Chris ji, Thanks for the details given by you in identifying ferns.I hope it will help me when I come across ferns in future.This particular fern was seen at many places in that area at Mahabaleshwar. Vijayadas ji, Thanks for a possible id. Regards, Aarti
On Nov 2, 8:45 am, "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]> wrote: > 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'.
