Seed traits, germination pattern and seedling vigour in Antiaris toxicaria (Pers.) Lesch., a rare plant species of Western ghats

Abstract

Antiaris toxicaria (Pers.) Lesch. is one of the species of ecological importance distributed in Western Ghats and other parts. This species is considered as one of the threatened species and it needs conservation. The information on fruit and seed trait variation and germination attributes are scanty. Such database is useful for afforestation programme as well as for augmentation of rare plant species in their natural habitat. For the present study, 10 open pollinated trees distributed in Devade forest of Sakharpa were marked. April month was the peak fruiting period and healthy fruits were collected from the ground. Fruit and seed traits were found to be varied significantly among trees, where fruit length ranged from 21.50 to 24.71 mm and fruit weight ranged from 3.64 to 4.07 g. Similarly, seeds length (14.01 -15.09 mm), seed thickness (12.15 -13.04 mm) and seed weight (1.20 – 1.57g) also showed significant variation among 10 trees. Field observation showed that there was a poor regeneration in this species at studied site. Therefore, germination study was conducted at nursery condition by imposing several pretreatments. Among eight treatments including control, soaking seeds in water for 24 hrs (T2) resulted in better germination of 38.0% as compared to others. In T2 seed germination started at 16 days after sowing and completed within 42 days. Potting mixture of red soil with saw dust in 30:70 ratio improved seed germination about 20 % as compared to red soil media.

Tree Diversity and Regeneration in Sacred Groves and Nature Reserves in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

“…In addition, though Dai people tend to view this tree as relatively benign, some gardens (e.g., XTBG) have signage to mark out this species as “extremely toxic and dangerous,” which speaks to centuries of colonial imaginaries about “the Poison Tree” (see Dove 2013). This species' abundant presence in sacred groves and conspicuous absence in nature reserves has been remarked upon by researchers from XTBG, officials from Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve (L. Zeng, unpublished interviews 2015-2017), and scientists studying sacred grove biodiversity in India (e.g., Mirgal et al 2013; Dr. Chandrakant Salunkhe, pers. comm., 2016), but there is little consensus for explanations.…”