Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 26(2): 149‒156, 2019 (December)
© 2019 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists
NEW RECORDS OF THREE SPECIES AND A GENUS OF ANGIOSPERMS
FOR BANGLADESH
GAZI MOSHAROF HOSSAIN1, SALEH AHAMMAD KHAN, MOHAMMAD SAYEDUR RAHMAN2,
SANDEEP SHARMA3, MD. ABDUR RAHIM AND MD. RAKIBUL ISLAM KHAN4
Department of Botany, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh.
Key words: Cayratia maritime; Leptadenia reticulate; Oberonia disticha; New records;
Sundarban; Bangladesh.
Abstract
Three species viz., Cayratia maritima Jackes of family Vitaceae Juss., Leptadenia
reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. of Apocynaceae Juss. and Oberonia disticha (Lam.)
Schltr. of Orchidaceae Juss. have been reported here for the first time from Sundarban
Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh. The genus Leptadenia R.Br. is a new addition to the
Angiosperms of Bangladesh. Taxonomic description, photographs and illustrations of
these species have been provided.
Introduction
Bangladesh harbors a total of 3715 species of Angiosperms (Ahmed et al., 2008-2009;
Rahman et al., 2016; Rahman and Hossain, 2017; Islam and Rahman, 2017; Sourav et al., 2017;
Ara, 2018; Ara and Hassan, 2018; Uddin et al., 2018; Alfasane et al., 2019). During the botanical
explorations in Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh conducted in 2016-2018 by the
authors, some specimens of Angiosperms were collected which did not match with any known
plant species of Bangladesh. Following detailed taxonomic investigation, these specimens were
identified as to belong to three species namely, Cayratia maritima, Leptadenia reticulata and
Oberonia disticha of family Vitaceae, Apocynaceae and Orchidaceae, respectively. These species
and the genus Leptadenia were never appeared previously in any taxonomic literature covering the
flora of Bangladesh (e.g., Hooker, 1875-1885; Prain, 1903a, b; Heinig, 1925; Khan, 1972-1987;
Khan and Rahman, 1989-2002; Rahman and Hassan, 2017; Ahmed et al., 2008-2009; Uddin and
Hassan, 2010; Arefin et al., 2011; Rahman et al., 2015; Haque et al., 2018). Therefore, the species
Cayratia maritima, Leptadenia reticulata and Oberonia disticha and the genus Leptadenia are
reported here as the new records for Bangladesh.
Materials and Methods
The plant specimens were collected from Kotka, Supati, Dublar Char and Nilkomol areas of
Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh during the floristic exploration conducted from 2016
to 2018. The freshly collected specimens were processed using standard herbarium techniques
(Hyland, 1972; Jain and Raw, 1977) and preserved at Jahangirnagar University Herbarium (JUH).
The taxonomic investigation on the morphological characters of these specimens was conducted in
Plant Systematics and Biodiversity Laboratory of Jahangirnagar University. The taxonomic
1 Corresponding author. Email: gazibotju@gmail.com
2 Bangladesh National Herbarium, Chiriakhana Road, Mirpur 1, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
3 Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington DC, USA.
4 Procurement officer, Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
mailto:gazibotju@gmail.com
150 HOSSAIN et al.
identification of these specimens was confirmed through matching their characters with the
relevant taxonomic literatures (Bullock, 1955; Devis and Cullen, 1965; Geesink et al., 1981;
Hooker, 1875-1885; Prain 1903a; Wu et al., 1995-2009, Siddiqui et al., 2007 and 2008; Ahmed et
al., 2008-2009; Ali, 2019), voucher specimens housed at Bangladesh National Herbarium (DACB)
and Jahangirnagar University Herbarium (JUH), and clear images available in the websites of few
international herbaria (e.g., K, P and MO). Nomenclatural information was incorporated following
recent taxonomic publications (Ali, 2019; Wu et al., 1995-2009) and the nomenclatural databases
of The Plant List (2018) and TROPICOS (2018). The voucher specimens have been deposited at
JUH. The taxonomic descriptions including images and illustrations have been produced based on
the specimens collected from Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh.
Results and Discussion
Cayratia maritima Jackes, Austrobaileya 2(4): 366 (1987). TYPE: Australia: Queensland,
Cook pastoral district, Lakefield National Park, Lakefield, seasides, 26 June 1982, B.R. Jackes s.n.
HT (BRI), IT (MEL, A, L, CANB, DNA, NSW). (Fig. 1).
