Dischidia bengalensis (Apocynaceae), a New Record for the Flora of Nepal

Abstract

Dischidia bengalensis Colebr. (Apocynaceae), collected from Central Nepal, is reported as a new record for the Flora of Nepal. A brief description, photographs and discussion are provided.

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Prabin bhandari* and Krishna Kumar shrestha: Dischidia bengalensis
(Apocynaceae), a New Record for the Flora of Nepal
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan Univeristy, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, NEPAL
*Correspondence author: prabinkb02@gmail.com
Summary: Dischidia bengalensis Colebr.
(Apocynaceae), collected from Central Nepal, is
reported as a new record for the Flora of Nepal. A
brief description, photographs and discussion are
provided.
The genus Dischidia R. Br. is a member of
Apocynaceae previously placed in the family
Asclepiadaceae (Li et al. 1995, Watson 1999).
 
tropical and subtropical Asia and Oceania (from

(Li et al. 1995, Mabberley 2008).
Dischidia is characterized as epiphytic herbs

rooting from nodes (adventitious roots). Leaves

fascicles, flower very small, yellow or creamy
white, with corolla hairs (Rintz 1980).
During the course of botanical explorations
for Flora of Panchase, Kaski District, Central
Nepal, we found one Dischidia species at
the foot of Mt. Panchase (south slope). After
checking relevant specimens and literature,
we identified this as Dischidia bengalensis
Colebr. This species is listed in “The Flora
 
specific locality of occurrence, and there is no
record of herbarium specimen of this species
in British herbaria (BM, K and E), and Nepal
(KATH, TUCH). This species has not been
recorded in any publications related to Flora of
Nepal, including ‘Enumeration’ (Hara 1982)
and Checklist (Press et al. 2000, Rajbhandari
and Bhatt 2012). Hence the genus Dischidia,
including Dischidia bengalensis, is treated here
as a new record for Flora of Nepal.
We found Dischidia bengalensis in an
evergreen broad-leaved forest between 900–

Ficus benghalensis, F. glaberrima, F. religiosa,
or Castanopsis indica.
Dischidia bengalensis Colebr. in Trans.
Linn. Soc. London 12: 357, t. 15 (1818); Hook.
4: 50 (1885), ‘benghalensis’.;
Watson in Grierson & Long, Fl. Bhutan 2(2):
724 (1999), ‘benghalensis’. [Figs. 1, 2]
Dischidia spathulata Blume, Bijdr. 1060
(1826).
Dischidia cuneifolia Wall. [Numer. List.
4206 (1831), nom. nud.] Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2: 36
(1831).
Dischidia bengalensis var. cuneifolia (Wall.)
Kuntze and var. spathulata (Blume) Kuntze,
Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 419 (1891).
Epiphytic herb; adventitious roots at each
node, branches pendulous. Leaves opposite,
fleshy, short petioled, petiole 2–5 mm, elliptic
to ovate, 1.2–3.7 × 0.7–2.4 cm, apex acute to
obtuse, base cuneate, glabrous, vein obscure,
yellowish green. Flowers axillary, in umbels of
few flowers; pedicel 1.5 mm; calyx lobe light
green, ovate, 1 × 0.5 mm; corolla urceolate,
creamy, five toothed, throat villous, 1.5 mm
long, corolla lobe triangular, 1.3 × 0.7 mm;
gynostegium 1 mm long.
Distribution: East Himalaya (Central Nepal),
Malaysia.
Flowering: April to May.
Specimen examined: CENTRAL NEPAL. Gandaki
Zone, Kaski District, Chainpur, Panchase Protected Forest,
1100 m (P. Bhandari, S. B. Magar & A. Bhandari, 1339P, 4
J. Jpn. Bot. 91(5): 310–313 (2016)

October 2016TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 91 No. 5311
Fig. 1. Dischidia bengalensis Colebr. growing in Central Nepal. A. Habitat. B. Leaves. C. Flowers.

