Sacred Groves Of North Malabar - Plant Sciences Feed - LifeSciFeed

02
2012
PLANT SCIENCES FEED
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
ISSN : 2231 - 1971
http://psf.lifescifeed.com
SACRED GROVES OF NORTH MALABAR: REFUGIA OF ENDEMIC
AND RARE MEDICINAL PLANTS
K SUBRAHMANYA PRASAD & K RAVEENDRAN
Sacred groves are one of the finest examples of traditional in situ conservation practices and act as
treasure house of endemic, endangered and rare plants. Endemic species of any geographical region,
throw light on the biogeography of the area, areas of extinction and evolution of the flora. Twelve famous
sacred groves of North Malabar region of Kerala were selected for study. Studies were aimed at the
documentation of floristic diversity with special reference to endemic as well as RET medicinal plants and
to know threats to them. Present inventory accounted for a total of 99 endemic angiosperms, of which 28
qualify for RET categories. Their role in germplasm conservation is evident from the fact that not a single
plant is common to all the groves and 47 endemic plants are restricted to any one of the groves. Medicinal
plant diversity varies from a minimum of 65% to a maximum of 91% while that of endemic plants ranges
from 11% in Andallur to 18% in Edayilakkad. Like other groves of Kerala these also facing the threat of
extinction from increasing anthropogenic activities and there is an urgent need of complete protection and
public awareness for the existence of these near–climax communities.
KEYWORDS: North Malabar, Sacred groves, Biodiversity, Threats, Conservation
Cite this article as:
K Subrahmanya Prasad and K Raveendran (2012). Sacred Groves Of North Malabar: Refugia of Endemic and Rare
Medicinal Plants. Plant Sciences Feed 2 (10): 154-158.
AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS: Department of P. G. Studies & Research in Botany, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba,
Kannur – 670 142, Kerala (India).
*EMAIL: prasadks.1090@rediffmail.com

1. INTRODUCTION
Sacred groves are one of the finest examples of
traditional in situ conservation practices, which dates
much prior to the modern concept of wildlife reserves.
These are patches of natural near-climax pristine
vegetation of trees and associate groups of organisms,
managed as a part of local cultural tradition. Sacred
groves are found in a wide range of ecological situations,
from coast to the Ghats [1]. The area of a sacred grove
varies from a few trees to about 20 hectares of multitier
primary forest. Each grove has a patron deity and folklore
associated with it [2]. Extensive studies conducted on the
biodiversity and from biological conservation point of
view indicated that they are the treasure house of
medicinal, rare, endemic and endangered plants [3 – 7].
Groves are repositories of biological wealth of the nation
[8]. These act as last shelters of natural forests and are the
indicators of the rich vegetation that had existed in the
past. These are the store houses of germplasm of wild
yams, pepper, mango and a variety of Ayurvedic as well as
folk medicinal plants [9]. Sacred groves are important
because about 60 % of the regenerating species in them
are medicinally important and nearly 40% medicinal
plants are unique to them [10]. In Kerala sacred groves
are mainly distributed in plains, numbering about 2000
[8] of which 578 are in North Malabar [11]. At present
most of the sacred groves are on a path of gradual decline
owing to various socio-economic factors [9]. Like other
groves of Kerala sacred groves of North Malabar also
facing the threat of extinction from increasing
anthropogenic activities.
Endemic plants are the population with narrow
ecological restrictions. Endemic species of any
geographical region, throw light on the biogeography of
the area, areas of extinction and evolution of the flora [12].
