Woody Climber Research Articles

Distribution, diversity, and traits of native, exotic, and invasive climbing plants in Michigan

We compiled records of all the known climbing plant species both native and non-native in the state of Michigan, USA. County-level distributions and a broad suite of traits related to ecological and reproductive success were individually scored for each species. Non-native climbing species were subdivided and classified as either invasive or exotic. A total of 103 climbing species are present in the state, 50% of which are native. We classified only ten climbing species as currently invasive: of those 40% are woody, compared to 31% woody native and 33% woody exotic species. Our research asks whether latitude is correlated with either species richness or mode of dispersal among climbers. We also asked whether sexual system, dispersal mode, and unit of dispersal are different in native versus non-native climbers, and whether the dispersal mode of common trees is different from that of common climbers. We found latitudinally bimodal species richness for all classes of climbers, which we propose is due to collecting effort, growing season length, and human population density. We found surprisingly high numbers of climbing species at northern latitudes, in spite of harsh winter conditions, especially for climbing plants whose vascular tissues are compromised by freezing temperatures. Native species are significantly more often dioecious (27%) than non-natives (6%); however one of the woody invasive species, Celastrus orbiculatus, is functionally dioecious. Collectively, climbers include more abiotically dispersed species (62%) than biotically dispersed (38%). However, the 18 most common native species (found in more than 40 of 83 counties) are 61% biotically dispersed. Native woody climbers are 81% biotically dispersed, whereas native trees include 38–40% biotically dispersed species. Native climbing species are more often dispersed as fruits (52%) than are non-native climbers (37%), which are more often dispersed as seeds. Climbing mechanism is generally achieved by stem apical twining in both native and non-native species; however when tendrils are produced, native species produce similar proportions of leaf, petiole, and axillary tendrils, while non-native species largely produce leaf tendrils, a mechanism that is phylogenetically concentrated in the crop and crop-weed family, Fabaceae. Based on traits of the ten currently invasive climbing species in Michigan, we identify ten exotic species that are most likely to become invasive, most of which are perennials, hermaphroditic, with abiotically dispersed fruits, and modified climbing organs. Climbing species add significantly to biodiversity in Michigan, comprising 3.6% of the 2858 vascular plants. Climbing guilds in the temperate zone are more morphologically diverse and species rich than broadly recognized.

Salacia reticulata (Kothala himbutu) revisited; a missed opportunity to treat diabetes and obesity?

BackgroundNearly 50% of diabetic patients worldwide use complementary medicines to treat or supplement their conventional diabetes treatment. Salacia reticulata (Kothala himbutu) is a woody climber used widely in the Ayurvedic system to treat diabetes and obesity.ObjectiveIn this review I critically analyze the evidence for using Salacia reticulata for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. The available evidence is described in terms of in-vitro studies, animal studies and clinical trials.Results and conclusionsIn vitro studies demonstrate the ability of Salacia to inhibit intestinal alpha glucosidase. In mouse mesenteric fat it enhances the mRNA expression for hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and adiponectin; thus increasing lipolysis and reducing insulin resistance respectively. In 3 T3-L-1 adipocytes lipogenesis factors are down regulated and lipolysis factors are up regulated with Salacia reticulata treatment. Animal studies and clinical trials are consistent in demonstrating improvement of glucose concentrations in the fasted and sucrose and maltose loaded states. Clinically significant reductions of HbA1C and plasma Insulin are reported with treatment of 6 weeks to 3 months. One clinical trial reported significant reduction of weight and BMI when Salacia is used in combination with vitamin D.Salacia reticulata effectively improves insulin resistance, glucose metabolism and reduces obesity. A larger evidence base is required from well-planned studies to confirm its efficacy and safety.

