rise to hitherto unknown 15,16...

Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss. expands rapidly in native forests in the dry and intermediate climatic zones in Sri Lanka, raising concerns among environmentalists in recent years. No studies have been undertaken so far to evaluate ecological and socio-economic perceptions of the local communities on this issue. In landsenses ecology, physical senses of...

We provide an updated survey for Sri Lanka of species of Graphis sensu Staiger, recently divided into Graphis s. str. and Allographa , including brief descriptions and a key to all 124 species currently known. Six new species are described: Allographa bambusicola Weerakoon, Lücking & Aptroot, a bambusicolous Allographa with entire labia, a laterall...

Sri Lanka’s location, historic and geologic isolation from the continental landmass, topography and climate act to shape its biogeography and biodiversity, including conferring a remarkably high level of endemism, given its close proximity to the mainland. The island hosts several ‘point endemic1 species and even monotypic endemic genera. However t...

Stevia rebaudiana is an agro-based herb, which produces zero-calorie diterpene glycosides in its leaves, which can be used as a substitute for sucrose since they are about 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Micropropagation enables a rapid increasing of the biomass of stevia. Sterilized young nodal cuttings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) me...

Maskeliya Basin in Sri Lanka possesses a very high potential for high end ecotourism due to its scenic beauty and unique biodiversity, unique topography, salubrious climate, special anthropogenic features including man-made reservoirs, tea gardens and forest plantations. The Peak Wilderness Nature Reserve, A UNESCO World Heritage Site, encompassing...

Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Madan or Jamun) is an evergreen multipurpose tree of family Myrtaceae and considered as an underutilized fruit crop in Sri Lanka. Though it is important in Ayurvedic medicine, no proper varietal development program has been carried out so far. Due to lack of availability of literature on morphological studies, its diver...

Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Madan, Jamun) is an evergreen multipurpose tree of family Myrtaceae and considered as an underutilized fruit crop in Sri Lanka. The S. cumini fruits are of good food source and are used as an effective Ayurvedic medicine against different chronic diseases. However, there are no proper varietal development program of the...

Phyllopsora is a crustose to squamulose lichen genus inhabiting the bark of trees in moist tropical forests and rainforests. Species identification is generally challenging and is mainly based on ascospore morphology, thallus morphology and anatomy, vegetative dispersal units, and on secondary chemistry. While regional treatments of the genus have...

Elatostema monandrum var. rigidiusculum, confined to the Bambarabotuwa Forest Reserve in Sabaragamuwa province of Sri Lanka, is reclassified to the rank of species as E. rigidiusculum. We compare it to the morphologically most similar, E. monandrum. The main diagnostic features of E. rigidiusculum are obovate leaves 0.3–1.5 cm long whose laminae ar...

Passage of plants across geographical borders,aided by man, became prominent about five centuries back. The European explorers were the key players involved in the spread of flora and fauna among different continents. Some of those historical plant introductions shaped agriculture, forestry, and even the economies of recipient countries. Illegal tr...

Dark color resin embedded heartwood formed by certain species of family Thymelaeaceae is called agarwood. Because of its unique aroma, agarwood oil is the highly prized fragrant compound in the world. The unique aroma and quality of agarwood resin and oil are contributed by the presence of certain chemical compounds. In this work, analysis and comp...

Ageratina riparia (Regel) R.M. King and H. Rob. of the family Asteraceae is an invasive weed distributed widely in the montane regions of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The present study was carried out to investigate the antifungal components of the weed, A. riparia and their ability to control banana anthracnose disease caused by the fungus,...

Strobilanthes is the most species-rich genus coming under Family Acanthaceae which was first described by Blume (1826) from specimens collected in West Java. This is one of the largest and interesting genera in the flora of Sri Lanka. Strobilanthes is widely distributed over tropical South and South East Asia and individual species are restricted t...

Compared to the higher fungi (Dikarya), taxonomic and evolutionary studies on the basal clades of fungi are fewer in number. Thus, the generic boundaries and higher ranks in the basal clades of fungi are poorly known. Recent DNA based taxonomic studies have provided reliable and accurate information. It is therefore necessary to compile all availab...

Spreading of alien invasive plants (AIP) are one of the major environmental threats to Sri Lankan native biota. Large number of alien invasive plant species have been found representing all climatic zones. Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) belongs to the montane climatic zone of the island nation and one of the threats poses by this national park...

Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f.) Ker-Gawl (family Liliaceae) is an export-oriented foliage plant with attractive white-green strips. The vase life of this cut foliage ends when the leaves loose turgidity and/ or bright green colour. Thus, to enhance the vase life of O. japonicus, effect of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mM CuSO 4 .5H 2 O, 10, 20, and 30 g/L sucrose...

Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanical Gardens (6057’11’’N , 80013’06’’E) is located in Illukowita, Avissawella, in the Western Province, adjacent to the westen boundary of the Sabaragamuwa Province. The vegetation of area represent that of a highly degraded forest accommodated within an elevation 100m-1000msl in the lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka receiving...

In view of increasing migration from rural to urban areas and inadequacy of suitable accommodation in towns, many people and students in urban areas live in highly congested, ill-ventilated and ill-lit abodes. Such conditions have resulted in deterioration of indoor air quality, including increased concentration of CO2 which have posed issues such...

Ethnomedicine evolved from the traditional use of plant parts for treating various ailments. Historically, most medical breakthroughs have arisen based on the plant sources showing potential for curing many diseases. Even so, the therapeutic power and scientific validation of their modes of action remains unexplored. Sri Lanka being a biodiversity...

Tree ferns are a remarkable group among the lycophytes and ferns. Geographical isolation is suggested as one of the main reasons for local endemism of tree ferns and the island of Sri Lanka has been identified as one of the best demonstration sites to observe this phenomenon. Despite its small size, Sri Lanka has a rich diversity and one of the hig...

Medicinal plants play an important role in modern drug discovery. Although Sri Lanka is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, the medicinal value of the Sri Lankan endemic flora has not been fully explored. Present study was directed towards the discovery of the bioactivity of Tetracera sarmentosa (Dilleniaceae) which is known as korosa-wel in Sinh...

Horton Plains National Park (HPNP) has been declared as a world heritage site, because of its unique biodiversity. Die-back of certain areas of this park is widely believed to be due to acidic precursor depositions carried over from other parts of the country and also from neighboring countries. Air pollution data for the two pollutants, NO2 and SO...

Sri Lanka is a tropical island with variety of climatic, geographical and weather combinations. These significant variations have resulted high biodiversity in the country. Sri Lanka together with the Western Ghats is one of the biodiversity hotspots. Presently, Sri Lanka harbors 3,154 species of Angiosperm families of which 894 are endemic. The fa...

Sri Lanka is a country with unique landscapes and positioning. Its land profile varies from coastal areas through lowland hills to central montane region, and the climatic zones governed by seasonal monsoons results in a significantly high biodiversity. Sri Lanka together with Western Ghats is a biodiversity hot spot among the 35 regions known worl...

Family Anacardiaceae or the cashew or Sumac family (Class: Magnoliopsida, Order: Sapindales) includes around 985 species in 70 genera. In Sri Lanka, there are 19 species in 7 genera with 15 endemics. Members of this family in other countries have been investigated in different aspects. However, the molecular data has not been utilized in taxonomic...

Of 348 pteridophytes listed in the recently published 'A Revised Handbook of the Flora of Ceylon' (Shaffer-Fehre, 2006), 47 taxa (including two subspecies and one forma) were identified as endemic taxa. 30 further species had previously been reported as endemic, but their status was doubtful or incorrect due to misidentification, or due to the occu...

A book in Sinhala language on urban trees (selection, uses, planting, care and maintenance)

Platostoma menthoides (L.) A. J. Paton (Syn: Geniosporum prostratum (L) Benth. Geniosporum tenuiflorum) is an aromatic annual herb found in India and Sri Lanka belonging to the family Lamiaceae. Hydrodistillation of the plant collected from the North Central province in Sri Lanka, yielded 0. 5% (v/w) of a light yellow colored fragrant oil. The oil...

Family Orchidaceae is one of the largest plant families in the world. In Sri Lanka there are 184 orchid species (50 endemics) belonging to 78 genera. Considering the conservation status of the Sri Lankan orchids, 70.6% of the orchid species are categorized under National threatened categories. Dothalugala is a Man and Biosphere (MAB) reserve locate...

Methanol and dichloromethane extracts of root, stem, leaves and flowers of invasive plant Austroeupatorium inulifolium were tested for cytotoxic, phytotoxic, antioxidant and antifungal activities. Significantly higher phytotoxicity was detected in methanol extracts of leaves and dichloromethane extracts of roots. This effect was most pronounced aga...

In the floriculture industry of Sri Lanka, the main operations are the production of cut foliage followed by rooted cuttings and potted plants for the export market. Cut foliage species include several genera and species of flowering plants and a few species of pteridophytes. The history of collection of pteridophyte flora in Sri Lanka dates back t...

Lower Montane Evergreen Mixed Forests (MEM) in Sri Lanka and South India are composed of tropical taxa. They occur at mid-elevations, as high as 900–1400 m above sea level, in the three main mountain massifs of Sri Lanka and in several ranges of the Western Ghats in nearby southern Kerala and adjacent Tamil Nadu (India). We report on the quantitati...

The book describes flowering plants that are commonly cultivated or planted in Sri Lanka for food, wood, medicine, fuelwood, shade or ornamental purposes. These plants usually have to be planted deliberately by humans and do not generally spread widely by themselves. This selection of species is offered not only through the lens of their many uses...