Identification and documentation of RET species is
important in the conservation of biodiversity as these
have specific ecological niches [13]. The threatened
species categories used in red list are critically
endangered, endangered and vulnerable [14]. Rare
species is the one which occurs in widely separated small
sub population, where inter breeding is restricted to a
single population. Present studies were mainly aimed at
the exploration of medicinal plant diversity with special
reference to RET plants and the threats to them.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY
Area selected for study is North Malabar region of
Kerala, located to the North east of Kerala within the
geographical limit 11° 18' to 12° 48' N latitude and 74° 52'
to 76° 07' E longitude, comprising Kasaragod and Kannur
districts. Topographically the area consists of a narrow
coastal belt, undulating midland and mountainous high
range. The climate is typical warm-humid tropical type
with mean temperature range of 22 – 37 o C and relative
humidity between 70% and 90%. Studies were conducted
from January 2007 to December 2009 throughout the
twelve famous sacred groves, six each in both districts
with an extent of over two acres. The groves selected for
study were Andallur, Edayilakkad, Kalarivadukkal,
Kunninmadilagam, Madai, Niliarkottam, (Kannur district)
Kammadam, Karakka, Kayyur, Mapittacchery, Paliyeri and
Paramel Kavu of Kasaragod district. Extensive field visits
were carried out to document the floristic diversity. The
plants were collected and identified with the aid of
regional floras, checklists [15 – 23] and herbaria. The
voucher specimens were deposited at the SSC herbaria.
Personal cross-interview with the local people and
authentic literature reference [24 – 31] were performed
to ascertain the economic importance of the plants.
3. RESULTS
The vegetation of these groves is of secondary semievergreen
type. The Pteridophytes are represented by
Selaginella delicatula (Desv. ex Poir.) Alston., Lygodium
flexuosum (L.) Sw., Pteris pellucida Presl., Adiantum
lunulatum Burm. f., Vittaria elongata Sw., Ophioglossum
reticulatum L., Chielanthes sp., Bolbites subcrenata (Hook.
& Grev.) Ching., Lindsaea ensifolia Sw., Drynaria quercifolia
(L.) J. Sm., Stenochlaena palustris (Burm.) Bedd.,
Angiopteris evecta (G. Forst.) Hoffm., Christella dentata
(Forssk.) Holttum., Trichomanes christi Copel., Hemionitis
arifolia (Burm. f.) T. Moore., Alsophila gigantea Wall. ex
Hook. while Gymnosperms by Gnetum ula Brongn. alone.
Endemic plants, their distribution and status are
shown in Table No. 1. Critical observation of endemic
plant diversity in these groves revealed the presence of 99
endemic angiosperms. Most astonishing fact is that not a
single plant is common to the twelve groves studied.
Dalbergia horrida (Dennst.) Mabb., Holigarna arnottiana
Hook. f. and Mussaenda belilla Buch.-Ham. show their
presence in all the groves except Kalarivadukkal.
Restriction of 47 endemic plants to any one of the sacred
grove makes them important gene pool. Of the 99
endemic plants 28 fall under RET categories as there are
13 vulnerable, 10 rare, 2 endangered, 2 critically
endangered plants and Tabernaemontana heyneana Wall.,
a nearly threatened one. Review of authentic literature
and consultation with local people made it clear that out
of these 59 were well known for their medicinal
properties. Another striking feature is that 18 of these
medicinal plants are included under RET categories. Plant
composition in each grove and their importance is given
in Table No. 2.
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Plant Sciences Feed Vol. 2 Issue 10
Table 1. Distribution of endemic plants.
