Rheedea Vol. 18(2) 95-106 2 0 0 8 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics T. S. Nayar, M. Sibi, A. Rasiya Beegam, N. Mohanan and G. Rajkumar Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram 695 562 Kerala, India E-mail: tsnayar@gmail.com Abstract This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the flowering plants of Kerala based on 1303 publications appeared until 2008. The state harbours 4694 species under 1418 genera and 188 families (s.l.). Of these, 4078 are indigenous, 199 are exotic naturalised and 417 are cultivated/planted. Of the 4078 indigenous species, 1568 are endemic to India and of these, 865 are endemic to the Western Ghats. Of the 865 Western Ghats endemics, 237 species are endemic to Kerala. This includes two monotypic genera, Silentvalleya and Haplothismia. About 5% of the flora come under one or other IUCN red list category. Of all the life forms, herbs constitute more than 50% of the flora and shrubs and trees 15% each. Continent wise analysis shows that 389 species found in Kerala share their distribution with Australia, 442 species with Africa, 31 species with Europe, 190 species with America and 2194 species with different countries in Asia. There are 115 species common to Kerala and South East Asia. Sri Lanka and Malaysia together share 26 species with Kerala and 1866 species share their distribution with Sri Lanka, out of which 538 are exclusively common to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Kerala constitutes only 1.18% of the geographical area of India but it accommodates 27.57% of the flowering plants occurring in the country. It has been found that 1170 species possess established medicinal properties. Absence of a comprehensive Flora dealing with all the flowering plants of the state is the major gap; nearly 8% of the flora are not represented in any of the Indian herbaria and illustrations of 35% of the species are not available. The analysis is supported with 12 figures and two appendices. Keywords: Flowering Plants, Kerala, Phytogeography, Conservation status, Uses, Gaps Introduction Kerala located at 80 18´ and 120 48´ N latitude and 740 52´ and 770 22´ E longitude is the southernmost state along the Western Coast of Peninsular India (Fig.1). The authors recently published a work on flowering plants of Kerala (Nayar et al., 2006) which dealt with 4681 species, 57 subspecies and 287 varieties as occurring in the state. The work provided the following details for each species: correct botanical name and important synonyms, habits, distribution in the world, the Western Ghats and Kerala, references to available good descriptions and illustrations in botanical literature, information on indigenous, endemic or exotic nature of each species, conservation status (rare, endangered, threatened, vulnerable), details on phenology, uses (medicine, food, dye, oil, timber, fibre, tannin etc.) and Malayalam names. It could not account one species published by Mohanan and Kumar (2005). Twelve new taxa (three genera, six species and three varieties) 75O 76O 77O 14 12O INDIA  N 13 12 1 cm = 70 km 11 10 9 O 11 O 10 9O 1. Thiruvananthapuram 2. Kollam 3. Pathanamthitta 4. Alappuzha 5. Kottayam 6. Idukki 7. Ernakulam 8. Thrissur 9. Palakkad 10. Malappuram 11. Kozhikode 12. Wayanad 13. Kannur 14. Kasaragod Figure 1. Map of Kerala 8 7 6 5 3 4 2 1 96 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics and eight new records (seven species and one variety) have been reported from Kerala since the publication of this work (Anilkumar, 2006; Sankar et al., 2006; Sasidharan et al., 2006; Upadhyay et al., 2006, 2008; Geethakumary et al., 2007, 2008; Kumar et al., 2007a, 2007b; Mohanan and Pimenov, 2007; Nazarudeen et al., 2007; Rajkumar and Janarthanam, 2007; Sabeena et al., 2007; Udayan et al., 2007; Joemon et al., 2008; Kumar et al., in press; Muktesh Kumar and Ramesh, 2008; Murugan et al., 2008a, 2008b; Pradeep et al., 2008.) This paper provides status and statistics of 4277 species of flowering plants so far recorded from Kerala, excluding cultivated (156spp.) and planted (261spp.), based on the information contained in the above cited works. Number of species Kerala harbours 4694 species of flowering plants under 1418 genera and 188 families (s.l.). The state constitutes only 1.18% of the geographical area of India but it accommodates 27.57% (total 17023 species, Karthikeyan, 1999) of the flowering plants occurring in the country. Excluding 417 cultivated