HABENARIA PANIGRAHIANA S. MISRA, A NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORD TO ANDHRA PRADESH

Abstract

Habenaria panigrahiana Misra, an endemic orchid of Peninsular India known to occur in Orissa and Tamilnadu, is currently located in Nallamalais and Seshachalam hills of Andhra Pradesh. A brief description and a figure are provided.

Full text

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HABENARIA PANIGRAHIANA S. MISRA,
A NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORD TO ANDHRA PRADESH
B. SADASIVAIAH, K. PRASAD, V. SREENIVASA RAO AND B. RAVI PRASAD RAO*
Biodiversity Conservation Division, Department of Botany
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur - 515003, Andhra Pradesh.
*Phone & Fax: 08554-255019, Mobile: 09440705602
E-mail: rao_rp@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT
Habenaria panigrahiana Misra, an endemic orchid of Peninsular India known to occur in Orissa
and Tamilnadu, is currently located in Nallamalais and Seshachalam hills of Andhra Pradesh. A brief description
and a figure are provided.
INTRODUCTION
Orchidaceae is one of the large
families in the world represented by about 1050
species in India, of which 72 species belong to
Habenaria (Bose et al, 1999; Satish kumar, 1999). In
Andhra Pradesh, the genus is represented by 10
species (Pullaiah, 1997; Reddy et al. 2005). The
representative specimens of Habenaria
panigrahiana, a novelty erected by Misra (1981,
2004), were collected from Gundlabrahmeswaram
area of Nallamalais hills, Kurnool district and
Talakona of Seshachalam hills, Chittoor district,
Andhra Pradesh. Reported endemic to Peninsular
India and known to occur in Orissa and Tamilnadu
(Misra, 2004); the present collection extends its
distribution to Andhra Pradesh in Peninsular India.
DESCRIPTION
Terrestrial, to 20-35cm. Tubers
generally globose or rarely ellipsoid, to1.5-2.2´1.3cm.
Roots short, to 1.5-2´1mm. Stems cylindric, leafy
from base to upwards. Leaves 6-8, broad, alternate,
to 8-10´3-3.5cm, membranous, elliptic-lanceolate,
acute, base narrowed, margins undulate, veins and
veinlets conspicuous. Inflorescence a raceme, to 12-
15cm, lax, 8-10- flowered(Fig.1). Flowers 2-2.5´2-
0.3cm, pedicel with ovary 16-20x1.6-2mm, green.
Bracts foliaceous, shorter than the ovary, lanceolate,
J. SWAMY BOT - CL.26 : 1 - 2 (2009)
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acuminate, 3-veined, to 1.5´0.4-0.6cm, subfalcate.
Petals bipartite to the base, upper segment erect,
sickle-shaped, cohering to the edge of dorsal sepal,
narrowly linear-filiform, 0.9´0.1-0.2 cm, 2-veined;
lower segment horizontal, reflexed, 1.5´0.6 cm, basal
part straight, distal up curved, filiform. Lip tripartite
to the base, linear-filiform, segments subequal, wide
spreading; midsegment straight, apex obtuse,
narrowly linear 1-1.2´0.1cm, 3-veined; lateral
segments resembling the lower perianth segments,
16-18´0.06cm, proximal half straight, distal half
filiform, curved upward, 1-veined; spur connected
with ovary, 2-2.3´0.15-0.2cm, narrowed at the base,
apex obtuse. Column 0.3-0.4´0.2 cm, notched at
apex. Middle lobe of rostellum broadly triangular,
rounded, 1.2mm long, lateral lobes close below the
antherophores, filiform, bent upward. Pollinia yellow,
obliquely oblong or obovate 21mm, pollen grains
narrowly trapezoid. Ovary green, curved at apex.
Fl. & Fr.: Nov. – Jan.
Distribution: World: Endemic to Peninsular India
(Misra, 2004)
India: Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
Andhra Pradesh: Gundlabrahmeswaram (KNL);
Talakona (CTR).
Ecology: Rare in shady localities in moist deciduous
forests at an elevation of 650-800m above MSL.
The species is found associated with Habenaria

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SADASIVAIAH, ET AL.,
furcifera, Baliospermum montanum and Stephania
japonica.
Repr. Specimens : Gundlabrahmeswaram(KNL) BSS,
SKB & KP, 32351(SKU).
Notes: Misra (1981) erected the species from the
collections at Mohana, Gajapathi district, Orissa and
deposited the holotype at CAL (122). Misra (2004)
attributed Barnes collection 2060(K) from
Kambakam hills and 1868, 1369 (K) from Tirnevelly
hills of Tamilnadu to this species.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to
Department of Biotechnology (BT/PR6603/NDB/ 51/
089/2005), New Delhi for financial assistance.
Thanks are due to Sri A. K. Naik and Sri K. Tulsi
Rao, APFD for help in field work.
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