Mandar N. Datar

Agharkar Research Institute · Biodiversity and Paleobiology Group

The Western Ghats of India support a significant amount of biodiversity despite heavy habitat loss. The northern part of this biodiversity hot-spot, along with Konkan, is considerably different from its southern and central counterparts on account of lesser precipitation and extended dry season. Though this region has been floristically surveyed we...

Bhagwan Mahavir (Molem) National Park, the only National park in Goa, was evaluated for it's diversity of Angiosperms. A total number of 721 wild species belonging to 119 families were documented from this protected area of which 126 are endemics. A checklist of these species is provided here.

Eriocaulon parvicephalum, a new species of Eriocaulaceae from Western Ghats of India, is described and illustrated. The new species is closely allied with E. palghatense but differs in having acuminate spathe lobes, eglandular petals in the male flower, and two rectangular seed coat appendages per cell. Phylogenetic analyses using the ITS region of...

In this study, we report the plastome of Eriocaulon decemflorum (Eriocaulaceae) and make an effort to understand the genome evolution, structural rearrangements and gene content of the order Poales by comparing it with other available plastomes. The size of complete E. decemflorum plastome is 151,671 bp with an LSC (81,477bp), SSC (17,180bp) and a...

The Northern Western Ghats and Konkan region of Maharashtra (NWGK) is a distinct region within the Western Ghats, characterized by unique climatic, geological, and topographical features and by its open landscapes interspersed with fragmented forest patches. It exhibits distinctive attributes in terms of tree diversity. In this study, we conducted...

Human interference in forests is inevitable, and despite significant conservation efforts, many forest areas continue to suffer from anthropogenic pressures. The forests of the Northern Western Ghats (NWG) exhibit varying degrees of protection, including private, community, and legal frameworks. However, the tree diversity within these protection r...

A novel species, Dicliptera polymorpha, from the northern Western Ghats of India, has been identified and characterised. Dicliptera polymorpha is taxonomically distinct, due to its unique inflorescence form among Indian species, with inflorescence units (cymules) developing into spicate inflorescences. This species also stands out as the sole India...

The forests of the Western Ghats (WG) of India are a highly diverse ecosystem though altered over time by human interference. The Northern Western Ghats (NWG) differ in bioclimatic and geological characteristics from the rest of the Western Ghats, featuring a mix of forested and open landscapes. Human activities such as shifting cultivation, cuttin...

The Western Ghats are home to one of the most dominant rock outcrops: the vertical basaltic cliffs. Although seemingly barren, this unique landform shelters a variety of species adapted to thrive in its challenging and nutrient-poor environment. This article examines the remarkable traits and adaptations of plant species living on cliffs, the micro...

This document is a product of the preparatory phase project of the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-Being which was catalysed and supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India. It is the outcome of a series of stakeholder consultation meetings on ecological restoration of terrestrial landscape...

Background: Rock outcrops support specialist plant communities that are often adapted to highly seasonal climates and heterogeneous soil cover. However, the relationship between environmental parameters and plant functional types remains unexplored in many regions of the world, including the Northern Western Ghats (NWG) in India. Aims: In the pres...

Poster on the vegetation-environment relationship on rock outcrops of the Northern Western Ghats. This work is a part of my PhD work at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune under the guidance of Dr. Mandar Datar.

Desiccation-tolerant vascular (DT) plants are predominant occupants of rock outcrops in tropical regions. Though rock outcrops are common landscapes in the Western Ghats (WG), a biodiversity hotspot in India, knowledge of DT plants in the region is poor. This study provides an overview of Indian DT vascular plants, emphasizing the WG, and includes...

Rock outcrops are habitats possessing large areas of exposed bare rock and extreme environmental conditions. In the biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats, three types of rock outcrops are known: lateritic outcrops at high (HLF) and low altitude (LLF), and basalt outcrops at high altitudes (BM). Apart from these types, one study mentioned the possib...

Rock outcrops are unique habitats in terms of their geological and ecological specializations, soil availability, water season-ality, and environmental extremes. These habitats have attracted the attention of many researchers worldwide in the last few decades. Indian rock outcrops spread throughout the country with more concentration in the Western...

Indopoa paupercula has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2022. Indopoa paupercula is listed as Least Concern.