Scrambling vine, stems angular, ca. 3-10 m long, young stems with simple hairs at nodes;
tendrils bi- or tri-furcate, glabrous; leaves alternate, trifoliate, succulent; stipules 2, triangular,
caduceus, leaving a broad scar; petioles 2-3.8 cm long, glabrous; leaflets glabrous abaxially and
adaxially, central leaflets ovate to rhomboid, ca. 2.5-4.5 cm × 1.5-2.3 cm, usually larger than the
lateral leaflets, lateral leaflets oblique, sometimes lobed, ca. 2-3.5 cm × 1.2-2.0 cm, apices
acuminate, margins with obtuse teeth; inflorescence axillary, about as long as the compound
leaves, corymbose; flowers 4-merous, small, actinomorphic, hypogynous; sepals 4, papillose;
petals 4, ca. 1.8-2.0 mm, whitish, valvate, spreading, papillose; stamens 4, antipetalous, filaments
1-1.5 mm long, anthers oval, up to 0.5 mm long, dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally; floral disc 4-
lobed; carpels 2, syncarpus, ovary superior, embedded in the disk, placentaion nearly basal, style
simple, connate; fruits berry, (sub-)globose, ca. 1 cm in diam., dark purple to black when matured;
seeds 2-4 per fruit, about 5-6 × 4-5 mm. 2n = 40 (Okada and Tsukaya, 2003).
Flowering and fruiting: Flowering occurs during December to May and fruiting during June
to September.
Ecology: Found to grow near sea level to 100 m. but usually grows in forest margin or gallery
and often near permanent depression areas of forest.
Uses: Local people use this plant in curing the stomach upset of cattle.
Distribution: Distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Australia, and the
Pacific Islands. Indonesia, New Guinea, Taiwan and neighboring Pacific Islands. In Bangladesh,
this species is found to occur in Sundarban Mangrove Forest.
Representative specimen examined: Bagerhat: Shorankhola, Kotka, 14.10.2016, Mosharof
2103 and 2104 (JUH); Dublar Char, 26.09.2017, Mosharof 3285 (JUH).
The genus Cayratia Juss., consisting of 63 species (Jackes, 1987), is distributed mostly in
tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands (Hus and Kuoh, 1999) and
characterized by axillary inflorescences with bisexual, tetramerous flowers. Only three species of
Cayratia viz., C. japonica (Thunb.) Gagnep., C. pedata (Lam.) Juss. ex Gagnep. and C. trifolia
(L.) Domin were previously reported from Bangladesh (Hooker, 1875; Prain, 1903a; Ahmed
et al., 2009).
C. maritima differs from C. japonica by its tri-foliate leaves, and marginally obtusely toothed
and abaxially glabrous lamina in contrast to 5-7 foliate leaves and marginally sparsely serrate and
abaxially sparsely pubescent to pilose lamina of C. japonica. It differs from C. trifolia by its 2-3
NEW RECORDS OF THREE SPECIES 151
branched tendrils, glabrous and obtusely toothed leaves in comparison to 3-5 branched tendrils,
adaxially strigulose and avbaxially pilose and sharply dentate leaves of C. trifolia. It is different
from C. pedata by its tri-foliate and glabrous leaves in contrast to C. pedata’s 5-7 foliate and
adaxially or adaxially and abaxially sparsely pubescent to pilose leaves.
Fig. 1. Cayratia maritima Jackes: A. A partial view of habit (× 0.71); B. A part of a branch with a tendril
(×0.8); C. An unopened flower (×12.5); D. Petals (×12.5); E. Calyx cup (×22); F. Position of stamens
(×12.5); G. A stamen (×14.5); H. LS of an ovary (×15); I. Fruits (×4).
Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. In: Wight, Contr. Bot. India. 47 (1834). Trimen,
Handb. Fl. Ceylon, 3:164 (1895); Lace, List Trees, Shrubs, etc. Burma, ed. 2 (Rodger), 117
(1922); Gamble, Fl. Madras, 2(5): 850 (1924); Press, et al., Annotated Checklist of the Flowering
Plants of Nepal (2000). (Fig. 2).
152 HOSSAIN et al.
Cynanchum reticulatum Retz.; C. asthmaticum Butch.-Ham. ex Hook, Fl. Brit. India,
4:63(1883).
