Drimia indica
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Urginea Nagarjunae is a rare perennial herb, endemic to Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. This plant, belonging to Liliaceae family, was first discovered by two native ethno-botanists named Koppula Hemadri and Swahari Sasibhushanrao in 1977[1]. The bulbs of U. Nagarjunae were found and collected along a dried sandy bed of stream near Bhata village, Nellore district.
| Urginea Nagarjunae Hemadri & Swahari Sasibhushan | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
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| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | Tracheophyta Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
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| Subphylum: | Euphyllophytina
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| Infraphylum: | Radiatopses
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| Class: | Magnoliopsida Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
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| Order: | Asparagales
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| Family: | Asparagaceae
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| Tribe: | Hyacintheae
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| Genus: | Urginea
genus_authority= Steinheil, 1834
|
Morphology
The following morphology of the herb is taken from a pdf document furnished by Koppula Hemadri and Swahari Sasibhushanrao [2]
Scapigerous herb. Bulb perennial, tunicated, compressedly subglobose in outline conical 7-9x7.5-9 cm; outer scales dirty white, scarious, inner fleshy, nauseous and bitter in taste, Leaves appear after flowering i.e., during the months of April-July and retain till December – January, 8-17 in number, sub bi-farious, more or less whorled at base ensiform, 25-45x3.5 – 5.5 green glaucous on both sides, oblong – lanceolate, narrowed at base, apex acute, prominently and distinctly parallel nerved.
Scape solitary (occasionally two) appearing during (February to June), 27 – 56 cm long including raceme, 1 – 1.3 cm thick at base, erect, cylindrical, glabrous, brittle, greenish brown to vinaceous purple in color. Inflorescence a raceme of 15 – 28 cm long, 20 – 75 flowered, invariably ending in a cone-like purplish tip formed by the acuminate bracts and minute abortive flower buds, flowers 2 – 2.2 cm long, closely arranged one per bract. Bracts evanescent, broadly ovate, acute – acuminate, 1-nerved, auricular, extending at the base in to a spur, the lower bracts greenish at first, later turning in to browish or vinaceous purple, + or – 1.5cm long including the spur, the spurs of the lowest ones often 1 cm long, flat, ribbon-like, and adpressed to the scape at first, entire or irregularly bifid and narrowed at base, parallelly 4 – (5) nerved; the middle bracts smaller with shorter free spurs, transforming into spurless ovate-acuminate ones in upper portion of the raceme.
Pedicel 3x0.15 – 0.2 cm, greenish brown or vinaceous purple at the base, greenish upwards, erect-horizontal in bud at drooping down at length. Perianth 6 in two whorls, connate at base, perianth segments non-reflexed when fully opened, 1.9 – 2.1x0.5 – 0.6 cm sub-equal, oblong-lanceolate, apex obtuse or somewhat acute with a few microscopic papillose outgrowths, white with greenish shade along the two very closely arranged mid-ribs. Androecium of 6 stamens opposite, arising form the base of perianth segments; filaments 1.4-1.6x0.1-0.2 cm, white, fleshy, dorsally compressed, flat on drying, narrowed at apex and broadest at base; anthers versatile, yellow 0.25x0.1-0.15 cm maturity, up to 0.4 cm long in bud. Gynoecium tri-carpellary, syncarpous. Ovary 0.8-1x 0.4 – 0.45 cm, green, ovoid-ellipsoid, ovate-elongate, on drying somewhat triquetrous, sessile. Style linear-elongate, white, 0.1 cm thicks as long at the ovary when fresh, but distinctly longer when dried. Stigma white, triangular – trilobed. Ovules numerous in each locule, Capsule about 2x1.1 cm, ellipsoid, trilocular, glabrous. Seeds many, black, flat with a notch at the basal end or one each at both ends, almost orbicular-oblong, 1-1.2x0.8-1 cm in diameter including somewhat brownish papery, transparent wing.
Etimology
The taxon is being named after Nagarjuna, the Acharya (master) of Chemical studies of Indian medicine, during medieval period. Native people call U. Nagarjunae by name Adavi Ulligadda.
Medicinal Uses
Medicinal uses of U. Nagarjunae were not known to herbal studies so far. But its closely related species Urginea Indica (White Squill) is used in traditional medicine, and Drimia maritima (Urginea Maritima) (Red Squill), is used as a Rat Killer.
Conservation Status
Its distribution in the wild is facing serious threats of Bio-piracy. Today it is found to be almost absent in the protected wild areas of Eastern Ghats[3].
Sources
- ^ National Conference on Forest Biodiversity Resources: Exploitation Conservation & Management, 21-22 March 2006, CBFS, Madurai Kamaraj University : Madurai - 625 021
- ^ Urginea Nagarjunae Hemadri et Swahari – a new species of Liliaceae from India (a new plant discovery), 1982 , Regional Research center, Vijayawada
- ^ Gap Analysis for Protected Areas of Andhra Pradesh, India for conserving biodiversity - C. Sudhakar Reddy