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Argyreia lawii C.B. Clarke, an endemic to Western Ghats of India is reported here as an after century collection. Detailed description and photo plates are given for easy identification and IUCN status of the species has been accessed.

The study aimed to develop an efficient, rapid, and large-scale in vitro regeneration system for propagation, conservation, and restoration of an endemic and critically endangered herb, Ceropegia mohanramii. The cultures were established using nodal explants on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP: 1.0 mg/l). Nodal buds cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, 0.5 mg/l) resulted with production of maximum number of shoots (17.1 ± 1.2) in hundred percent of the cultures. MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with diverse concentrations of indole-3acetic acid (IAA) promoted the in vitro flowering. In vitro regenerated shoots were transferred to one-half MS medium fortified with singular supplementation of auxins, where IBA (1.5 mg/l) served optimal for production of maximum number of roots (5.7 ± 0.6). In vitro derived plantlets were hardened under controlled conditions in a glasshouse and subsequently transferred to soil. Over 1200 saplings were transplanted to eight different localities of the Western Ghats where over 76% survival is recorded after 1 year of transplantation.

In this study, karyotypes of three taxa in the genus Argyreia Lour. were examined. The chromosome counts for A. osyrensis and A. setosa were reported for the first time while somatic chromosome count of A. cuneata was confirmed. The three taxa studied were diploid with 2n = 2x = 30. Highest total chromosome length in Argyreia osyrensis was 54.25 μm with mean chromosome length (MCL) of 3.62 μm. The lowest in Argyreia setosa as 46.04 μm with the mean chromosome length of 3.07 μm. The karyotypes of the species were examined on the grounds of various karyotype asymmetry indices. Two of them, A. cuneata and A. osyrensis fell in the 3A while A. setosa belonged to the 4A category of Stebbins’ classification.

Genus Abelmoschus Medik (family - Malvaceae Juss.) comprising about 11 species in India. Among which some are cultivated on an economic scale as important vegetables and the rest are wild. Apart from cultivated species, wild species of Abelmoschus also showed a wide range of phytochemicals and nutritional components. Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench an economically important vegetable crop popularly known as okra which cultivated throughout the world. Nutritionally, okra plays an important role in the human diet because it has enormous value of nutritional factors like carbohydrates, protein, fibers, minerals and vitamins, including vitamin C. Mucilage obtained from Abelmoschus is natural and digestive in nature and used as a tablet binder. The plant shows various pharmacological activities like, antioxidants, antidiabetic, antiulcer and antimicrobial. Apart from cultivated species, the studies on wild species were carried out and concluded some important findings viz. Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik. is rich source of various secondary metabolites like; hyperin, isoquercetin, myricetin, hibifolin, adenosine and stigmasterol. Abelmoschus ficulneus (L.) Wight & Arn. and A. manihot are consumed by the local people worldwide. The present chapter is focused on the previous work done in genus Abelmoschus in the area of nutrition, phytochemical, genetic diversity and breeding.

The present article describes and illustrates a new species of Commelina from dryland hillocks of Karnataka, India. The new species Commelina rupestris shares morphological similarities with C. badamica, C. hirsuta and C. attenuata, but differs in its perennial habit, knotted rhizomatous, definite base, broadly elongate, thickened tuberous roots, characteristically ligulate, linear to lanceolate leaves, minutely fused spathes, one- to two-seeded bilocular capsules, and stramineous to light brown, rostrate seeds.