Objectives of the work: To study the diversity and distribution of orchids from Northern Western Ghats and to collect the germplasm of selected species. To standardize micro-propagation protocols for their rapid multiplication. To establish orchidarium in ARI for maintenance of mother plants. To reintroduce selected species in suitable wild...

Ephemeral rock pools are a characteristic type of aquatic habitat formed on the rock outcrops throughout the world, which harbor unique flora and fauna. Due to their structural simplicity and small size, rocky pools form a unique model ecosystem for studying how local environmental parameters shape aquatic vegetation. We studied the species-environ...

The genus Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae, also known as pipeworts) is represented by 111 taxa in India which is around 1/4th of the species found around the world. The genus exhibits highest endemism in the country with most of the species distributed in Western Ghats. It is considered as Taxonomist’s nightmare due to its minute floral parts, high intra...

The freshwater rockpools support high endemic biodiversity but are poorly studied habitats in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. These freshwater rock pools are situated on outcrops at various elevations in the Western Ghats and are composed of different bedrocks such as laterite and basalt. We aimed to analyze the water quality, geographical...

Floral nectar is colonised by microbes, especially yeasts which alter the scent, temperature, and chemical composition of nectar, thereby playing an essential role in pollination. The yeast communities inhabiting the nectar of tropical flowers of India are not well explored. We isolated 48 yeast strains from seven different tropical flowering plant...

The northern section of the Western Ghats is a biodiversity hotspot with a predominance of rock outcrops. Although these outcrops are characterized by environmental extremes, they support a large diversity of species, many of which are endemics. High-elevation rock outcrops of the Western Ghats exhibit two lithotypes of distinct geological origins,...

Desiccation-tolerant mat-forming monocotyledons (DTMFM) are typical constituents of the vegetation of tropical inselbergs. The latter are old granitic / gneissic rock outcrops that rise abruptly above the surrounding landscape. Due to unpredictable droughts, they are centers of diversity for dry adapted species such as vascular resurrection plants...

Son-Ghanta Abutilon ranadei has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2021. Abutilon ranadei is listed as Endangered under criteria B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v).

The present study is the first-ever comprehensive molecular systematic study of Indian Eriocaulon species based on the critical appraisal of the freshly collected 552 accessions of 66 Eriocaulon spp. The genus Eriocaulon L. (Eriocaulaceae) is one of the most diverse genera of Eriocaulaceae and around one-quarter of the world’s representation is in...

Erratum Erratum: Maurya, S., Datar, M.N. & Choudhary, R.K. (2021) Lectotypification of four names in the genus Capparis (Capparaceae). Phytotaxa 500 (2): 125-132. In our paper entitled "Lectotypification of four names in the genus Capparis (Capparaceae) (Phytotaxa 500(2): 125-132), we designated lectotype for Capparis grandis L.f. with three other...

Ischaemum amboliense (Poaceae, Andropogoneae), a new species of Muraina grass, is described and illustrated here. The new species is closely allied to I. travancorense but differs from it in having annual habit and erect posture, culm with sparsely hairy nodes, well-exerted racemes, lower glumes of sessile spikelets with 3-4 side nodules without ri...

The genus Capparis Linnaeus (1753: 503) belongs to the family Capparaceae and is distributed in tropics and subtropics of the Old World, comprising 141 species (POWO 2021). Jacobs (1965) studied the genus from Indus to pacific land and classified it under four formal sections viz. Capparis, Sodada, Monostichocalyx, and Busbeckea. Thereafter, severa...

Pseudoxytenanthera madhavii a new species of bamboo, locally known as Mes and traditionally utilized in the northern Western Ghats of India, is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from its allied species, P. stocksii by longer and shining culms, young culms covered with white powdery scuff, undulating culm blades, fresh...

This MONOGRAPH gives a vivid description on the 'Mammals of northeastern India'. This contains the latest updated checklist of all the mammals of this India sub-region.

A first-ever pictorial guide for the identification of raw botanical drugs of Maharashtra state. Description of 198 raw botanical drugs belonging to 174 species of plants. Highly traded medicinal plant species found in various regions of the state are included.

Ischaemum janarthanamii S.A. Bokil, Datar & R.K. Choudhary, a new species belonging to family Poaceae, subfamily Andropogoneae is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to I. dalzellii and I. semisagittatum but differs from them in having geniculately ascending culms, lower glume of sessile spikelets winged on both sides, apex of...