Perennial, much branched, laticiferous, twining climber; stems pale yellowish when mature
but younger ones are greenish, glabrous, contain watery sap; leaves simple, opposite, ovate or
ovate-oblong, gradually acute at apex, base truncate or shallowly cordate, coriaceous, and finely
pubescent; petioles 1.5-2.5 cm long; lamina 4.5-7.0 cm × 2.5-3.5 cm; inflorescences axillary
umbellate cymes; peduncles 4-5.5 mm long, finely pubescent; flowers yellowish green, bisexual,
pedicels 3.5-4.0 mm long, pubescent; calyx five-lobed, sepals ovate, oblong or sub-acute (2-2.5
mm × 1-1.2 mm), silky with small hairs on surface; corolla rotate with short tube, corolla tube
Fig. 2. Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn.: A. A partial view of habit (×1.5); B. A part of a flowering
twig (×0.33); C. An inflorescence (×0.75); D. LS of a flower (× 1.18); E. A part of flower showing
pollinia and corona (× 1.23).
shorter than the calyx, petals 5, gamopetalous, ovate or sub-acute (3.5-3.8 mm × 1.3-1.5 mm) with
small hairs on surface; corona in double series, inner series reduced, outer series of 5 short, fleshy
parts attached to the throat of corolla tube alternating with the corolla lobes; staminal column
NEW RECORDS OF THREE SPECIES 153
short, stamens 5, filaments fused with the stigmatic head to form a five-angled disc or
gynostegium, anthers incumbent on stigma with pellucid curved appendages at the tip; ovary
bicarpellary with marginal placentation; fruits follicular, horned shaped and slender, bluntly acute
at both ends; seeds lanceolate and comose.
Flowering and fruiting: Flowering occurs during July to October and fruiting during
September to December.
Ecology: On sandy soil beside the forest margin and along the sand dune.
Uses: The plant is galactogogues and used as eye tonic. It is used to prevent prolapse of uterus
and vulva in controlling habitual abortion in women (Anjaria et al., 1975). It is useful to cure eye-
diseases (Sivarajan and Balachandran, 1994), seminal debility, general weakness, cough,
dyspnoea, fever, asthma, constipation, sore throat, and gonorrhea. Extracts of roots and leaves of
the plant act as antibacterial and anti-fungal agent (Patel and Dantwala, 1958).
Distribution: Native to Africa, including Madagascar, Mauritius, as well as southwest Asia
and the Indian Subcontinent (Gibbs et al., 1987; Bruyns and Forster, 1991).
Representative specimen examined: Khulna: Nilkomol, Balirgang, 12.10.2016, Mosharof
2094 and 2095 (JUH).
The genus Leptadenia R.Br., with about 10 species, is native to Africa, including Madagascar,
as well as southwest Asia and the Indian Subcontinent (Abeywickrama, 1973; Gibbs et al., 1987;
Bruyns and Forster, 1991). The genus Leptadenia was never reported from Bangladesh previously.
Hooker (1883) provided an account of this genus (as Cynanchum L.) for few areas of British India
that do not cover Bangladesh. L. reticulata seems similar to L. arborea (Forssk.) Schweinf. from
which it is differentiated by its corolla tubes that are shorter than the calyx in contrast to the those
of L. arborea that are longer than the calyces.
Oberonia disticha (Lam.) Schltr., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 33: 132 (1924).
Epidendrum distichum Lam.; Iridorchis equitans (Thouars) Kuntze; Malaxis brevifolia
(Lindl.) Rchb.f.; Oberonia brevifolia Lindl.; Pleurothallis disticha (Lam.) A.Rich. (Fig. 3).
Small epiphytic herb, 4-12 cm long, usually pendent, sometimes forms clumps; roots arising
from the base of plant, fine, <1 mm in diameter; stems few to many, in cluster, 3-12 cm long;
leaves several, 4-5 × 0.8-1.2 cm, distichous, usually imbricate, bilaterally flattened, succulent,
light green, 2-5 × 0.5-1 cm, lanceolate, acute to acuminate, decreasing in size towards the stem
apex; inflorescence terminal racemose, densely many-flowered, 4-10 cm long, cylindrical,
tapering; flowers <2 mm in diameter, yellowish orange; sepals 0.6-0.7 × 0.4-0.5 mm, ovate,
obtuse; petals 0.4-0.5 × 0.2 mm, elliptic to oblong, obtuse, lips 0.9-1.0 × 0.7 mm, oblong-
pandurate, deflexed; column 0.5-3 mm long.
Flowering and fruiting: January to March.
Ecology: Epiphytic in riverine or evergreen forest and woodland with high rainfall, at 430-
1250 m alt. This species can grow in pots filled with a mix of fine bark chips and coarse pit and in
the outdoors with moderate temperatures and high humidity (Wodrich, 1997).
Uses: This species can be used as an ornamental.
