Tinospora smilacina (Menispermaceae): A New Distributional Record for Flora of Central India, From (Khandwa District), India

Abstract

Tinospora is an important genus belonging to the family Menispermaceae in the major group of Angiosperm. An Australian species, Tinospora smilacina Benth., was collected from the Goradia and Pandhana villages of Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, to the addition of the Menispermaceae, Flora of Central India. The species is dissimilar to other species of Tinospora. The characteristic features are leaves with petioles 1–7(-11.5) cm long; lamina specifically triangular-ovate, broadly deltoid or rhomboid, base cordate; in its many-flowered 4–7 cm long, pseudoracemes; the outer and inner sepals being dissimilar; endocarp thinly bony with ventral aperture suboblong. A sufficient number of male and female inflorescence, drupes and endocarp could be collected during two years of continuous field observations. The occurrence of Tinospora smilacina Benth.—a lesser-known endemic species of India—is reported in the present paper for the first time from Central India, (Khandwa District) and one more state of India. A brief description along with distribution and photographs has been provided to aid easy identification of this species.