Xerophyte Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala - Journal of ...

JoTT No t e 4(6): 2656–2659 

Xerophyte Caralluma stalagmifera var. 

longipetala (Asclepiadaceae): a new 

record to the flora of Karnataka, India 

M. Ramachandra Naik 1 & Y.L. Krishnamurthy 2 

1,2 Department of Applied Botany, Kuvempu University, 

Shankaraghatta, Karnataka 577451, India 

Email: 1 rcnaik1@gmail.com, 2 murthy_ylk@yahoo.co.in 

(corresponding author) 

Caralluma R. Br is a xerophytic succulent genus 

of Asclepiadaceae (sometimes treated as subfamily 

Asclepiadoideae of family Apocynaceae) and include 

about 120 taxa, with distribution in Africa, Asia, South 

Africa and southwestern Europe and Saudi Arabia 

(Move & Liede 2002). Gilbert (1990) carried out 

comprehensive studies of Caralluma spp. wherein he 

categorized 57 species in several subgenera. Later, 

Plowes (1995) divided the genus Caralluma into 17 

genera based on morphological studies. Among them, 

six were monotypic. Recently, Meve & Leide, (2004), 

using molecular studies based on cladistic analysis 

demonstrated that the smaller units of Caralluma spp., 

compared well with that of morphologically divergent 

and geographically distributed races. 

In India, it is represented by 13 species and five 

varieties (Jagtab & Singh 1999). Sharma et al. (1984) 

Date of publication (online): 26 June 2012 

Date of publication (print): 26 June 2012 

ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print) 

Editor: N.P. Balakrishnan 

Manuscript details: 

Ms # o2898 

Received 31 July 2011 

Final received 28 March 2012 

Finally accepted 21 May 2012 

Citation: Naik, M.R. & Y.L. Krishnamurthy (2012). Xerophyte Caralluma 

stalagmifera var. longipetala (Asclepiadaceae): a new record to the flora of 

Karnataka, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(6): 2656–2659. 

Copyright: © M. Ramachandra Naik & Y.L. Krishnamurthy 2012. Creative 

Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use 

of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and 

distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of 

publication. 

Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to Prof. T. Pullaiah, 

Department of Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur (A.P.), 

for encouragement and conformation of plant identification. Thanks are also 

due to S. Karuppusamy, Department of Botany, Madura College, Madurai 

(TN) for helping with identification of the specimens. 

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treated the genus Caralluma, 

with five species and two 

varieties, in flora of Karnataka 

analysis. Kushalappa (1996) 

recorded Caralluma adscendens (Roxb.) Haw. along 

with C. adscendens var. attenuata and C. umbellata 

from Tumkur District of Karnataka. Gravely & 

Mayuranathan, (1931) discussed the morphological 

differences between C. adscendens var. attenuata & 

C. adscendens var. fimbriata. Caralluma nilagiriana 

was a new species reported (Kumari & Rao 1976) 

from Nilgiri Hills and is considered endemic to 

Tamil Nadu (Ramachandran et al. 2011). Bhaskar & 

Kushalappa, (1989) reported Caralluma nilagiriana 

as a new record from Karnataka and their specimens 

are deposited in UAS Herbarium, GKVK, in 

Bangalore. Plowes (1995) transferred C. nilagiriana 

into Boucerosia nilagiriana (Kumari & Subba Rao) 

Plowes. Caralluma campanulata (Wight) N.E.Br. 

(=Boucerosia campanulata, Wight) is now considered 

as synonym of Boucerosia umbellata (Roxb.) Wight 

& Arn. Similarly, C. umbellata (Roxb.) Haw. is a 

synonym of Boucerosia lasiantha Wight. Boucerosia 

truncato-coronata Sedgewick is considered as endemic 

to Darwar District in Karnataka. 

In this report, we surveyed the eastern part of north 

to southern interior areas of Karnataka, and collected 

specimens which are maintained at the herbarium in 

the Department of Botany, Kuvempu University. We 

collected a few interesting specimens of Carallama 

sp. from Chitradurga District of Karnataka. The 

specimens were identified as C. stalagmifera but 

differed in certain floral characters. Caralluma 

stalagmifera was described by Fischer in 1925 

from Vandalur near Madras (Chennai). Saldanha & 

Nicolson (1976) recorded it in the flora of Hassan 

and Seetharam et al. (2000) included it in the flora of 

Gulbarga in Karnataka. 