and/or planted species, there are 4277 species in the state, that come under 1238 genera and 173 families Publications An estimate made until 2008 shows that there are 1303 publications on the flowering plants of Kerala partly or fully dealing with the botanical wealth of the state (Fig. 2). The decade between 1981 and 1990 witnessed a marked increase in the number of publications: out of 496 publications brought out during this period, 119 papers dealt with 168 new species from the state. It is evident that the establishment of Botany Department at Calicut University (Malappuram district) (1968), Kerala Forest Research Institute at Figure 2. Publications on Kerala flora upto 2008 Figure 3. Nativity Figure 4. Dominant families with the number of species Peechi (Thrissur district) (1975) and Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute at Palode (Thiruvananthapuram district) (1978) triggered intensive botanical explorations in Kerala forests, which helped to discover this many new species. This underscores the opinion expressed by Bawa et al. (2004) that one of the many challenges in tropical botany for the 21st century is the establishment of more research centers for inventorisation of tropical biodiversity. Figure 5. Dominant genera with the number of species T. S. Nayar et al. (s.l.) (Appendix I). An analysis of these species with reference to their indigenous and endemic nature has been presented (Fig. 3). Out of 4078 indigenous species, 237 species (5.81%) are found only within the political boundary of Kerala. In that sense, they are endemic to Kerala. More than 45% (2051 spp.) of the total species are represented by nine families which accommodate more than 100 species (Fig. 4). Rest of the families have ≤ 83 species. Fifty six families are represented by a single genus and out of which 25 families by a single species. Seven genera (out of 1238) have 35 or more species. Impatiens is the largest genus with 78 species (Fig. 5). 97 Exotics There are 199 exotic species naturalised in Kerala (Fig. 7). Six families (Cactaceae, Papaveraceae, Phytolaccaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Turneraceae, Iridaceae) are represented only with exotic species. Endemics The 237 species exclusively seen within the present political boundary of Kerala are distributed within 47 families (Appendix II). Out of this, 117 species (49.15%) are represented by five families (Fig. 6). There are six families in Kerala which are represented by species only endemic to India (Ancistrocladaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Cornaceae, Proteaceae, Valerianaceae, Xanthophyllaceae). Of these, species of Chrysobalanaceae [Atuna indica (Bedd.) Kosterm. and Atuna travancorica (Bedd.) Kosterm.], Cornaceae [Mastixia arborea (Wight) Bedd. and M. pentandra Blume] and Xanthophyllaceae (Xanthophyllum arnottianum Wight) represented in Kerala are endemic to the Western Ghats. There is no family endemic to Kerala. There are two monotypic genera (Silentvalleya Figure 7. Dominant families of naturalised species Of the 199 naturalised exotics, 143 are American, 23 African, 7 Asian, 2 European, 5 Mediterranean, 1 East Indian, 1 Indonesian, 2 Madagascan, 3 Malaysian, 9 West Indian, 1 Sri Lankan, 1 Mauritian and 1 Australian in origin. Life forms Flowering plants of Kerala exhibit all known life forms (Fig. 8). There are certain species that show Figure 6. Dominant families of endemic species and Haplothismia) endemic to the state. Ischaemum is the largest genus having maximum number of endemics (18 sp.) followed by Impatiens, Dimeria (15 sp. each) and Fimbristylis (9 sp.). It can be observed that publication of new species from the state, especially after 1980s, enhanced more than three times the percentage of endemism in the state. Figure 8. Life forms 98 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics both the habits of herb and shrub (108) and, shrub and tree (234) depending on the habitats. Besides the erect shrubs (676 spp.) there are shrubby climbers (232), stragglers (19) and twiners (48). Likewise, there are 82 climbers and 63 twiners under the category of herbs apart from their erect forms (2144 spp.). Avoiding the intermittent forms, herbs constitute 50.1%, shrubs 15.8 % and trees 15.08% of the total flowering plant species of the state. Phytogeography Of the 4078 indigenous species found in Kerala, 2274 occur in different countries of the Old World whereas 234 species share their distribution with