Post by Melanie on Jan 16, 2007 21:18:48 GMT 1
Acer sikkimense Miquel var. serrulatum Pax ACERACEAE
STATUS: Endangered. The taxon has not been seen in the wild since William Griffith's collection of it during his Assam exploration in the thirties of the last century (2). Causes for its decline or possible extinction may be due to its restricted occurrence in small pockets of Arunachal Pradesh which have become vulneralble due to exploitation of forests and deforestation for Jhum cultivation by the local Mishmee tribes (1).
DISTRIBUTION: India; endemic to Mishmee hills, Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh. The taxon had been collected only .once by Griffith possibly in 1837-38 (2) (Griffith 936) from Mishmee Hills and was determined by Pax In 1886 (5) as a variety of A. sikkimense. SInce ; then no new collection has been reported from the area or elsewhere (4).
HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: In subtropical pine forests dominated by Pinus insularis in association of Quercus griffithii, Q. fenestrata, Magnolia campbellii, Prunus acuminata, Betula alnoides, Schima wallichiana, Castanopsis and Rhus spp.
CONSERVATION MEASURES TAKEN: None. Since Griffith's collection in 1838 it has never been collected again. The area having been the most remotest northeastern part of Arunachal Pardesh largely remained under-explored (I), and it has not been possible to exactly locate its place of occurrence and survey its population.
CONSERVATION MEASURES PROPOSED: (a) To survey extensively the Mishmee hills area to locate the taxon, (b) if rediscovered in the wild, to declare the area as a protected reserve by the State Government, (c) to ensure that no collection of the taxon is made from the wild, (d) to attempt to introduce it to other areas which have similar natural habitat and ecological environment, and to preserve and maintain its germ-plasm in modern seed banks.
BIOLOGY AND POTENTIAL V ALUE : The variety is taxonomically distinct from the species in respect of serrulation of leaf margin which in the species is entire to subentire.
CULTIVATION: Not known.
DESCRIPTION: Tall trees, andro-monoecious or dioecious; branches green to reddish-brown or grey. Leaves 9-17 X 7-9 cm, ovate, subcoriaceous, glabrous, dark green above, paler beneath, apex caudate to cuspidate, base subcordate to cordate, 5-nerved. Inflorescence appearing with leaves, bracteate, densely spicate. Flowers 5-merous, yellowish-green. Sepals lanceolate, 2 mm long. Petals short, 1.5-2.0 mm long. Stamens 8, filament 2.5-3.0 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Fruit a samara, 1.5-1.8 cm long, nuts globular, wings divergent, nearly straight, base narrowed.
REFERENCES :
1. Anon. (1908) Mishmi Hills. The Imperial Gazetteer of India. 17. New Edition. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908. p. 377-378.
2. Griffith, W. (1848). Posthumous papers. 2. Itinerary Notes. Calcutta.
3. Joseph, J. & Chauhan, A. S. (1983). Namdapha Wild Life Sanctuary, Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh. in: Jain, S. K. & Sastry,' A. R, K. (Com.) Botany of some Tiger habitats in India. Botanical Survey of India. Howrah.
4. Nayar, M. P. & Anukul Datta (1982). Aceraceae. Fasc. Fl. India 9: 1-22. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah.
5. Pax, F. (1886). Monographie der Gattung Acer. In: Engler, A., Bot. Jahrb. 7:177-263.
STATUS: Endangered. The taxon has not been seen in the wild since William Griffith's collection of it during his Assam exploration in the thirties of the last century (2). Causes for its decline or possible extinction may be due to its restricted occurrence in small pockets of Arunachal Pradesh which have become vulneralble due to exploitation of forests and deforestation for Jhum cultivation by the local Mishmee tribes (1).
DISTRIBUTION: India; endemic to Mishmee hills, Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh. The taxon had been collected only .once by Griffith possibly in 1837-38 (2) (Griffith 936) from Mishmee Hills and was determined by Pax In 1886 (5) as a variety of A. sikkimense. SInce ; then no new collection has been reported from the area or elsewhere (4).
HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: In subtropical pine forests dominated by Pinus insularis in association of Quercus griffithii, Q. fenestrata, Magnolia campbellii, Prunus acuminata, Betula alnoides, Schima wallichiana, Castanopsis and Rhus spp.
CONSERVATION MEASURES TAKEN: None. Since Griffith's collection in 1838 it has never been collected again. The area having been the most remotest northeastern part of Arunachal Pardesh largely remained under-explored (I), and it has not been possible to exactly locate its place of occurrence and survey its population.
CONSERVATION MEASURES PROPOSED: (a) To survey extensively the Mishmee hills area to locate the taxon, (b) if rediscovered in the wild, to declare the area as a protected reserve by the State Government, (c) to ensure that no collection of the taxon is made from the wild, (d) to attempt to introduce it to other areas which have similar natural habitat and ecological environment, and to preserve and maintain its germ-plasm in modern seed banks.
BIOLOGY AND POTENTIAL V ALUE : The variety is taxonomically distinct from the species in respect of serrulation of leaf margin which in the species is entire to subentire.
CULTIVATION: Not known.
DESCRIPTION: Tall trees, andro-monoecious or dioecious; branches green to reddish-brown or grey. Leaves 9-17 X 7-9 cm, ovate, subcoriaceous, glabrous, dark green above, paler beneath, apex caudate to cuspidate, base subcordate to cordate, 5-nerved. Inflorescence appearing with leaves, bracteate, densely spicate. Flowers 5-merous, yellowish-green. Sepals lanceolate, 2 mm long. Petals short, 1.5-2.0 mm long. Stamens 8, filament 2.5-3.0 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Fruit a samara, 1.5-1.8 cm long, nuts globular, wings divergent, nearly straight, base narrowed.
REFERENCES :
1. Anon. (1908) Mishmi Hills. The Imperial Gazetteer of India. 17. New Edition. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908. p. 377-378.
2. Griffith, W. (1848). Posthumous papers. 2. Itinerary Notes. Calcutta.
3. Joseph, J. & Chauhan, A. S. (1983). Namdapha Wild Life Sanctuary, Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh. in: Jain, S. K. & Sastry,' A. R, K. (Com.) Botany of some Tiger habitats in India. Botanical Survey of India. Howrah.
4. Nayar, M. P. & Anukul Datta (1982). Aceraceae. Fasc. Fl. India 9: 1-22. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah.
5. Pax, F. (1886). Monographie der Gattung Acer. In: Engler, A., Bot. Jahrb. 7:177-263.