Assessing growth performance and deficiency of climber species on tropical greenwalls

Vertical greening can contribute to urban green infrastructure, urban heat-island amelioration and climate adaptation. Tropical greenwall practice, hindered by inadequate scientific knowledge and experience, can benefit from objective assessment of species performance and growth deficiency. Comprehensive survey of critical climber-plant traits shortlisted 20 potentially suitable species. A climber-selection matrix was established to facilitate species selection and greenwall design. Perennial woody climbers with ornamental flower or foliage and biological potential to reach 13-m height were preferred. They represented two attachment modes, namely mesh-climber and concrete-(bare-wall)climber groups. A field study was designed to monitor their growth from seedlings in experimental plots. Growth conditions were optimized by providing high-quality soil mix and irrigation. The 32-month study period included three active-growing seasons with two interspersed slow-growing seasons. Field assessment methods were developed to acquire systematic data on plant performance indicators and deficiency symptoms. Key attributes were selected to compute climber performance index (CPI) and climber deficiency index (CDI) as synoptic representation of greenwall-application suitability. Mesh-climbers performed much better than concrete-climbers across all key performance indicators, and with notably better CPI. They demonstrated faster establishment and growth rates and more ornamental flowers. The two groups had similar CDI mainly due to insufficient foliage density and foliage loss. For mesh-climbers, Quisqualis indica, Wisteria sinensis and Lonicera japonica had excellent performance, and the remaining species were good to fair. For concrete-climbers, only Parthenocissus dalzielii was rated good and Campsis grandiflora fair, with the rest poor to very poor.

Theoretical approaches to liana management: a search for a less harmful method

Lianas can change forest dynamics, slowing down forest regeneration after a perturbation. In these cases, it may be necessary to manage these woody climbers. Our aim was to simulate two management strategies: (1) focusing on abundant liana species and (2) focusing on the largest lianas, and contrast them with the random removal of lianas. We applied mathematical simulations for liana removal in three different vegetation types in southeastern Brazil: a Rainforest, a Seasonal Tropical Forest, and a Woodland Savanna. Using these samples, we performed simulations based on two liana removal procedures and compared them with random removal. We also used regression analysis with quasi-Poisson distribution to test whether larger lianas were aggressive, i.e., if they climbed into many trees. The procedure of cutting larger lianas was as effective as cutting them randomly and proved not to be a good method for liana management. Moreover, most of the lianas climbed into one or two trees, i.e., were not aggressive. Cutting the most abundant lianas proved to be a more effective method than cutting lianas randomly. This method could maintain liana richness and presumably should accelerate forest regeneration.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Cocculus (Menispermaceae) in southern Africa

A review of the genus Cocculus in southern Africa is presented. Two species occur in Africa with only Cocculus hirsutus distributed in southern Africa. This review gives a complete synonymy and a formal description of the species, and the taxon account is supplemented with a detailed geographical distribution record within southern Africa and notes on the ecology and known traditional uses. C. hirsutus is a woody climber with slender stems, and is distinguished from other southern African members of the family by its heteromorphic leaves, male flowers with three rudimentary carpels and stamens surrounded by an auricle situated at the base of the petals, an endocarp with a sharp dorsal ridge and a circular condyle with conspicuous perforations.

Structure and Composition of the Natural Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertner f.) Forest, Gomtu,Southern Bhutan

Scattered pockets of natural hill Sal forest in the southern foothills of Bhutan are the only remnant forests important for protection and conservation in southernmost Bhutan. The ecological study of Sal forest in Gomtu is the first of its kind in Bhutan and is aimed at enhancing future management and conservation programmes. We wanted to understand the floristic composition, diversity, and structural traits of this forest type in detail. A total of nine plots were sampled along the altitudinal gradients; trees and epiphytic vegetation were enumerated in all the plots. A total of 91 tree species belonging to 38 families were recorded (51 trees, 30 shrubs, 7 woody climbers and 3 palm species). Floristically, two major life-forms were exhibited; deciduous forest in the upper elevations mainly dominated by Shorea robusta and evergreen broad-leaved forest at the lower elevations. The entire study area was demarcated into three different forest types using cluster analysis; a Shorea dominant one on the ridge top, a Schima dominant one with Shorea at the lower altitudes, and a riparian one at the lowest altitude. The Shorea dominated type showed relatively low diversity and species richness compared to the other two types. The total basal area of Shorea robusta was 86,786.5 cm 2 /3,200 m 2 while the stem density was 123 stem/3,200 m 2 . The basal area increased from 2,146.2 cm 2 /400 m 2 to 18,926.0 cm 2 /400 m 2 while stem density increased from 3 stems/400 m 2 to 32 stems/400 m 2 with increasing altitude. However, the maximum estimated tree height decreased from 41.3 to 22.4 m approaching ridge tops. The study provided clear evidence that the most suitable range for the hill Sal forest was from a high altitude of 600 metre above sea level down to 527 m on northwest-facing ridge slopes.