countries both in Old World and New World . Nativity of two species could not be ascertained. The rest 1568 species are endemic to India. Continent wise analysis shows that Kerala has 389 species that share their distribution with Australia, 442 with Africa, 31 with Europe, 190 with America and 2194 with different countries in Asia. Out of these 2194, 115 species are found common to Kerala and South East Asia. The state share distribution of 26 species with Sri Lanka and Malaysia together and it has 1866 species that share their distribution with Sri Lanka, out of which 538 are exclusively common to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Pattern of species distribution For the convenience of assessing species distribution within the state, Kerala is horizontally segmented into three: Southern (Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam districts), Central (Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts) and Northern (Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts). There are 378 species found in southern and central Kerala Figure 9. Species distribution in Kerala alone, 228 species in southern and northern Kerala alone and 36 species in central and northern Kerala alone. There are 1927 species distributed throughout the state (Fig. 9). There are 531 species restricted to different individual districts and 118 species restricted to specific localities. Twenty nine species are restricted to coastal zone but they are found throughout this zone. There are 52 species in Kerala, that are found common in the Western Ghats part of Maharashtra, Nagar Haveli, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and 82 species, likewise, are common to Maharashtra, Nagar Haveli, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu . The state harbours 963 species that are of common occurrence in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. There are 119 species that are found both in Maharashtra and Karnataka, 64 species both in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, 727 species both in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Thirty seven species that occur in Kerala share their distribution only with Maharashtra, 113 species only with Karnataka and 783 species only with Tamil Nadu. There are 213 species in the state that share their distribution only with other parts of India, avoiding the above mentioned states. Conservation status Out of the 4078 indigenous species, 203 species (4.97%) come under one or other IUCN red list category (2008) (Fig. 10). There are 325 species of flowering plants from India in this list. This shows that Kerala represents 62.46% (203 spp.) of threatened plants of the country. Four species from the state [Ilex gardneriana Wight (Aquifoliaceae), Cynometra Figure 10. Conservation status based on IUCN red list (2008) T. S. Nayar et al. Kerala India 99 species for latex, 111 species for gum, 65 species for resin and 284 species for oil. There are 224 species having poisonous properties. About 1,000 species are used for basketry and as detergent, sand binder, green manure and so on. Medicinal Uses It has been found that 1170 species occurring in the state (27.35%) are used medicinally. Out of these, 1096 species are indigenous and the rest Figure 11. Major families and the number of species in Kerala and India under IUCN red list (2008) 74 are exotic. It was found that 104 species (8.88%) used for different ailments are endemic to India, 34 species endemic to beddomei Prain (Fabaceae), Syzygium gambleanum the Western Ghats and one endemic to Kerala Rathakr. & Chithra (Myrtaceae) and Wendlandia (Dialium travancoricum Bourd.). angustifolia Wight (Rubiaceae)] come under the Extinct category. However, C. beddomei has been An analysis of medicinal uses shows that 669 species collected from Agasthyamala (Mohanan & Sivadasan, are used in stomach disorders, 123 as antidote to 2002) and W. angustifolia from Tamil Nadu poison, 141 as pain killers, 261 in fever and 191 in (Viswanathan et al., 2000). An earlier IUCN red list skin diseases. There are 161 species in Kerala used in (Walter and Gillett 1998; Rao et al., 2003) had included different gynaecological problems; and 63 species are three more species from Kerala under the Extinct employed in natal health care, 155 species in ailments category (Ophiorrhiza brunonis Wight & Arn., O. connected with lungs, 75 species in nerve, 346 species caudata Fischer, O. radicans Gardner ex Thwaites) in