Seed morphology of 19 species of Chlorophytum (Asparagaceae) collected from different regions of India were studied. The seeds are diverse in shape, size, color, weight, surface architectural pattern, and hilum characters. These characters are used for preparation of key for identification of the taxa. The study reveals that morphology of seed clearly distinguishes Chlorophytum kolhapurense from C. bharuchae, C. gothanense from C. borivilianum, and C. belgaumense from C. arundinaceum, all of them showing similar vegetative and floral traits. Morphometric analyses have also been carried out to find out the phenotypic similarities among the investigated species. Seed traits show phenetic affinities between Chlorophytum glaucoides and C. tuberosum, and between C. comosum and C. nilgheriensis which are quite dissimilar in floral morphology. The same observations are found in C. laxum, C. nepalense, and C. borivilianum. In contrast, seed characters show close affinities between C. glaucum and C. indicum, and between C. filipendulum subsp. amaniens and C. heynei, these traits are strongly correlated with other morphological and cytological characters. The results highlight the taxonomic significance of the seed morphological features in the investigated species of Chlorophytum, and their phenetic interrelationships.

A new species, Commelina badamica from the sandstone plateaus of Badami, Karnataka, India is described and illustrated. C. badamica is similar to C. clavata and C. diffusa, but differs in indefinite habit; linear–narrowly lanceolate leaves; puberulous or velutinous to tomentose spathes; clawless petals; velutinous ovary; radiately tri-lobed stigma; one capsule per spathe and trapezoidal, ventrally truncate seeds.

An annotated enumeration of Amischotolype (Commelinaceae) in India including one endemic species is given with description, illustrations and key. In addition, notes on the occurrence of genus Porandra in India is provided.

A new species of Hubbardia Bor from the northern Western Ghats is described and illustrated. The new species differs from H. heptaneuron by its glumes with long tubercle-based hairs and two stamens in the fertile floret.

Factors affecting in vitro propagation were evaluated for Ceropegia attenuata Hook., an endemic and endangered plant having ornamental potential but a limited reproductive capacity. Rapid shoot multiplication from nodal explants was established using varying concentrations of cytokinins and auxins either alone or in combinations. The highest frequency of shoot induction was achieved when nodal explants were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 13.31 μM 6-benzylaminopurine with a mean of 12.9 ± 0.5 shoots per explant. High concentrations of TDZ (6.81–11.35 μM) and KN (6.78–11.61 μM) resulted in stunted and vitrified shoots. Factors implicated in the promotion of floral transition of the C. attenuata have been identified which are 4-amino-3, 5, 6-trichloropicolinic acid (picloram), 6-benzylaminopurine, sucrose and photoperiod. The highest frequency of flowering (100%) was obtained when axillary shoot explants were transferred to MS medium supplemented with picloram (4.14 μM) within 4 weeks of culture. Transfer of in vitro regenerated shoots to half strength MS medium with 2.46 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) showed maximum root induction. The in vitro grown plantlets were successfully acclimatized in the glasshouse with 85% of survival and showed normal development. The developed protocol provided a simple, cost-effective approach for the conservation of endangered plant C. attenuata for replenishing its declining populations.

Mucuna laticifera, a new species of Fabaceae from Sikkim state of India is described and illustrated here. It can be distinguished from its closely related species by the presence of a watery latex, uniformly green to pale yellow corolla, glabrous standard and wings and parallel pod margins.

Callisia is a tortuous genus reported to show a wide range of chromosome counts. Present paper reports an unusual chromosome number 2n = 18 for C. fragrans, a number that is so far not known, not only in C. fragrans but also for the entire genus Callisia. The variable chromosome number and varied karyotype architecture is indicative of the fact that the genome of the genus Callisia may be still unstable and in constant evolution.

Murdannia saddlepeakensis (Commelinaceae), a new species from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, is described and illustrated. The new species is remarkable for its narrowly linear leaves, two fertile stamens, single seeded locule and scorbiculate seeds.

In the course of revising the family Commelinaceae in India, it has been found that no type was indicated in the protologue of Streptolirion volubile Edgew. Thus, it warrants typification under execute Art. 9.2 of the International Code of Nomenclature (McNeill & al. 2012). Though not cited explicitly in the protologue, we consider Edgeworth’s own material collected in 1844 from the Indian Himalaya and annotated by him to constitute original material and therefore appropriate for typification. We herein designate a specimen at Kew that unequivocally agrees with the protologue as lectotype.