A quantitative checklist of woody angiosperm diversity, population structure and habitat grouping in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary of Tripura, northeast India

A quantitative vegetation inventory was conducted in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary of Tripura, Northeast India. Twenty five 500×10 m belt transects were used to record diversity and population structure of woody angiosperms. Overall 289 species belonging to 158 genera and 64 families were recorded at ≥10 cm GBH (Girth at Breast Height). Moraceae (25 spp.), Phyllanthaceae (21 spp.), Leguminosae (21 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (15 spp.), and Rubiaceae (14 spp.) were the top five families with highest species diversity. Habit wise, 226 species were trees, 25 woody shrubs, 23 woody climbers, 6 bamboos, 6 rattan and 3 palm species. Shannon–Wiener diversity index values ranged between 1.42–4.25, and Simpson dominance index ranged between 0.02–0.42. Mean species richness index was 2.83 and species evenness index was 0.78. The present quantitative checklist indicates the potential plant resources of the sanctuary which can be used for future biodiversity inventories and species conservation.

Stem anatomy of the dwarf subshrub Cressa cretica L. (Convolvulaceae)

Stem anatomy and development of medullary phloem are studied in the dwarf subshrub Cressa cretica L. (Convolvulaceae). The family Convolvulaceae is dominated by vines or woody climbers, which are characterized by the presence of successive cambia, medullary- and included phloem, internal cambium and presence of fibriform vessels. The main stems of the not winding C. cretica shows presence of medullary (internal) phloem, internal cambium and fibriform vessels, whereas successive cambia and included phloem are lacking. However, presence of fibriform vessels is an unique feature which so far has been reported only in climbing members of the family. Medullary phloem develops from peri-medullary cells after the initiation of secondary growth and completely occupies the pith region in fully grown mature plants. In young stems, the cortex is wide and formed of radial files of tightly packed small and large cells without intercellular air spaces. In thick stems, cortical cells become compressed due to the pressure developed by the radial expansion of secondary xylem, a feature actually common to halophytes. The stem diameter increases by the activity of a single ring of vascular cambium. The secondary xylem is composed of vessels (both wide and fibriform), fibres, axial parenchyma cells and uni-seriate rays. The secondary phloem consists of sieve elements, companion cells, axial and ray parenchyma cells. In consequence, Cressa shares anatomical characteristics of both climbing and non-climbing members. The structure of the secondary xylem is correlated with the habit and comparable with that of other climbing members of Convolvulaceae.

ChemInform Abstract: New Acylated Oleanane and Lupane Triterpenes from Gymnema sylvestre

a ) a Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of Gymnema sylvestre led to the isolation of two known oleanane-type triterpenes, 1 and 3, five new acylated derivatives, 2, 4, and 5 - 7, and a new lupane- type triterpene, 8. The structures and relative configurations of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and by the comparison of their NMR data with those of related compounds. Introduction. - Gymnema sylvestre (Asclepiadaceae), a vulnerable species, is a slow-growing, perennial woody climber in tropical and subtropical regions (1). It is a potent antidiabetic plant and used in folk, ayurvedic, and homeopathic systems of medicine (2 - 5). It is also used in the treatment of asthma, eye complaints, inflammations, family planning, and snake bite (6 - 9). In addition, it possesses antimicrobial, antihypercholesterolemic (10), hepatoprotective (11), and sweet-sup- pressing activities (12). It also acts as feeding deterrents to caterpillar, Prodenia eridania (13), prevents dental caries caused by Streptococcus mutans (14), and it is used in skin cosmetics (15). The various reports on its multiple uses attracted attention for utilization of the plant for gynmemic acid (active principle). From the organic extract of G. sylvestre, we had isolated oleanane and lupane triterpenes (16). In the continuing the investigation of G. sylvestre, we have isolated two known oleanane-type triterpenes, 1 and 3, one obtained for synthesis, 2, four new acylated derivatives, 4 - 7, and a new lupane-type triterpene, 8. Results and Discussion. - Compound 1 was identified as (3b,16b)-olean-12-ene- 3,16,23,28-tetrol by comparison of its spectral data with those in the literature (17). Compound 2 had the molecular formula C38H58O8 on the basis of the quasi- molecular-ion peak at m/z 643.4204 ((M þ H) þ ) in the HR-ESI-MS spectrum and 13 C-NMR data. The 1 H-NMR spectra (Table 1) revealed the presence of two O-bearing CH and two O-bearing CH2 groups assigned by a HSQC experiment. The high chemical-shift values and the presence of four singlets, at d(H) 2.00 and 2.01, and 2.03 and 2.05 indicate that the carbinol functions are acetylated. The configurations of the O-bearing C-atoms have been deduced from a NOESY experiment, where the H-atom HC(3) showed a NOE effect with the H-atoms of CH2(23), and H-atoms of Me(24)

