Taxonomy and Distribution of The Family Arecaceae in Assam

Abstract

The present taxonomic study entitled Taxonomy and distribution of the family newlineArecaceae in Assam enlisted total 43 species under 20 genera. These taxa were newlinebelonging to three subfamilies viz., Calamoideae, Coryphoideae and Arecoideae. The newlinestudy includes both wild and cultivated or ornamental species in Assam. Out of 43 newlinespecies, 29 species were of wild habitat. The highest numbers of species recorded in the newlinestudy were belonging to the genus Calamus L. Occurrences of the species were noted newlineup to an elevation of 1500 m in the study area but the majority of the species were newlinetraced in the range of 200 m. The species were recorded in all the three physiographic newlineunits of Assam, viz., the Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak Valley, and the Hills of Karbi newlineAnglong and North Cachar districts. The Brahmaputra Valley is represented by 21 newlinespecies, the Barak Valley by 20, and the Hills of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar newlinedistricts represented by 22 species. The collection of Calamus henryanus Becc. was a newlinenew record in India. While the genus Trachycarpus with the species T. martianus was a newlinenew addition to the state. newlineThe name Calamus mahanandensis Mondal, Basu and Chowdhury was merged under newlineCalamus leptospadix Griff.. Two names viz., Calamus nambariensis Becc. subsp. newlinearunachalensis Deka, Borthakur and Tanti and Calamus nambariensis Becc. subsp. newlinenambariensis var. hoollongapariensis Deka, Borthakur and Tanti were merged under newlineCalamus inermis T.Anders.. The name Didymosperma gracilis Hook.f. was also merged newlineunder Wallichia nana Griff. The lectotypification for the name Wallichia nana was newlinedone. A second-step lectotypification for Calamus leptospadix was proposed here. The newlinestudy also recorded some additional morphological features among some species. The newlineextension of inflorescence rachis bract in C. meghalayensis Henderson is an interesting newlinefeature never reported in Calamus L. Three distinct patterns of floral bloom were newlinerecorded in certain species of Calamus species. Insect association was found to link newlinewith structural and functional abn