Sl No Botanical name Status A E K
K
M
K
R
K
V
K
Y
M M
P
N P
1 Actinodaphne bourdillonii Gamble LC X
2 Aglaia barberi Gamble R X X
3 *Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A. Juss.) Benth. LC X X X X X X
4 *Amorphophallus commutatus (Schott) Engl. LC X X X X X
5 *Ampelocissus indica (L.) Planch R X X
6 Ancistrocladus heyneanus Wall ex Graham LC X X
7 Aneilema ovalifolium (Wight) Hook. f. R X
8 Arisaema leschenaultii Blume LC X X
9 *Artocarpus hirsutus Lam. V X X X
10 Aspidopterys canarensis Dalz. V X X
11 *Begonia canarana Miq. R, E X
12 *Briedelia scandens (Roxb.) Willd. LC X X X X X X X
13 *Bulbophyllum sterile (Lam.) Suresh LC X X X X X X X
14 *Calamus thwaitesii Bec. & Hook. f. LC X X
15 *Calophyllum calaba L. R X
16 *Canthium rheedei DC. LC X
17 Capparis floribunda Wight. LC X
18 *Capparis grandiflora Wall ex Hook. f. LC X X X
19 Chionanthus mala-elengi (Dennst) P. S. Green LC X
20 *Cinnamomum malabatrum (Burm. f.) Blume LC X
21 *Curcuma oligantha Trimen LC X X X X X X X X
22 Cyanotis papilionacea (L.) Schult. f. LC X
23 *Dalbergia horrida (Dennst.) Mabb. LC X X X X X X X X X X X
24 *Dendrobium ovatum (L.) Kranz. LC X
25 Derris brevipes (Benth) Baker LC X X
26 *Diospyros candolleana Wight LC X
27 *Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman V X
28 Eranthemum capense L. LC X X X
29 Euonymus indicus Heyne ex Roxb. LC X X
30 Euphorbia katrajensis Gaje. LC X X
31 Ficus beddomei King LC X
32 *Flacourtia montana Graham LC X X
33 Flagellaria indica L. R X
34 Genianthus laurifolius (Roxb.) Hook. f. R X X X
35 Globba ophioglossa Wight LC X
36 Glochidion johnstonei Hook. f. LC X
37 *Gloriosa superba L. V X X X X
38 *Glycosmis macrocarpa Wight R X
39 *Grewia umbellata Mast. LC X
40 Gymnema hirsutum Wight & Arn. LC X
41 *Gymnostachyum febrifugum Benth. LC X
42 Helicanthes elastica (Dest.) Danser LC X X
43 *Holigarna arnottiana Hook. f. LC X X X X X X X X X X X
44 *Holigarna ferruginea Marchand LC X
45 *Hopea parviflora Bedd. LC X X
46 *Hopea ponga (Dennst.) Mabb. V X X X X X
47 *Hydnocarpus macrocarpa (Bedd.) Warb. E X
48 *Hydnocarpus pentandra (Buch.-Ham.) Oken. V X X X X X X
49 *Impatiens minor (DC) Bennet LC X X X X X X X
50 *Ixora brachiata Roxb. ex DC. LC X X X X X X X X
51 Ixora leucantha Heyne ex G. Don LC X X X X X
52 Ixora polyantha Wight LC X X X
53 *Jasminum malabaricum Wight LC X X X X X X X
54 *Justicia betonica L. LC X
55 Justicia trinervia Vahl. LC X
56 *Knema attenuata Hook. f. & Thoms. LC X X
57 *Lagerstroemia microcarpa Wight LC X X
58 *Lepidagathis keralensis Madhu. & Singh LC X X
59 *Leucas biflora (Vahl.) R. Br. LC X
60 *Litsea coriacea (Heyne ex Meisner) Hook. f. LC X
P
A
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61 Litsea ghatica Sald. LC X X
62 Litsea laevigata (Nees) Gamble LC X
63 *Loeseneriella arnottiana (Wight) A. C. Smith LC X X X X X X X
64 Loeseneriella bourdillonii (Gamble) Ramam LC X X
65 *Memecylon randerianum S M & M R Almeida LC X X X X X X X
66 Memecylon talbotianum Brandis LC X
67 Miquelia dentata Bedd. R X
68 Morinda reticulata Gamble R X
69 *Moullava spicata (Dalz.) Nicols LC X X
70 Murdannia semiteres (Dalz.) Sant. LC X X X
71 *Mussaenda belilla Buch.-Ham. LC X X X X X X X X X X X
72 Myristica fatua Houtt. E X
73 *Myristica malabarica Lam. V X X
74 *Naregamia alata Wight & Arn. LC X X X X X X
75 Neuropeltis malabarica Ooster C E X
76 Oberonia brunoniana Wight LC X
77 *Ochlandra travancorica (Bedd.) Benth. ex. Gamble LC X
78 *Ochreinauclea missionis (Wall. ex G. Don.) Ridsd. V X
79 Phoebe lanceolata Nees. LC X