Vegetation dynamics between an open patch and a forest edge

The study was conducted in two adjacent open area (patches and forest edges) resulted from a major blowdown as a laboratory exercises in SFI 223 (Advanced Silviculture). The two areas were utilized to understand the growth dynamics of the resulting vegetation in the plots. Findings of the study reveals that the forest edge and open patch still covered with various big indigenous and exotic tree species, and lianas. Open patch has more regenerants than forest edge. The comparatively higher difference of number of regenerants in open patch particularly might be due to the fact that Forest Edge have been fully covered with vines and other woody climbers that suppressed the growth of regenerants. For basal area, still open patch has higher B.A of 23.26cm2.Minimal growth was observed in the forest edge site for the 3 weeks measuring interval. This might caused to the relatively short interval of data collection aside from the dry season occurring on the month of data collection and other site factors such as sunlight competition from cover vegetations, nutrient competition from shrubs, lianas, and grasses. In the open patch, the highest growth increment of 21.473 cc is due to the significant growth increment and absolutely higher abundance of regenerants present and low mortality rate Another possible reason is that, the site is located at SE aspects were sun can constantly penetrate to the forest floor mat drives energy for the growth of the regenerates present.

Aristolochia assisii, a new neotenic species of Aristolochiaceae from Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil

We describe and illustrate Aristolochia assisii, a new species assigned to subseries Anthocaulicae. This subseries is characterized by the presence of extremely short and ramiflorous racemes in which each flower is subtended by a small bract. The inflorescences and the flowers of the new species are morphologically similar to those found in three woody climbers of this subseries (A. bahiensis, A. disticha and A. subglobosa); however, it clearly differs by the herbaceous condition, a trait extremely rare in cauliflorous species that suggests neoteny, and the possession of a long, cylindrical rhizome and a tapered rostrum to 1.2 cm long in the capsule. So far, A. assisii is the third species of the subseries Anthocaulicae known to occur in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

In vitro Seed Germination of Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr

The present investigation was aimed to study the In vitro seed germination potential of Coscinium fenestratum An endangered woody climber with high medicinal value to ensure germplasm conservation and mass production of planting material to meet the unlimited demand. Mature seeds of C. fenestratum can be successfully surface sterilized by dipping explants in 0.1% Mercuric Chloride (HgCl2) solution (w/v) for 2 min followed by 2 successive washings using sterilized distilled water. After surface sterilization, hard seed coats have to be damaged to overcome mechanical seed dormancy. After that seeds should be soaked 24h in filter sterilized 2,250 mg/L Gibberelic Acid (GA3) solution to break the physiological dormancy. When mature seeds stored at 4oC for 36 months, in sealed cellophane after wrapping with wet cotton; soften the hard seed coats make it easy for mechanical damaging. The experiments were repeated in two fruiting seasons (September 2011 and June 2012). Seeds have to be cultured into MS salt fortified sterilized sand: coir dust (1:1) incorporated culture vessels. To minimize fungal contaminations; 0.7g/L systemic fungicide Thiophanate methyl 70% WP (w/v) has to be introduced into culture medium. To facilitate in vitro germination, seeds should be exposed to total darkness and temperature should be increased to 32±2oC inside an incubator. Fresh seeds treated with 2,250mg/L GA3 for 24 h before culture initiation achieved 80% mean In vitro germination rate within 9 months Original Research Article Annual Research & Review in Biology, 4(23): 3549-3565, 2014 3550 of culture period. After 3 months of storage, to achieve 76% mean In vitro germination rate within a month seeds need to be exposed 24 hour to 2,250mg/L GA3. If they soaked 24h in sterilized distilled water, it was needed 4 months time to gain same result. Over 90% seedlings were successfully acclimatized and introduced to field conditions.