The genus Capparis is well known for its medicinal properties and many species of the genus are widely used in crude drug preparation. The present study is an effort to understand the inter and intraspecific plastome variations within genus Capparis using two newly sequenced plastomes. Plastome representatives from four taxa of Capparis were compar...

Abstract The genus Capparis is well known for its medicinal properties and many species of the genus are widely used in crude drug preparation. The present study is an effort to understand the inter and intraspecific plastome variations within genus Capparis using two newly sequenced plastomes. Plastome representatives from four taxa of Capparis we...

While revising the genus Dillenia Linnaeus (1753: 535) for Malaysia, Hoogland (1952) proposed the new combination, Dillenia mansonii (Gage 1906: 73) Hoogland (1952: 83) by transferring Wormia mansoni Gage (1906: 73) (Wormia mansonii). Gage (1906) in the protologue of W. mansonii cited the specimen examined as ‘In ripis fluminis Yunzalin, prope conf...

Floristic and taxonomic communities may miss out on certain species from their surveys resulting in treating them under threatened categories based on the dearth of representations in collections. However, such plants are likely to be recognized adequately by traditional knowledge if these plants have some known utilities. Knowledge about plant res...

The book provides a detailed account of 35 taxa belonging to genus Capparis L. in India along with their taxonomic descriptions, key, photo-plates, herbarium images, economic and medicinal usage, distribution maps with point locations along with their local names in major Indian languages.

we are designating a lectotype for each of these two names in Smithsonia viz. S. viridiflora (Dalzell) C.J.Saldanha and S. maculata (Dalzell) C.J. Saldanha in accordance with Articles 9.3 and 9.12 of Shenzhen Code (Turland et al. 2018).

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) form the basis of estimation of environmental and socio-economic impacts of developmental projects. In this study we examine 65 EIA reports of mines in Goa. It is mandatory that the reports should provide, among others, lists of plant species from 314.2 and 78.5 sq. km area for lease areas of mines above 0.5...

Eriocaulon karaavalense Darsh., R.K. Choudhary, Datar, & G.R.Rao (Eriocaulaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from the Western Ghats, India. It is closely similar to E. kanarense but differs from it by number of peduncles, linear lanceolate leaves, glandular female petals, non-beaked seeds and ribbon shaped seed appendages. Eriocau...

Hill forts of Northern Western Ghats offer an interesting mix of man-made and natural habitats and as a result shelter a great diversity of endemic and threatened plants. Strict protection of certain areas and selective interference for strategic reasons on hill forts are responsible for maintenance of large protected populations of local endemic s...

Eriocaulon Linnaeus (1753: 87) is the largest genus of the family Eriocaulaceae Martinov (1820: 237). It is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and represented by ca. 471 species (Govaerts 2018). Ansari & Balakrishnan (2009) recorded 85 species of the genus from India. Lately, several new species have been published and the...

The genus Ischaemum Linnaeus (1753: 1049) was established with two species, viz. I. muticum Linnaeus (1753: 1049) and I. aristatum Linnaeus (1753: 1049). At present, the genus comprises ca. 71 species distributed in warm and tropical regions of the world (Mabberley 2008). It is represented by 56 species in India of which 43 species are endemic (Sri...

Western Ghats of India is rich in floristic diversity and endemism. However, being highly threatened with anthropogenic stressors, with only 6.8% of its original vegetation still extant, along with Sri Lanka it is considered as a biodiversity hotspot. It has been suggested that sacred groves in Western Ghats could act as refuge for the relic flora...

Vertical rocky cliffs, which consist of various types of rock, are widespread all over the world. India’s northern Western Ghats consisting of basaltic rocks form probably the largest cliff ecosystem globally, however, almost no studies are available concerning their floristic richness. In an attempt to understand the vascular plant assemblage of t...

Vertical rocky cliffs, which consist of various types of rock, are widespread all over the world. India's northern Western Ghats consisting of basaltic rocks form probably the largest cliff ecosystem globally, however, almost no studies are available concerning their floristic richness. In an attempt to understand the vascular plant assemblage of t...

