What is Biophytum sensitivum in India

[Dr Santhosh Kumar]

Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not occurring in India. It has been said to be  reported from India, Sri Lanka, Africa and S E Asian countries. But recent studies shows that the Indian so called B. sensitivum consists of at least five different species B. nervifolium, B. veldkampii, B. poterioides, B. longibracteatum, B. nervifolium var assamicum (previously known as B. sensistivum var assamicum) and the true B. sensistivum is not recorded from India. The species previously called B. sensitivum from Sri Lanka is B. hermani (but I think this also represents B. reinwardtii) and the African one is called B. helenae. More studies are needed to unravel the mysteries. One must understand that after 11 am nobody can get a well opened flower of Biophytum so that we have to start our research a little early in the morning. Always we should have a living collection that help us to understand the species in its real sense. These are some of my personal experiences. We need to discuss this issue in the coming episodes.

 

Regards

 

Santhosh

On 5 March 2013 05:45, Gurcharan Singh <sing...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks a lot Surajit ji for digging out this important thread

Santosh ji has done a lot of research on this genus and his conclusions should be more authentic than The Plant List. It is convenient for us that we place all our specimens of B. sensivitum (from India) under B. nervifolium.

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 10:27 PM, surajit koley <surajitno...@gmail.com> wrote:

Sir,

There is a Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites, which is synonym of Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. - http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2676169

There is a Biophytum sensitivum var. nervifolium (Thwaites) Edgew. & Hook.f., which is, again, synonym of - Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. - http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2676197

According to F. B. I. i. 437. :-

• B. sensitivum DC. - Petals usually twice as long as the sepals, yellow (sometimes purple?)
• B. sensitivum var. nervifolia - purple petals and shining ....

A little while ago i read the discussion at - https://groups.google.com/d/topic/indiantreepix/DjpYvZsE20k/discussion, which i missed earlier.

Thank you.

Regards,

surajit

On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 8:34 PM, Gurcharan Singh <sing...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Santosh ji. Perhaps now some one has to show the typical B. sensivitum. By the way what is your opinion about two uploads at Flowers of India Website as B. reinwardtii and B. sensivitum?

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 8:28 PM, Dr Santhosh Kumar <drsanth...@gmail.com> wrote:

This is not Biophytum sensistivum, It is B. nervifolium

 

Santhosh

On 4 March 2013 05:39, Gurcharan Singh <sing...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Surajit ji for showing this species.

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 6:55 AM, surajit koley <surajitno...@gmail.com> wrote:

Sir,

This is the same plant as in my earlier upload (https://groups.google.com/d/topic/indiantreepix/t1IQFomezck/discussion) and it is Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC., recorded on 03-09-12, at Konnagarh, Hooghly.

Thank you,

Regards,

surajit

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--

SANTHOSH
------------------------------------------
Dr. E.S. Santhosh Kumar MSc, PhD, FIAT, FLS (on leave for 2 years)
Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode
Thiruvananthapuram-695562
Kerala
India
www.drsanthosh.wetpaint.com

 

Presently working for the British Aerospace, Riyadh, KSA

NB: Please consider your environmental responsibility! Ask yourself before printing this email !!!

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SANTHOSH
------------------------------------------
Dr. E.S. Santhosh Kumar MSc, PhD, FIAT, FLS (on leave for 2 years)
Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode
Thiruvananthapuram-695562
Kerala
India
www.drsanthosh.wetpaint.com

 

Presently working for the British Aerospace, Riyadh, KSA

NB: Please consider your environmental responsibility! Ask yourself before printing this email !!!

[Gurcharan Singh]

Thanks Santosh ji for this detailed explanation

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

[Vijayasankar]

Thanks Dr. Santhosh for the eye-opener! Its hard to believe that B. sensitivum is not occurring in India...as we have so far been thinking it is the commonest species of the genus in India. This story seems to be similar to that of Phyllanthus niruri...now we learn, after several decades, that it is not present in India.

Thanks once again for the valuable notes. Is the work published? If yes, please share or tell us about it.

 

Regards 

 

Vijayasankar Raman
National Center for Natural Products Research
University of Mississippi

[Dinesh Valke]

And this eye-opener also reminded me of ... The myth of “minima” and “maxima”, the species of Physalis in the Indian Subcontinent.

Regards.

Dinesh

[Dr Santhosh Kumar]

Thanks to all. I am now preparing the mss for publication

Santhosh