The identity of ‘Champakkad Large’ Gooseberry in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

Abstract

407 Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary situated along the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats in the Idukki District of Kerala is characteristic with the dominance of dry deciduous forests and scrub jungles. The Sanctuary has a variety of non-wood forest products (NWFPs). Among the NWFPs collected, gooseberry is a major item. The large-sized gooseberry found in the Champakkad-Mangappara areas of the Sanctuary fetches a higher price for the collectors. Sreekumar et al. (1984) named the large-sized gooseberry as ‘Champakkad large’ under Phyllanthus emblica. The fruits and other propagules collected from the Sanctuary were since then distributed for cultivation by the Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. The same variety is also planted as Phyllanthus emblica in the campus of the Pharmaceutical Corporation of Kerala, Thrissur (Nair et al., 2000). During the study on the flora of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary it was found that the leaves of the ‘Champakkad Large’ gooseberry are quite distinct from Phyllanthus emblica by their larger size with retuse or rounded apex. Further studies with flowering and fruiting specimens proved that the ‘Champakkad Large’ variety is actually Phyllanthus indofischeri.