kidney and 42 species in liver disorders, 206 species though the 2008 list has excluded them. There are in bone fracture and associated complaints, 60 species reports that O. brunonis has been collected from in heart ailments, 182 species in diseases of eye and Thrissur and Nilambur (Sasidharan & Sivarajan, 1996; ear, 47 species against diseases born of microbial Sivarajan & Mathew, 1997). As per the 2008 IUCN activities, 151 species as preventives, 11 species in red list, families which have more number of species sleeping disorders and 10 species in different under different categories of threat in Kerala are veterinary medicines. The above account does not Myrtaceae (21 spp.), Rubiaceae (18 spp.), Lauraceae include potential ethnomedicinal uses reported on (17 spp.), Fabaceae (16 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (15 spp.), different species from the state. Dipterocarpaceae (14 spp.), Annonaceae (12 spp.) and Categorisation of properties and biological activities Meliaceae (11 spp.). shows that 292 species are employed as anthelmentic, 242 species as antidiarrhoeic or antidysenteric, 184 Uses species as anti–rheumatic, 200 species as aphrodisiac, Many species in Kerala are of good economic use 364 species as astringent, 60 species as cardiopathic, (Fig. 12). There are 117 species used for soft wood 185 species as carminative, 322 species as diuretic, purposes, 146 species for extraction of tannin, 29 113 species as emollient, 188 species as expectorant, 320 species as febrifuge, 243 species as laxative, 127 species as ophthalmic, 144 species as purgatives, 137 species as stimulants, 180 species as tonic and 94 species in venereal diseases. Major gaps Figure 12. Uses In spite of the fact there are many publications on flowering plants of Kerala, Floras dealing with comprehensive descriptions (a description that helps to rule out, if wrong, the identification done through 100 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics artificial keys) of species are absent. Species descriptions in many Floras are scanty and repetitive. One has to depend on books published on plants from outside the state like The Flora of the Tamil Nadu Carnatic 1-3 (Matthew, K.M., 1983) or old works such as Flora of British India (Hooker, J. D., 1875-1897) or Flora of the Presidency of Bombay (Cooke, T., 1908) for detailed descriptions. Lack of herbarium citation and inconsistency in framing the pattern of Flora (nomenclatural citation, mention on distribution in the world, India or state, statement on uses, threat categories and inclusion of local names etc.) are other drawbacks. Useful field notes and critical comments are absent in almost all of them. Out of the 4277 species, only 3952 species (92.4%) are collectively represented in Indian herbaria (TBGT, CALI, KFRI, MH and CAL). Good illustrations are available only for 2897 species (67.7%), that too when one depends on publications dealing with areas outside Kerala. Many good illustrations available are those published along with publication of new species or new records. Authors of the Floras (all of them are attempts by individuals), it appears, have not taken seriously the task of providing good illustrations in their works. About 3,990 Malayalam names have been recorded for 1507 species (35.1%) and rest of them (3187 species) do not possess Malayalam names, possibly because they are not used by the locals, not accessible to them or local names are not fully documented. Conclusion Though all the 14 districts in Kerala are already explored and flowering plants are considered as fully documented, the above accounts indicate some major gaps the taxonomists who work on the flowering plants of Kerala have to fill up on priority basis. A fully blown Flora for Kerala, in absence of such a work for India, is the most desired with nomenclatural citations providing access to major botanical works in India and the state, details on types, comprehensive and original descriptions, field data, critical notes on morphology and nomenclature, observations on phenology, world wide distributional details, quality illustrations, extensive herbarium citations, sharp keys and honest statements on existing taxonomic problems (if any) with a view to solve them in future . What is needed is a time targeted and dedicated institutionalised attempt at one of the taxonomic research centres of the state (TBGRI, KFRI or Calicut University) involving experts from different quarters and ensuring