Callus Induction and In vitro Plantlet Regeneration of Gymnema sylvestre R. Br. (Retz.) and the Phytochemical Screening of Natural Plants and Callus Cultures

Gymnema sylvestre is a slow growing perennial medicinal woody climber. It belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. Gymnemic acid, the major bioactive component of this plant species is used as a remedy for type II diabetes. Propagation of this plant is often difficult and expensive. In the present study, in vitro protocols were developed in order to induce callus and regenerate plantlets from different explants of G. sylverstre. As secondary metabolites are important in medicinal plants, studies were carried out to screen phytochemicals present in natural plants and callus. The best medium for callus induction from leaf discs was MS supplemented with 5.0 mg/l 2,4-D. Although, nodal segment grown in MS supplemented with 1.0 mg/l BA gave the highest shoot elongation (14.8 ± 0.20), growth regulator free MS also showed a high elongation of shoots (14.2 ± 0.37) and the difference between those two were non-significant. MS supplemented with 3.0 mg/l IBA was best for root induction. Highest survival percentage (62.5) was observed when plantlets were acclimated in a substrate containing a mixture of soil and sand in the proportion of 1 : 2. In the present study, phytochemicals present in callus and the leaves of the naturally grown plants were compared using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrophotometer. A total of nine compounds was identified from the leaves of naturally grown plants and nine compounds were identified from the callus. Out of all identified phytochemicals, a total of six compounds were present in both leaves and callus samples suggesting that in addition the plant material, callus may also be used as a supplement raw material to obtain secondary metabolites for the pharmaceutical industry. D. O. I. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ptcb.v23i2.17521 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 23(2): 201-210, 2013 (December)

Phytochemical investigation of natural and in vitro raised Vṛddhadāruka plants.

Background:Argyreia nervosa commonly known as elephant creeper (English) and Vṛddhadāruka (Sanskrit) is a woody climber that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Seeds of this plant contain hallucinogens including ergot alkaloids and a naturally occurring lysergic acid amide. Traditionally the plant is used in the treatment of gonorrhea, strangury, chronic ulcers, diabetes, anemia and cerebral disorders. The plant is also used as appetitiser, brain tonic, cardiotonic, aphrodisiac. It possesses anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activities.Objective:To give an account of information on in vitro regeneration and phytochemical analysis of the plant.Materials and Methods:Nodal explants were selected for in vitro regeneration. Different aerial parts viz., seeds, natural and in vitro leaf, stem and callus were dried and extracted with different solvents and were subjected to various phytochemical analyses.Results:Different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine showed shoot and root initiation. The study of phytochemical screening of different extracts showed the presence of bioactive substances like flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, etc.Conclusion:The study will provide an efficient in vitro protocol for micropropagation as an alternative method to conserve the plant and shows the presence of some important secondary metabolites in the nature grown and in vitro raised plants which can be useful for treatment of various diseases.

Phytochemical and analytical evaluation of Jyotishmati (Celastrus paniculatus Willd.) leaf extracts.

Background:Jyotishmati (Celastrus paniculatus Willd.) is a woody climber belongs to the family Celastraceae; a well known herbal nootropic, distributed through the tropical and subtropical regions of India. Its leaves are used in eye disease and headache. Very low qualitative and quantitative information about leaves have been documented to establish its quality and purity.Aim:Present study was conducted to evaluate physicochemical, phyto-chemical and HPTLC analysis of different solvent extracts of the C. paniculatus leaves.Results:Physico-chemical analysis revealed loss on drying 13.05% w/w, total ash value 16.08% w/w, acid insoluble ash 0.386% w/w, water-soluble extractive 14.22% w/w, alcohol-soluble extractive 9.91% w/w, chloroform-soluble extractive 7.75% w/w and ether-soluble extractive 4.74% w/w. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of steroid and terpenoid in the both pet. ether and ethyl acetate extracts while methanol extract possessed steroid, terpenoid, carbohydrate, alkaloid, saponin, and phenolic compounds.Conclusion:The observations made in this study may help to develop the standards of qualitative and quantitative parameters with regards to identification, quality and purity of C. paniculatus leaf.

