A reply:
" This is indeed an Aleuritopteris species (Cheilanthes in a wide sense),
and to identify species of this fairly complex genus one needs to see the
scales on the underneath of the stipe and rachis, which are not visible in
this photo. In addition this is a very immature or baby plant, not full
size and not of adult-type morphology, and this again makes it more
difficult to identify. If I had the specimen in hand so I could see the
scales and the underneath I could probably make a definite determination,
but from this photo alone it is going to have to be a bit of an
approximation! I find very often that because people don't necessarily
know what features one has to show, for each individual genus, photos are
sent to me that are frequently quite inadequate.
However two things help to pin this one down:
1. the bottom right-hand frond shows a "bullulate" upper surface - lots of
wrinkles impressed in the lamina along the veins and bluging up a bit
between the veins - the plant is such a baby one that the bullulate upper
surface is not yet fully developed, but it is definitely there in at least
that frond. If I have interpreted this properly and it is really one of
the bullulate species, this narrows it down to A. grisea, A. stenochlamys,
A. bullosa and A. formosana. [A. grisea and A. stenochlamys are
high-Himalayan species not present anywhere in C. or S. India, despite
mistaken reports of the former; A. bullosa is only in S. India, not up in
the northern W. Ghats]
2. It is from Mahabaleshwar - only three species occur there - A. bicolor,
A. anceps and A. formosana. Thus it appears that this must be A.
formosana. To confirm this please ask the collector to look at the stipe
scales, they should be small and narrow and with a narrow dark stripe along
their centre - bicolorous. Chromatography of the white, not really
"silver", farina beneath the lamina (provided it is not all washed off by
alcohol with insecticide on the herbarium-specimen) would also allow one to
identify it precisely as all these species have a very distinct composition
and number of flavinoids in the farina. But easier just to collect a
mature plant instead! It appears most likely therefore to be A. formosana.
Incidentally A. argentea (C. argentea) was described from China and
has a very different shape of lamina, and scales at the stipe-base. It
would certainly not be down there - its only locality from India so far is
up at 12000 ft. in the northernmost rim of North Sikkim on the Tibet
border. I was lucky enough to find it unexpectedly up behind the Annapurna
Himalaya at 3000 + metres near Jomsom in N.C. Nepal a few years ago, though
it's common in the cold, dry hills around Beijing in North China. But it
was not known from India until recently, despite imprecise earlier records.
Just to emphasisie the importance of precise and correct, informed
identification, the local name and traditional medicinal use in Jharkand
almost certainly refers to one of the other species, A. bicolor, or A.
anceps - which have very different chemical composition. One can't just
cross-transfer information about one area to another unless one has really
ensured the precise identity of the species concerned. This kind of
confusion happens very frequently unfortunately, especially with comments
about poisoning of cattle by Pteridium aquilinum - a European species not
present in India, where it is replaced by a distinct species with distinct
genetics and chemicals, P. revolutum, though some of the nasty chemicals
are the same.
About Sanjeevani - many botanists beleieve Sanjeevani may be
Selaginella bryopteris, which is another "resurrection plant" that comes to
life again in the wet season and dries up in the Winter. S. bryopteris is
sold in bazaars all over India as Sanjeevani and is rather impressive in
the difference between the dry state and the fresh-green wet state. Thus
symbolically plants that can do this seem like the Sanjeevani. But it is
more accurate to say that a number species do this, pteridophytes and
non-pteridophytes, and certainly most Aleuritopteris species do it too, so
are often called Sanjeevani. So do a whole lot of Asplenium (A. ceterach
is a fine example, covered in scales), Notholaena marantae - another very
good, scaly example. Actual identification of Sanjeevani - apart from by
tradition - is not really possible as it wasn't described in sufficient
detail. But tradition seems to favour the Selaginella and Aleuritopteris
species.
Cheers,
Chris Fraser-Jenkins, Kathmandu. "
On 1 November 2011 22:41, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote:
> Forwarding again for Id confirmation or otherwise please.
>
> Some earlier relevant feedback:
>
> “This *should be Silver fern, Chelianthes argenta*.
> Pankaj”
>
>
>
> “if back side of leaves is silver in colour & strm is maroon black nelu
> in hindi madicinal uses in tribes of jharkhand *Chelianthes sps*.--
> HARI SHANKAR LAL”
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Aarti S. Khale <[email protected]>
> Date: 28 July 2011 13:16
> Subject: [efloraofindia:75294] Fern for ID : 280711 : AK-2
> To: efloraofindia <[email protected]>
>
>
> Taken at Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra on the 30/11/09.
> Was growing wild in a number of places and locals were referring it as
> 'Sanjeevani'.
> Aarti
>
>
>
> --
> With regards,
> J.M.Garg ([email protected])
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
> 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
> The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species*&
> eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged
> alphabetically & place-wise):
> http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use
> them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.
> For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora,
> please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group:
> http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 1740 members &
> 90,000 messages on 31/10/11) or Efloraofindia website:
> https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database
> of more than 6000 species).
> Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of
> India'.
>
>
--
With regards,
J.M.Garg ([email protected])
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
The whole world uses my Image Resource of more than a *thousand species* &
eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged
alphabetically & place-wise):
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg. You can also use them
for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image.
For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora,
please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group:
http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix (more than 1740 members &
90,000 messages on 31/10/11) or Efloraofindia website:
https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/ (with a species database
of more than 6000 species).
Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of
India'.