participation from national centres like Botanical Survey of India and International establishments like Kew and British Museum. This is an already delayed matter and more delay in accomplishing this task may even outdate the approach. What we should not forget is that 21st century demands Floras to provide quantified information on species (seeds, seedlings/saplings included), especially on endemics and those under different threat categories, besides details on pollinators, seed dispersers and other relevant field situations which are potential to impart useful hints to conservation biologists to investigate causes of threat and policy makers to evolve strategies for practical conservation. Literature Cited Anilkumar, R. 2006. Christisonia indica R. 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Notes on new distribution of Desmodium dolabriforme Benth.: a little known taxa from southern Western Ghats, India. Indian J. Forestry 30: 65-68. Pradeep, S.V., Balan, A.P. & V.P. Prasad 2008. Senna uniflora (Mill.) Irwin & Barneby (FabaceaeCaesalpinioideae) – a new record to Kerala. Indian Journal of Forestry 31: 435-436. Rajkumar, S. & M.K. Janarthanam 2007. Agasthiyamalaia (Clusiaceae), a new genus for Poeciloneuron pauciflorum, an endemic and endangered tree of Western Ghats, India. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 129133. 101 Rao, C.K., Geetha, B.L. & Geetha Suresh 2003. Red list of threatened vascular plant species in India. Compiled from the 1997 IUCN red list of threatened plants. ENVIS, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkatta. Sabeena, A., Mestry, A., Mulani, R.M., Kumar, E.S.S. & N.T. Sibin 2007. A new species of Jasminum L. (Oleaceae) from Kerala, India. Indian J. Forestry 30: 123-125. Sankar, R.V., Ravikumar, K. & N.M.G. Babu 2006. A new species of Eriocaulon L. (Eriocaulaceae) from Anamalai hills of Kerala, India. Rheedea 16: 59-61. Sasidharan, N. & V.V. Sivarajan 1996. Flowering Plants of Thrissur Forests. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur. Sasidharan, N., Sujanapal, P. & P.C. Binoy 2006. A novelty in Stereospermum colais (Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn) Mabberley (Bignoniaceae) from the Sahyadri Mountains in Kerala. Rheedea 16: 37-40. Sivarajan, V. V. & P. Mathew 1997. Flora of Nilambur. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. Udayan, P.S., Tushar, K.V. & S. George 2007. A new variety of Humboldtia (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) from the Western Ghats of India. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 121-127. Upadhyay, G.K., Ansari, A.A. & B. Behera 2006. Dorstenia contrajerva L. (Moraceae) - a new record for India. J. Non-Timber For. Pro. 13: 77-79. Upadhyay, G.K., Ansari, A.A. & A.K. Dalai 2008. Dorstenia bahiensis Klotzsch ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey. (Moraceae) – first naturalised record for India. Indian Journal Forestry 31: 479-482. Viswanathan, M. B., E. H. Premkumar & N. Ramesh 2000. Rediscovery of Wendlandia angustifolia Wight ex Hook.f. (Rubiaceae) from Tamil Nadu – a species presumed extinct. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 97: 311313. Walter, K.S. & H.J. Gillett (eds) 1998. 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Received : 22.6.2007 Revised and accepted : 5.12.2008 102 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics Appendix I Number of species in Kerala Sl. No Family Genera Species Sl. No Family Genera Species 3 1 Acanthaceae (s.l.) 36 169 49 Elaeagnaceae 1 2 Aizoaceae (s.l.) 5 12 50 Elaeocarpaceae 1 8 3 Alangiaceae 1 1 51 Elatinaceae 2 4 4 Amaranthaceae 15 29 52 Ericaceae 2 3 5 Anacardiaceae 9 24 53 Erythroxylaceae 1 4 6 Ancistrocladaceae 46 165 7 Annonaceae 259 1 1 54 Euphorbiaceae (s.l.) 16 47 55 Fabaceae 8 Apiaceae 12 24 Papilionoideae 56 9 Apocynaceae 20 30 Caesalpiniodeae 13 53 10 Aquifoliaceae 1 5 Mimosoideae 12 27 11 Araliaceae 4 12 56 Flacourtiaceae 6 23 12 Aristolochiaceae 2 11 57 Gentianaceae 6 28 13 Asclepiadaceae 27 83 58 Geraniaceae 1 1 14 Asteraceae 64 180 59 Gesneriaceae 5 15 1 15 Balanophoraceae 1 2 60 Goodeniaceae 1 16 Balsaminaceae 2 79 61 Haloragaceae 2 3 17 Begoniaceae 1 11 62 Hydrophyllaceae 1 1 18 Berberidaceae 2 2 63 Hypericaceae 1 4 19 Bignoniaceae 6 9 64 Icacinaceae 6 7 65 Lamiaceae 22 103 11 63 20 Bixaceae (s.l.) 1 1 21 Bombacaceae 2 4 66 Lauraceae (s.l.) 22 Boraginaceae 9 26 67 Lecythidaceae (s.l.) 2 3 23 Brassicaceae 3 6 68 Leeaceae 1 6 24 24 Burseraceae 4 5 