This book is photographic guide to 300 species of seeds from Western Ghats

Ischaemum agharkarii, a new species of Poaceae from the Northern Western Ghats of India is described and illustrated here. It is closely similar to two Indian endemic species, I. travancorense and I. santapaui but differs in having hairy first node, presence of side nodules on lower glume of both sessile and pedicelled spikelets, band of hairs on v...

The book gives information about 142 wild edible species consumed by local inhabitants of northern region of Western Ghats

Indian subtropical grasslands are secondary habitats formed due to anthropogenic activities resulting in degradation of deciduous forests. Spread throughout Peninsular and Central India, they are important from economic and ecological points of view and are the prime source of fodder for the large population of livestock in this region. Pastures ar...

Ceropegia rollae Hemadri (Family: Apocynaceae) is critically endangered, rare and endemic species of Northern Western Ghats and is added in Red Data Book and IUCN list. The aim of the present study was to develop efficient in vitro micropropagation protocol to conserve the taxa C. rollae. The surface sterilised nodal shoot explants were used for th...

Ceropegia rollae Hemadri (Family: Apocynaceae) is critically endangered, rare and endemic species of Northern Western Ghats and is added in Red Data Book and IUCN list. The aim of the present study was to develop efficient in vitro micropropagation protocol to conserve the taxa C. rollae. The surface sterilised nodal shoot explants were used for th...

An occurrence of three species, that are reported in Maharashtra flora based on Cooke’s report in ‘The Flora of the presidency of Bombay’, has been confirmed based on herbarium specimens deposited in the herbarium of Agharkar Research Institute, Pune in recent years.

An occurrence of three species, that are reported in Maharashtra flora based on Cooke’s report in ‘The Flora of the presidency of Bombay’, has been confirmed based on herbarium specimens deposited in the herbarium of Agharkar Research Institute, Pune in recent years.

Grasslands are common landscapes of India and dominate peninsular Indian landmass. Though secondary, these grasslands are important from cultural as well as economical point of view. Domestic cattle population of this region largely depends on these grasslands as food source. The grasslands, exposed to anthropocentric activities like burning and gr...

Grasslands are common landscapes of India and dominate peninsular Indian landmass. Though secondary, these grasslands are important from cultural as well as economical point of view. Domestic cattle population of this region largely depends on these grasslands as food source. The grasslands, exposed to anthropocentric activities like burning and gr...

Threatened species Travancore Murainagrass Ischaemum travancorense Stapf ex C. E. C. Fisch. (Poaceae), which was earlier reported only form Western Ghats was first time collected from Central India.

Grasslands are common landscapes of India and dominate peninsular Indian landmass. Though secondary, these grasslands are important from cultural as well as economical point of view. Domestic cattle population of this region largely depends on these grasslands as food source. The grasslands, exposed to anthropocentric activities like burning and gr...

Ischaemum travancorense Stapf ex C.E.C. Fisch., an endemic species, earlier known only from the Western Ghats of Kerala, Maharashtra and Goa is reported here for the first time from central India.

Bhor is an important and floristically rich Taluka of Pune district, Maharashtra state, located on the Western Ghats of India. We provide here a comprehensive checklist of angiosperms occurring in this region based on records of the Agharkar Research Institute Herbarium (AHMA). A total number of 663 species of Angiosperms belonging to 420 genera un...

Sacred Groves are the forest patches dedicated to a local deity, which have been conserved since centuries and play a very important role in conserving many threatened plants as well as animal species. In the present work, we have studied fifteen sacred groves in Pune District for their floristic diversity. A total of 296 species were recorded of w...

The wildly occurring populations of Cucumis sativus L. in peninsular India show considerable variation than that of cultivated forms. It is necessary to consider these wild populations as C. sativus forma hardwickii (Royle) W. J. de Wilde and Duyfjes and not as C. sativus L. Proper.

The book gives systematic account of 722 species of flowering plants.

Smithsonia straminea C.J. Saldanha, an endemic orchid earlier reported from Karnataka and Kerala is collected for the first time from Maharashtra state and its extended distribution is reported here.

Luffa hermaphrodita Singh and Bhandari (Cucurbitaceae), the only bisexual species from genus Luffa, is reported here for the first time from Maharashtra and Gujarat. A brief description and illustration is provided to facilitate it’s easy identification.