312植物研究雑誌 第 91 巻 第 5号2016 年10 月
Fig. 2. Dischidia bengalensis Colebr. collected in Central Nepal (P. Bhandari, S. B. Magar & A.
Bhandari 1339P, TUCH).

October 2016TheJournal of Japanese Botany Vol. 91 No. 5313
May 2015, KATH, TUCH; Fig. 2).
Candolle (1844) reported Dischidia
bengalensis 

(1885) believed that it occurs in Eastern Nepal
and Sikkim; citing Wallich specimens (Wall.
Cat. 4205 and 4206) and Watson (1999) in
Bhutan and Darjeeling. This is to be noted
that Wallich Cat. 4205A was collected from
Sylhet, Bangladesh (BM, K-W), and Wallich
Cat. 4205B was collected from West Bengal,

(Dischidia bengalensis var. cuneifolia) was
collected from Mynamar (BM, K-W). Thus, all
Wallich collections (Wall. Cat. 4205A, B and
4206) were collected outside the boundary of
Nepal. Moreover, there is no record of Dischidia
bengalensis from Nepal, deposited in British
and Nepalese herbaria. Therefore, Dischidia
bengalensis is reported as a new record for the
Flora of Nepal.
Authors are grateful to the Curator of National
Herbarium & Plant Laboratories (KATH) for
allowing us to examine herbarium specimens.
Thanks are due to Mr. Jyoti Prasad Gajurel for
his technical support and to Ms. Shanta Budha
Magar and Mr. Ashish Bhandari for giving
company while collecting plant specimens.
References
Candolle A. de. 1844. Prodromus Systematics Naturalis
Regni Vegetabilis 8: 631. Parisiis Sumptibus Fortin,
Masson et Sociorum.
Hara H. 1982. Asclepiadaceae. In: Hara H., Chater A. O.
and Williams L. H. J. (eds.), An Enumeration of the
Flowering Plants of Nepal 3: 85–89. British Museum
(Natural History), London.
Hooker J. D. 1885. Asclepiadaceae. The Flora of British
 4: 50. Reeve and Co., London.
Li P.-T., Gilbert M. G. and Stevens W. D. 1995.
Asclepiadaceae. In: Wu Z.-Y. and Raven P. H. (eds.),
Flora of China 16: 189–270. Science Press, Beijing and
Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Mabberley D. J. 2008. Mabberley’s Plant Book: A Portable
Dictionary of Plants, Their Classifications and Uses.
3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Press J. R., Shrestha K. K. and Sutton D. A. 2000.
Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal.
pp. 18–21. The Natural History Museum, London.
Rajbhandari K. R. and Bhatt G. D. 2012. Asclepiadaceae.
In: Rajbhandari K. R., Bhattarai K. R. and Baral S.
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Dicotyledons (Compositae to Salicaceae). pp. 71–76.
Department of Plant Resources, Kathmandu.
Rintz R. E. 1980. The Peninsular Malayan species of
Dischidia (Asclepiadaceae). Blumea 26: 81–126.
Watson M. F. 1999. Asclepiadaceae. In: Grierson A.
J. C. and Long D. G. (eds.), Flora of Bhutan 2(2):
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Government of Bhutan, Thimpu.
P. bhandari，K. K. shrestha：ネパール新記録のベンガル
アケビカズラ（キョウチクトウ科）
キョウチクトウ科のマメヅタカズラ属 Dischidia は常
緑の着生つる植物で，東南アジからオセアニアにかけて
100 種以上が分布する．そのうち，ベンガルアケビカズ
ラDischidia bengalensis Colebr. がネパール中部から得
られた．これはネパールでは初めての報告となる．産地
は標高 900–1100 mの常緑広葉樹林で，本種はベンガル
ボダイジュなどのイチジク属やマテバシイ属の樹木か
ら懸垂していた．ここでは得られた材料にもとづき，簡
単な記載を行い，画像を提示した．
（ネパール・Tribhuvan Univeristy,
Central Department of Botany）