69 Lentibulariaceae 1 25 Buxaceae 1 1 70 Linaceae (s.l.) 2 3 26 Cactaceae 2 2 71 Loganiaceae (s.l.) 6 12 27 Campanulaceae (s.l.) 4 10 72 Loranthaceae 6 19 28 Capparaceae (s.l.) 4 27 73 Lythraceae 6 25 29 Caprifoliaceae 2 4 74 Magnoliaceae 2 3 30 Caryophyllaceae 6 6 75 Malpighiaceae 2 4 31 Celastraceae 12 38 76 Malvaceae 14 55 32 Ceratophyllaceae 1 1 77 Melastomataceae 6 64 33 Chenopodiaceae 2 3 78 Meliaceae 14 27 34 Chloranthaceae 1 1 79 Menispermaceae 10 17 35 Chrysobalanaceae 1 2 80 Menyanthaceae 1 7 36 Clusiaceae 6 19 81 Moraceae 6 35 37 Combretaceae 7 18 82 Myristicaceae 3 4 38 Connaraceae 3 6 83 Myrsinaceae 7 23 39 Convolvulaceae (s.l.) 16 74 84 Myrtaceae 4 46 40 Cornaceae 1 2 85 Nyctaginaceae 2 4 41 Crassulaceae 1 6 86 Nymphaeaceae (s.l.) 2 3 42 Cucurbitaceae 19 34 87 Ochnaceae 2 3 43 Datiscaceae 1 1 88 Olacaceae (s.l.) 5 5 44 Dichapetalaceae 1 1 89 Oleaceae 6 31 45 Dilleniaceae 3 8 90 Onagraceae 1 6 46 Dipterocarpaceae 5 13 91 Opiliaceae 2 2 47 Droseraceae 1 3 92 Orobanchaceae 2 8 48 Ebenaceae 1 30 93 Oxalidaceae 2 14 T. S. Nayar et al. Sl. No Family Genera Species Sl. No Family Genera 103 Species 94 Papaveraceae 1 1 134 Turneraceae 1 2 95 Passifloraceae 2 7 135 Ulmaceae 4 5 96 Pedaliaceae (s.l.) 3 5 136 Urticaceae 13 31 97 Phytolaccaceae (s.l.) 3 3 137 Valerianaceae 98 Piperaceae (s.l.) 3 22 138 Verbenaceae (s.l.) 99 Pittosporaceae 1 5 139 100 Plantaginaceae 1 1 140 101 Plumbaginaceae 1 2 141 102 Podostemaceae 9 18 103 Polygalaceae 2 15 104 Polygonaceae 5 105 Portulacaceae 106 Primulaceae 107 Proteaceae 108 Ranunculaceae 109 Rhamnaceae 110 Rhizophoraceae 1 3 15 39 Violaceae 3 7 Viscaceae 2 8 Vitaceae 6 30 142 Xanthophyllaceae 1 1 143 Zygophyllaceae (s.l.) 2 2 13 144 Agavaceae (s.l.) 2 2 2 6 145 Alismataceae 5 5 2 3 146 Aponogetonaceae 1 2 1 2 147 Araceae 17 57 5 12 148 Arecaceae 8 27 8 16 149 Burmanniaceae 2 7 7 10 150 Commelinaceae 8 53 111 Rosaceae 7 16 151 Cyperaceae 21 201 112 Rubiaceae 46 231 152 Dioscoreaceae 1 12 113 Rutaceae 16 28 153 Eriocaulaceae 1 37 114 Sabiaceae (s.l.) 2 2 154 Flagellariaceae 1 1 115 Salicaceae 1 1 155 Haemodoraceae 1 1 116 Salvadoraceae 1 1 156 Hydrocharitaceae 5 7 1 117 Santalaceae 118 Sapindaceae (s.l.) 4 4 157 Iridaceae 1 10 18 158 Juncaceae 2 119 Sapotaceae 5 7 18 159 Lemnaceae 3 4 120 Saxifragaceae (s.l.) 3 121 Scrophulariaceae 25 4 160 Liliaceae (s.l.) 17 31 68 161 Marantaceae 3 122 Simaroubaceae 3 3 5 162 Musaceae 2 3 123 Solanaceae 124 Sonneratiaceae 6 26 163 Najadaceae 1 3 1 2 164 Orchidaceae 79 263 125 126 Sphenocleaceae 1 1 165 Pandanaceae 1 5 Staphyleaceae 1 2 166 Poaceae (s.l.) 119 400 127 Sterculiaceae 128 Symplocaceae 13 26 167 Pontederiaceae 2 3 1 14 168 Potamogetonaceae 1 3 129 130 Theaceae (s.l.) 3 4 169 Taccaceae 1 1 Thymelaeaceae 2 2 170 Triuridaceae 1 1 131 Tiliaceae 4 35 171 Typhaceae 1 1 132 Trapaceae 1 1 172 Xyridaceae 1 3 133 Tropaeolaceae 1 1 173 Zingiberaceae (s.l.) 9 45 1238 4277 Total 104 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics Appendix II Endemic plants of Kerala DICOTYLEDONS Connaraceae Acanthaceae Connarus parameswaranii Ramam. & Rajan Andrographis chendurunii Santhosh, Shanavas & Seema Convolvulaceae Gymnostachyum sahyadricum Mohanan, Remadevi & Binojkumar Lepistemon verdcourtii P. Mathew & Biju Justicia ekakusuma Pradeep & Sivarajan Stictocardia sivarajanii Biju, Pushpangadan & P. Mathew Lepidagathis keralensis P.V. Madhusoodanan & N.P. Singh Cucurbitaceae Ruellia sivarajanii Sreedevi, Remadevi & Binojkumar Cucumella silentvalleyii Manilal, Sabu & P. Mathew Strobilanthes dupenii Bedd. Luffa umbellata (Klein) M. Roemer Strobilanthes pushpangadanii Santhosh, Jabbar & Shanavas Dilleniaceae Anacardiaceae Acrotrema agastyamalayanum Santhosh, M. Dan & G. M. Nair Buchanania barberi Gamble Ebenaceae Annonaceae Diospyros sulcata Bourd. Orophea malabarica Sasidharan & Sivarajan Euphorbiaceae Orophea sivarajanii Sasidharan Antidesma keralense Chakrab. & Gangop. Phaeanthus malabaricus Bedd. Aporusa bourdillonii Stapf Polyalthia shendurunii Basha & Sasidharan Cleistanthus sankunnianus Sivarajan & Indu Balachandran Sageraea grandiflora Dunn Fabaceae Araliaceae Papilionoideae Schefflera chandrasekharanii Ramam. & Rajan Dalbergia beddomei Thoth. Aristolochiaceae Kunstleria keralensis C.N. Mohanan & N.C. Nair Thottea abrahamii M. Dan, P.J. Mathew, C.M. Unnithan & P. Pushpangadan Smithia venkobarowii Gamble Tephrosia travancorica Thoth. & Das Thottea idukkiana A.G. Pandurangan & V.J. Nair Tephrosia wynaadensis Drumm. Thottea ponmudiana Sivarajan