An efficient in vitro plant regeneration system from leaf of mature plant of Leptadenia reticulata (Jeewanti): A life giving endangered woody climber

Leptadenia reticulata, a member of Asclepiadaceae, is a pharmaceutically important plant and has a number of medicinal properties. We describe here first time an efficient in vitro regeneration protocol using leaf of mature plant as explant. Callus was induced from cut ends of leaf inoculated on MS medium containing 1.0mgl−1 each of 2,4-D and BAP+additives. MS medium having a concentration of 2,4-D (0.5mgl−1) and BAP (0.5mgl−1) was found optimum for callus proliferation. Shoot differentiation from proliferated callus was observed on MS medium containing BAP alone or in combination with IAA or NAA. The maximum number (30.70±1.70) of shoots with average length (8.62±0.32cm) was produced on MS medium having a combination of BAP (0.5mgl−1) and NAA (0.1mgl−1). The shoots (81.6%) were rooted in vitro on one-fourth strength MS medium supplemented with IBA (1.5mgl−1) and 100mgl−1 AC. For ex vitro rooting (85.0%), shoot bases were pretreated with auxin (IBA 200mgl−1) for 3min. Rooted plantlets by both methods were successfully acclimatized under the green house conditions with about 95% survival rate. The present protocol may be applicable for (i) large scale plant production (ii) germplasm conservation (iii) genetic transformation (iv) protoplast fusion and (v) superior somaclonal variants selection of this multipurpose medicinally important endangered plant.

Molecular fingerprinting of the Egyptian medicinal plant Cocculus pendulus

Background and aimsThe genus Cocculus belongs to the family Menispermaceae which comprises about 35 species of shrubs or woody climbers. Only one species, Cocculus pendulus is found in Egypt. This plant is reported to have good medicinal values in traditional system of medicine. Despite the wide occurrence of C. pendulus in the Egyptian deserts, attention was paid only to its distribution and morphological description ignoring the biochemical constitution, the genome makeup and environmental aspects which are not given due consideration. Since no information about the genome of C. pendulus is available, the current study deals with molecular investigation of C. pendulus expressed by DNA fingerprinting of the young leaves of this plant using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique with four primer combinations.The obtained results revealed a total of 228 bands with an average of 57 bands for each primer combination, of which 61 bands were polymorphic (26.8%) ranging in size from 59 to 570bp. The number of amplicons/primer pairs ranged from 48 (E-AGG/M-CAC) to 72 (E-AAC/M-CAG) while the number of polymorphic amplicons varied from 13 to 21 with polymorphism percentage of 22.03–29.17%. Thus the average number of polymorphic fragments/combinations was 15. In this regard, the combination E-AGG/M-CAC was more efficient as confirmed by computing the discriminating power (D) of all primer combinations. Also, the AFLP marker gives a complete informative and highly discriminative picture about C. pendulus as shown by (PIC=0.99).

Malaysian Species of Plants with Edible Fruits or Seeds and Their Valuation

This article compiles species of fruit plants in Malaysia that can be used as a reference in environmental impact assessment and conservation of fruit plants in Malaysia. A total of 520 species of plants that produce edible fruits or seeds in Malaysia were retrieved from the literature. These plants are broadly grouped into trees (355 species) and non-trees (165 species). Their economic and cultivation status along with the habit of fruit plant species were determined through literature searches and verified through semi-structured interviews with orchard and home garden owners and fruit market inspection throughout the country. In terms of economic status, the tree species were distributed into three categories: major (70 species), medium (93 species), and minor (192 species). Non-tree species of fruit plants in Malaysia were grouped into herbs (43 species), shrubs (40 species), woody climbers (40 species), herbaceous climbers (36 species), liana or shrub (3 species), aquatic herbs (2 species), and bush or climber (1 species). The overall total number of exclusively wild, wild or planted, and exclusively planted species were 229 (44.0%), 129 (24.8%), and 162 (31.15%), respectively. This study provides a framework for the valuation of species of plants that produce edible fruits or seeds in Malaysia.