Distribution: Central, East and Southern Africa, Madagascar, the Comoro and Mascarene
Islands.
Representative specimen examined: Bagerhat: Shorankhola, Shupati, 10.02.2016, Mosharof
2142 and 2149 (JUH); Shupati, 30.09.2017, Mosharof 3370 (JUH).
154 HOSSAIN et al.
Fig. 3. Oberonia disticha (Lam.) Schltr.: A. Habit (×1); B. A part of an inflorescence (×18); C. Front view of
a flower (×15); D. Dorsal view of a flower (×18.5); E. A lip (×25.6); F. A sepal (×20.8); G. Dorsal view
of a petal (×10.35); H. Ventral view of a petal (×12).
The genus Oberonia Lindl. consists of about 300 species, distributed from South Africa
through Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands. In Bangladesh, five Oberonia species viz., O.
falconeri Hook. f., O. gammiei King & Pantl., O. mannii Hook. f., O. mucronata (D. Don)
Ormerod & Seidenf., O. rufilabris Lindl. have so far been described (Hooker, 1894; Prain, 1903a;
Ahmed et al., 2008), from which O. disticha can be differentiated by its leaf characters. O.
disticha has bilaterally flattened and compressed, and distichous leaves arranged at the base to the
lower part of the stem in contrast to sobulate to (sub-) falcate leaves of O. gammiei, linear and
ensiform leaves of O. mannii, and narrowly oblong leaves (narrowly obovate lip with two basal
threadlike segments) of O. rufilabris jointed at the base.
NEW RECORDS OF THREE SPECIES 155
References
Abeywickrama, B.A. 1973. A Revised Hand-Book to the Flora of Ceylon. Vol. 1. University of Ceylon, pp.
1–114.
Ahmed, Z.U., Hassan, M.A., Begum, Z.N.T., Khondker, M., Kabir, S.M.H., Ahmad, M., Ahmed, A.T.A.,
Rahman, A.K.A. and Haque, E.U. (Eds.). 2008-2009. Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh.
Vols. 6-10, 12. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka.
Alfasane, M.A., Akhtar, A., Mehnaz, M. Ayesha, M. and Begum, Z.N.T. 2019. Myriophyllum aquaticum
(Vell.) Verdc. (Haloragaceae): A new angiospermic record for Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon.
26(1): 127–130.
Ali, S.I. 2019. Flora of Pakistan. Ali, S.I. and Qaiser, M. (Eds.). University of Karachi and Missouri
Botanical Garden (St. Louis), http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/ pakistan/ welcome.shtml.
Anjaria, J.V., Varia, M.R., Janakiraman, K. and Gulati, O.D. 1975. Studies on Leptadenia reticulata:
lactogenic effects on rats. Indian J. Excremental Biol. 13(5): 448–9.
Ara, H. 2018. Colocasia hassanii (Araceae), a new species of Aroid from Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant
Taxon. 25(1): 101–106.
Ara, H. and Hassan, M.A. 2018. Three new species of Araceae from Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon.
25(2): 227–239.
Arefin, M.K., Rahman, M.M., Uddin, M.Z. and Hassan, M.A. 2011. Angiosperm Flora of Satchari National
Park, Habiganj, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 18(2): 117–140.
Bruyns, P.V. and Forster, P.I. 1991. Recircumscription of the Stapelieae (Asclepiadaceae). Taxon 40:
381–391.
Bullock, A.A. 1955. Notes on African Asclepiadaceae: VI. Kew Bull. 10(2): 265–292.
Devis, P.H. and Cullen, J. 1965. The identification of flowering plant families. Oliver and Boyd. Edinburgh
and London, pp. 1–121.
Geesink, R., Leeuwenberg, A.J.M., Ridsdale, C.E. and Veldkamp, J.F. 1981. Thonner’s analytical key to the
families of flowering plants. Leiden University Press, The Hague/Boston/London, pp. 1–231.
Gibbs, R.G.E., Welman, W.G.M., Retief, E., Immelman, K.L., Germishuizen, G., Pienaar, B.J., Van Wyk, M.
and Nicholas, A. 1987. List of species of southern African Plants. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of
South Africa 2(1-2): 1–422.
Haque, A.K.M.K., Khan, S.A., Uddin, S.N. and Shetu, S.S. 2018. An annotated checklist of the angiospermic
flora of Rajkandi Reserve Forest of Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 25(2):
187–207.
Heinig, R.L. 1925. List of plants of Chittagong Collectorate and Hill Tracts. The Bengal Government Branch
Press, Darjeeling, pp. 1–78.