Caesalpiniodeae Thottea sivarajanii Santhosh, Shanavas & Binu Cynometra beddomei Prain Asclepiadaceae Dialium travancoricum Bourd. Ceropegia beddomei Hook. f. Mimosoideae Heterostemma vasudevani Swarup. & Mangaly Calliandra cynometroides Bedd. Asteraceae Flacourtiaceae Anaphalis barnesii Fischer Hydnocarpus pendulus Manilal, Sabu & Sivarajan Vernonia anaimudica Shetty & Vivek. Gesneriaceae Vernonia beddomei Hook. f. Didymocarpus macrostachya Barnes Vernonia multibracteata Gamble Lamiaceae Balsaminaceae Leucas beddomei (Hook. f.) Sunojkumar & P. Mathew Impatiens cochinica Hook. f. Pogostemon peethapushpum Pradeep Impatiens coelotropis C. Fischer Lauraceae Impatiens concinna Hook. f. Cinnamomum nicolsianum Manilal & Shylaja Impatiens johnii Barnes Litsea beei Mohanan & Santhosh Impatiens kulamavuensis A.G. Pandurangan & V.J. Nair Litsea travancorica Gamble Impatiens macrocarpa Hook. f. Lentibulariaceae Impatiens munnarensis Barnes Utricularia subramanii M.K. Janarthanam & A.N. Henry Impatiens pallidiflora Hook. f. Lythraceae Impatiens pandata Barnes Rotala cookii Joseph & Sivarajan Impatiens platyadena C. Fischer Rotala malabarica Pradeep, Joseph & Sivarajan Impatiens sholayarensis M. Kumar & Sequiera Rotala vasudevanii Joseph & Sivarajan Impatiens sivarajanii Muktesh & Stephen Malvaceae Impatiens tilo (DC.) Suresh Hibiscus sreenarayanianus Anilkumar & Ravi Impatiens verecunda Hook. f. Julostylis ampumalensis Pradeep & Sivarajan Impatiens violacea M. Kumar & Sequiera Julostylis polyandra Ravi & Anilkumar Celastraceae Sida fryxellii Sivarajan & Pradeep Cassine kedarnathii Sasidharan & Swarup. Sida ravii Sivadasan & Anilkumar T. S. Nayar et al. 105 Ophiorrhiza munnarensis Fischer Melastomataceae Medinilla anamalaiana Sasidharan & Sujanapal Ophiorrhiza nairii Ramam. & Rajan Memecylon agastyamalaianum Santhosh, Raju & Shanavas Ophiorrhiza shendurunii Shanavas Khan, Santhosh Kumar & Memecylon sivadasanii N. Mohanan, Ravi, Kiran Raj & Shaju Pushpangadan Memecylon wightianum Triana Pavetta bourdillonii Sivadasan & N. Mohanan Osbeckia abrahamii Giri & Nayar Pavetta nemoralis Bremek. Osbeckia lawsonii Gamble Pavetta oblanceolata Bremek. Sonerila nemakadensis C. Fischer Pavetta travancorica Bremek. Sonerila wynaadensis Nayar Psilanthus malabaricus Sivarajan, Biju & P. Mathew Meliaceae Psychotria keralensis Deb & Gangop. Aglaia malabarica Sasidharan Saprosma beddomei Gangop. Dysoxylum beddomei Hiern Spermacoce malabarica (Sivarajan & Manilal) Sivarajan, R.V. Nair & Dysoxylum swaminathanianum Anilkumar & Sivadasan Ahmed Kunju Menyanthaceae Tarenna trichurensis Sasidharan & Sivarajan Nymphoides krishnakesara Joseph & Sivarajan Sapotaceae Nymphoides macrospermum Vasudevan Palaquium ravii Sasidharan & Vink Nymphoides sivarajanii Joseph Scrophulariaceae Myrsinaceae Adenosma malabaricum Hook. f. Antistrophe glabra A.G. Pandurangan & V.J. Nair Tiliaceae Ardisia stonei Sasidharan & Sivarajan Grewia palodensis Santhosh, Shanavas, Binu & S.M. Almeida Myrtaceae Vitaceae Eugenia argentea Bedd. Ampelocissus birii P. Singh & Shetty Syzygium bourdillonii (Gamble) Rathakr. & N.C. Nair Syzygium chavaran (Bourd.) Gamble MONOCOTYLEDONS Syzygium palghatense Gamble Araceae Syzygium periyarensis Jomy & Sasidharan Amorphophallus bonaccordensis Sivadasan & N. Mohanan Oleaceae Jasminum agasthyamalayanum Sabeena, Asmitha, Mulani, Santhosh & Sibin Orobanchaceae Arisaema sarracaenioides Barnes & C.E.C. Fisch Oxalidaceae Lagenandra keralensis Sivadasan & Jaleel Biophytum congestiflorum Govind. Pothos keralensis A. G. Pandurangan & V.J. Nair Biophytum longipedunculatum Govind. Biophytum veldkampii Shanavas, Santhosh, Binu & Pushpangadan Piperaceae Piper silentvalleyensis P.N. Ravindran, M.K. Nair & R. Asokan Podostemaceae Podostemum munnarense (Nagendran & Arekal) C.J. Mathew & V.K. Satheesh Willisia arekaliana Shivamurthy & Sadanand Zeylanidium maheshwarii C.J. Mathew & V.K. Satheesh Rubiaceae Argostemma anupama Sivarajan Ixora agasthyamalayana Sivadasan & N. Mohanan Ixora beddomei T. Husain & S.R. Paul Ixora johnsonii Hook. f. Ixora manantoddii T. Husain & S.R. Paul Ixora sivarajiana Pradeep Ophiorrhiza barnesii Fischer Ophiorrhiza caudata Fischer Arisaema attenuatum E. Barnes & C.E.C. Fisch. Arisaema psittacus E. Barnes Christisonia keralensis Erady Colubrina travancorica Bedd. Arisaema agasthyanum Sivadasan & Sathish Kumar Arisaema peltatum C.E.C. Fisch. Christisonia indica Anil Kumar Rhamnaceae Amorphophallus nicolsonianus Sivadasan Arecaceae Calamus neelagiricus