QUALITY CONTROL STUDIES OF ARGYREIA SPECIOSA SWEET LEAVES

The plant Argyreia speciosa Sweet (Syn: Argyreia nervosa Burm. f.), is a woody climber which belongs to the family Convulvulaceae. The plant is commonly known as Elephant creeper in English and in Hindi, it is known as ‘Vryddhadaru”. It has been used as a “ R asayana” drug (rejuvenating drugs) in the traditional Ayurvedic system of medicines. Authentication and identification has been done taxonomically. The quality control studies of the leaves have been perf ormed as per WHO guidelines - 1998. The lea f has been heart - shaped up to 1 foot across, back with silvery hairs on the lower surface, glabrous above, white tomentose beneath and long stalked. The most distinct anatomical ch aracter in TS of petiole has been the occurrence of intra - xylary phloem, where the xylem is above and the phloem is below. Unicellular trichomes are numerous and are present in the dorsal side only. These palisade cells are rectangular in nature where the length is twice its breadth. Total ash (15.5% w/w), acid insoluble ash (3.6 % w/w), water soluble ash (2.18 % w/w), a lcohol soluble extractive (1.66 % w/w), water soluble extractive (3.56 % w/w) and moisture content (14.07%) of the crude drug have been obtaine d. A fingerprint of fluorescence has been observed in fluorescence analysis. Chlorinated pesticide in first and second elute from c olumn have been 0.034 and 0.081 mg/kg of the crude drug respectively. Phosphated pesticides are found to be 0.012 , 0.095 and 0 .004 mg/kg

CHANGES IN VEGETATION AND SOIL CHARACTERISTICS OF REGENERATING FOREST AT RANDENIGALA

Victoria, Randenigala, Rantambe(VRR) sanctuary is the largest sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Certainareas in the Rantambe catchment was disturbed for the construction of Randenigala dam in 1987with no planned rehabilitation programme. This study was initiated to assess the changingpattern of vegetation and its influence on soil physical and chemical properties of disturbedforestland near Randenigala dam, relative to the surrc:unding undisturbed natural forest.The site was located 1 km North of the Randenigala Dam in a hilly slope in the intermediatezone and was surrounded by relatively undisturbed natural vegetation of dry mixed evergreenforest. In the sampling site (about 100 ha) the vegetation and soil has been removed down toparental material for dam construction. Three rectangular transacts measuring 5mxlOOmweremarked in each natural and regenerating forest sites .AlI plants were identified, height anddiameter at breast height (dbh) over >2cm of woody plants were measured. Soil pits were cut inboth disturbed and undisturbed forest sites and profiles were described. Soil samples wereremoved from each horizons for the analysis of soil physical and chemical properties. In thedegraded sites, soil pits were cut in the open area (6m), in the canopy edge (3m), and 0.5m fromthe tree base of dominant pioneer tree species to observe the soil improvement.Plant density of the undisturbed forest was three times higher than the disturbed forest andconsists of 17 trees, six shrubs, and four woody climber species. Five trees, six shrubs, onewoody climber, two grasses, and three creepy herbaceous species were found in the regeneratingforest. Common families present were Euphorbiaceae (38%), Sterculaceae (24%) and Rubaceae(12%) in the undisturbed forest and Hipocraraceae (40%), Leguminosae (26%) andApocynaceae (18%)in the disturbed forest.Five and two major soil horizons were identified in the undisturbed and disturbed forest sites,respectively. Soil N, P, K and organic matter contents and hydraulic conductivity were greaterand the bulk density was lower in the undisturbed site. The mean weight diameter (MWD) of thesoil aggregate was greater in the soil horizons of undisturbed site (1.6-2.7mm) compared to thedegraded site (1.1 mm). Similar trends were also observed for wet aggregate stability in theundisturbed (90% remaining) and disturbed (71% remaining) in forest soils. However, MWD(1.5mm) and wet aggregate stability (83% remaining) gradually improved towards the tree baseof pioneer tree species. (i.e. under Bouhinia racemosat in the regenerating disturbed forest site.Increase in soil organic matter content stabilizes the soil aggregates and makes soil moreresistant to erosion by wind and water under the canopy of pioneer species. The retention of soilunder these trees contributes to the development of the soil profile, improvement of soil fertilityand subsequently, the vegetation diversity of degraded sites.