Hooker, J.D. 1875-1885. The Flora of British India, Vols. 1, 4 & 5. Indian Reprint 1992. L. Reeve & Co.
Ltd., Kent, England and Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India.
Hooker, J.D. 1894. The Flora of British India, Vols. 6. Indian Reprint 1992. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal
Singh, Dehra Dun, India, pp. 180–181.
Hus, Tsai-Wen and Kuoh, Chang-Sheng. 1999. Cayratia maritima B.R. Jackes (Vitaceae), a new addition to
the flora of Taiwan. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sci. 40: 329–332.
Hyland, B.P.M. 1972. A technique for collecting botanical specimens in rain forest. Flora Malesiana Bull. 26:
2038–2040.
Islam, K.K. and Rahman, N. 2017. Two new records and one rediscovery of angiosperms for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 24(2): 227–231.
Jackes, B.R. 1987. Revision of the Australian Vitaceae, 2. Cayratia Juss. Austrobaileya 2(4): 365–379.
Jain, S.K. and Raw, R.R. 1977. A Handbook of Field and Herbarium Methods. Today and Tomorrows
Printers and Publishers, pp. 1–157.
Khan, M.S. (Ed.). 1972-1987. Flora of Bangladesh. Fasc. 1-59. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.
http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/
156 HOSSAIN et al.
Khan, M.S. and Rahman, M.M. (Eds). 1989-2002. Flora of Bangladesh. Fasc. 40-53. Bangladesh National
Herbarium, Dhaka.
Okada, H. and Tsukaya, H. 2003. Chromosome observations in Cayratia, Vitaceae. Acta Phytotax. Geobot.
54: 177–179.
Patel, R.P. and Dantwala, A.S. 1958. Antimicrobial activity of Leptadenia reticulata. Ind. J. Pharm. 20:
241–244.
Prain, D. 1903a. Bengal Plants. Vols. 1 & 2. Indian reprint 1963. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta. pp. 1–
1013.
Prain, D. 1903b. The Flora of Sundarbans. Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 2(4): 231–270.
Rahman, M.M., Khan, S.A., Hossain, G.M. and Rahim, M.A. 2016. Acmella radicans (Jacq.) R.K. Jansen
(Asteraceae) - a new angiosperm record for Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 5(1):
87–93.
Rahman, M.O. and Hassan, M.A. 2017. New angiospermic taxa for the flora of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J.
Plant Taxon. 24(2): 165–171.
Rahman, M.S., Hossain, G.M., Khan, S.A. and Uddin, S.N. 2015. An annotated checklist of the vascular
plants of Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 22(1): 17–41.
Siddiqui, K.U., Islam, M.A., Ahmed, Z.U., Begum, Z.N.T., Hassan, M.A., Khondker, M., Rahman, M.M.,
Kabir, S.M.H., Ahmed, A.T.A., Rahman, A.K.A. and Haque, E.U. (Eds.) 2007 & 2008. Encyclopedia of
Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Vols. 5 & 11. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Sivarajan, V.V. and Balachandran, I. 1994. Ayurvedic Drugs and Their Plant Sources. Oxford and IBH
Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. ISBN- 8120408284, 9788120408289, pp. 1–570.
Sourav, M.S.H., Halder, R., Kumar, P. and Schuiteman, A. 2017. Eulophia obtusa (Orchidaceae:
Epidendroideae: Cymbideae) an addition to the flora of Bangladesh, with notes on its ecology and
conservation status, Kew Bull. 72: 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-017-9689-2.
The Plant List. 2018. The Plant List, a working list of all plant species. Version 1.1 . Accessed on 25 July 2018.
TROPICOS. 2018. Tropicos.org. . Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri,
USA. Accessed on 21 July 2018.
Uddin, M.Z. and Hassan, M.A. 2010. Angiosperm diversity of Lawachara National Park (Bangladesh): a
preliminary assessment. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 17(1):9–22.
Uddin, M.N., Rahman, M.O. and Rahman, M.A. 2018. New Records of Three Species and a genus of the
Euphorbiaceae for Bangladesh. 2018. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 25(1): 93-99.
Wodrich, K. 1997. Growing South African Indigenous Orchids, CRC Press. pp. 126–128.
Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. and Hong, D.Y. (Eds.). 1995-2009. Apocynaceae, Vitaceae, and Orchidaceae, Flora of
China. Vols. 12, 16 & 25. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
(Manuscript received 7 June, 2019; revised on 5 December, 2019)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-017-9689-2.
http://www.theplantlist.
http://www.tropicos.org