Renuka Calamus renukae Joemon Jacob, Mohanan & Kariyappa Calamus shendurunii Anto, Renuka & Sreekumar Burmanniaceae Burmannia indica Jonker Burmannia stricta Jonker Haplothismia exannulata Airy Shaw Cyperaceae Fimbristylis angamoozhiensis Ravi & Anilkumar Fimbristylis dauciformis Govind. Fimbristylis hirsutifolia Govind. Fimbristylis humerosa Govind. Fimbristylis hyalina Govind. & Sasidharan Fimbristylis manilaliana Govind. Fimbristylis perspicua Govind. & Sasidharan Fimbristylis pseudonarayanii Ravi & Anilkumar Fimbristylis stigmatotecta Govind. Fuirena ponmudiensis Ravi & Anilkumar Fuirena simpsonii Ravi, N. Mohanan & Shaju 106 Flowering Plants of Kerala: Status and Statistics Pycreus palghattensis Govind. Dimeria kurunthotticalana Jacob Pycreus similinervulosus Govind. Dimeria namboodiriana Ravi & N. Mohanan Eriocaulaceae Dimeria sivarajanii N. Mohanan & Ravi Eriocaulon ansarii Pradeep & Sunil Dimeria sreenarayanii Ravi & Anilkumar Eriocaulon devendranii R. Vijaya Sankar, K. Ravikumar & N.M. Ganesh Babu Eriocaulon sivarajanii R. Ansari & Balakr. Isachne fischeri Bor Isachne henryi Srinivasan & Sreekumar Isachne jayachandranii Gopalan & Chandrasekharan Eriocaulon vasudevanii R. Ansari & Balakr. Ischaemum abrahamii Ravi, N. Mohanan & Rajesh Orchidaceae Ischaemum agasthyamalayanum P.V. Sreekumar, M.K. Janarthanam Acampe congesta (Lindley) Lindley & A.N. Henry Bulbophyllum keralensis Muktesh & Stephen Ischaemum calicutensis P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Bulbophyllum orezii Sathish Ischaemum cannanorensis P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Bulbophyllum rosemarianum Sathish, Suresh & Saleem Ischaemum copeanum P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Bulbophyllum silentvalliensis Sharma & Srivastava Ischaemum elimalayanum P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Cheirostylis seidenfadeniana Sathish & Rasmussen Ischaemum jayachandranii R. Ansari, V.S. Ramachandran & Eria tiagii Manilal, Sathish &Wood Gastrodia silentvalleyana Sathish, Suresh, Sibi & Anil P.V. Sreekumar Ischaemum kumarakodiensis Ravi, Mohanan & Kiranraj Habenaria flabelliformis Summerh. ex Fischer Ischaemum lanatum Ravi, N. Mohanan & Shaju Habenaria periyarensis Sasidharan, Rajesh & Jomy Ischaemum malabaricum P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Ipsea malabarica (Reichb. f. ) Hook. f. Ischaemum nairii V.J. Nair & P.V. Sreekumar Kingidium niveum Sathish Ischaemum pappinisseriensis Ravi, N. Mohanan & Rajesh Liparis walakkadensis Muktesh & Stephen Ischaemum pushpangadanii Ravi, N. Mohanan & Kiranraj Oberonia agastyamalayana Sathish Ischaemum quilonensis Ravi & Shaju Oberonia wynadensis Sivadasan & Balakr. Ischaemum raui P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Pteroceras monsooniae Sasidharan & Sujanapal Ischaemum tadulingamii N.C. Nair & P.V. Sreekumar Schoenorchis manilaliana Muktesh & Stephen Ischaemum vembanadense Patil & D’cruz Taeniophyllum scaberulum Hook. f. Ischaemum wayanadense Ravi, N. Mohanan & Shaju Xenikophyton seidenfadenianum M. Kumar, S. Seq. & J.J. Wood. Ochlandra ebracteata Raiz. & Chatterjee Poaceae Ochlandra keralensis Muktesh, Remesh & Stephen Arundinella cannanorica V.J. Nair, P.V. Sreekumar & N.C. Nair Ochlandra soderstromiana Muktesh & Stephen Arundinella ravii Shaju & N. Mohanan Ochlandra spirostylis Muktesh, Seetha & Stephen Bothriochloa parameswaranii P.V. Sreekumar, C.P. Malathi & V.J. Nair Oxytenanthera bourdillonii Gamble Chrysopogon purushothamanii Ravi, N. Mohanan & Kiranraj Silentvalleya nairii V.J. Nair, P.V. Sreekumar, E. Vajravelu & Chrysopogon tadulingamii P.V. Sreekumar , V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair P. Bhargavan Dimeria agasthyamalayana Kiran Raj & Ravi Tripogon sivarajanii Sunil Dimeria borii P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Tripogon vellarianus Pradeep Dimeria chelariensis Ravi Zenkeria jainii N.C. Nair, P.V. Sreekuamr & V.J. Nair Dimeria copeana Sreekumar P.V., Nair V.J. & N.C. Nair Zingiberaceae Dimeria copei Ravi Alpinia smithiae Sabu & Mangaly Dimeria eradii Ravi Curcuma coriacea Mangaly & Sabu Dimeria idukkiensis Ravi & Anilkumar Curcuma ecalcarata Sivarajan & Indu Balachandran Dimeria jainii P.V. Sreekumar, V.J. Nair & N.C. Nair Curcuma haritha Mangaly & Sabu Dimeria josephii Ravi & N. Mohanan Curcuma mutabilis Skornickova , Sabu & M. G. Prasanthkumar Dimeria kalavoorensis Ravi Curcuma raktakanta Mangaly & Sabu Dimeria keralae N.C. Nair, P.V. Sreekumar & V.J. Nair