80 *Psychotria dalzellii Hook. f. LC X
81 Psychotria flavida Talbot. LC X
82 *Quisqualis malabarica Bedd. LC X
83 Reissantia indica (Willd.) Halle LC X
84 Rotala macrandra Koehne LC X
85 *Salacia fruticosa Heyne ex Lawson LC X X
86 *Santalum album L. V X X X X
87 *Saraca asoca ( Roxb.) de wilde V X
88 Smithia salsuginea Hance LC X
89 *Stachyphrynium spicatum (Roxb.) Schum. LC X X
90 *Strobilanthes ciliatus Nees V X
91 Strobilanthes integrifolius (Dalz.) O. Ktze. LC X
92 *Syzygium travancoricum Gamble C E X X
93 *Tabernaemontana heyneana Wall. N T X X X X X X X X
94 *Terminalia paniculata Roth. LC X X X
95 *Tinospora sinensis (Lour.) Merr. V X X X X
96 *Vateria indica L. V X X
97 *Ventilago denticulata Willd. LC X
98 Zingiber cernuum Dalz. LC X
99 *Zingiber neesamum (Graham) Ramam LC X X
where ‘*’ stands for medicinal, R – rare, E – endangered, V – vulnerable, CE – critically endangered, NT – near threatened, LC –
least concerned, A – Andallur, E – Edayilakkad, K – Kammadam, KM – Kunninmadilagam, KR – Karakka, KV – Kalarivadukkal, KY
– Kayyur, M – Madai, MP – Mapittacchery, N – Niliarkottam, P – Paliyeri and PA – Paramel Kavu.
Table 2 - Plant composition and percentage of economically important plants.
Category A E K KM KR KV K Y M MP N P PA
Vascular Plants 91 127 234 112 146 75 132 77 121 186 141 167
Trees 35 23 75 25 31 23 30 17 28 53 32 38
Shrubs 18 31 42 23 23 15 24 21 23 35 20 34
Herbs 23 34 44 32 61 17 31 19 39 58 47 51
Climbers 15 39 73 32 31 20 47 20 31 40 42 44
Medicinal Plants
83
(91%)
107
(84%)
161
(69%)
95
(85%)
108
(74%)
68
(91%)
112
(85%)
68
(88%)
96
(79%)
148
(80%)
101
(72%)
109
(65%)
Edible Plants
27
(30%)
34
(27%)
48
(21%)
20
(18%)
32
(22%)
27
(36%)
41
(31%)
25
(33%)
37
(31%)
46
(25%)
31
(22%)
38
(23%)
Endemic plants
10
(11%)
23
(18%)
39
(17%)
18
(16%)
17
(12%)
10
(13%)
16
(12%)
13
(17%)
15
(12%)
29
(16%)
19
(13%)
27
(16%)
where, A – Andallur, E – Edayilakkad, K – Kammadam, KM – Kunninmadilagam, KR – Karakka, KV – Kalarivadukkal, KY –
Kayyur, M – Madai, MP – Mapittacchery, N – Niliarkottam, P – Paliyeri and PA – Paramel Kavu.
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4. CONCLUSION
The percentage of medicinal plants in these groves
varies from a minimum of 65 in Paramel Kavu to a
maximum of 91 in Andallur and Kalarivadukkal. The
maximum percentage of endemic plants is 18 in
Edayilakkad while minimum 11 in Andallur. This much
richness in species diversity makes these groves
biological hotspots. Like other groves of Kerala
anthropogenic activities like collection of firewood,
dumping of waste and many antisocial elements are the
major threats for the gene pool of these fragile
ecosystems. Their presence in agriculture lands, grazing,
fragmentation and erosion of religious beliefs are also
the added influence of anthropogenic activities. Thus
conservation of biodiversity of these sacred groves is an
urgent need. For effective conservation fencing of the
outer perimeter to prevent tress passing, total ban on
the exploitation of natural resources from them, allowing
entry to those who come for worship and posting
security to guard the entry point are recommended.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are thankful to the Principal and
Management, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba for
providing the facilities. One of the authors, SPK is
grateful to Kerala State Council for Science Technology
and Environment (KSCSTE) for providing financial
assistance.
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