Karuppusamy & Pullaiah (2007) first reported a 

new variety of C. stalagmifera var. longipetala from 

near Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu. This species has 

so far not been reported from Karnataka. The identity 

of our specimen is revealed as C. stalagmifera var. 

longipetala which is a new addition for the flora of 

Karnataka (Image 1). 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | June 2012 | 4(6): 2656–2659

New xerophyte to Karnataka M.R. Naik & Y.L. Krishnamurthy 

© M. Ramachandra Naik 

Image 1. Close-up view of Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala 

Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala Karup. & 

Pull. 

Karuppusamy & Pullaiah (27968) SKU; Tamil 

Nadu, Madurai District, waste lands near airport, 

28.vii.2005 (Holotype, SKU; Isotypes, MH). 

Specimen examined: 20.ii.2010, Kuvempu 

University, Shankaraghatta, Shivamogga District, 

Karnataka, India, KUABM 1004, KUABM 1005 and 

KUABH 1006, (Herbarium, Department of Applied 

Botany (KU), Bioscience complex). 

Distribution: India, Karnataka, Chitradurga 

District, Holalkere Thaluk, Ramagiri hobli, Hosabeelu 

(13 0 51’25”N & 76 0 07’45”E) and Muddapura Village 

(13 0 53’111”N & 76 0 06’328”E) region (Fig. 1). 

Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala is found 

on steep rock-faces on the lower parts of hilly areas 

near Ramagiri, a small town, where it is rare in 

distribution. 

Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala occur 

along with other plant species like, Euphorbia 

antiquorum, Ceropegia sp., Opuntia sp., Canthium 

parviflorum, Dodonea viscosa, Lantana camara and 

Barleria buxifolia, etc. 

Plant Description: Plants growing up to 25–40 

cm tall, in dense clumps, with clear exudates; stems 

succulent, acute, quadrangular, 1–2 cm wide, greyishgreen 

with brown mottling and whitish ribs. Leaves 

tooth-like, acute, sessile 4–5 x 0.5–1 mm, fleshy, 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | June 2012 | 4(6): 2656–2659 

glabrous (Fig. 2). Flowers axillary, solitary; bracts 

large, triangular; pedicels up to 15mm long and 1mm in 

diameter, slender, glabrous; calyx five-lobed, divided 

up to base; corolla deeply divided, rotate, ca 12mm 

long, 8mm across; lobes ovate-lanceolate, dark purple 

with purplish yellow tips, after 8–12 days flower colour 

changes to brownish-green, basal parts of some flowers 

light pale yellowish with dark markings at the petal; 

spindle shaped hairs present along the margins and 

apex (Image 1); corona staminal, biseriate; outer lobes 

2, erect, linear-lanceolate; pollinia 5, pollen masses 

solitary in each anther cell, pollinaria-D-shaped, 

yellow, waxy, attached by dark brown caudicles; 

gynostegium ca 2.5mm long. Follicles paired, terete, 

purplish streaked, 10–13 x 0.5–1 cm, tapering towards 

apex; old dehisced follicles glabrous (Image 2). 

Flowering and fruiting: December - June 

RefeRenceS 

Bhaskar,V. & c.G. Kushalappa (1989). Caralluma nilagiriana 

Kumari & Subba Rao (Asclepiadaceae) - a new record from 

Karnataka. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 

86: 480. 

fischer, c.e.c. (1925). Caralluma stalagmifera. Bulletin of 

miscellaneous information. Kew 1925: 430. 

Gilbert, M.G. (1990). A review of Caralluma R. Br. and its 

segregates. Bradleya 8: 1–32. 

2657


Gravely, F.H. & P.V. Mayuranathan (1931). The Indian 

species of the genus Caralluma (Fam. Asclepiadaceae). 

Bulletin of Madras Government Museum 4: 1–28. 

Jagtab, A.P. & n.P. Singh (1999). Fascicles of Flora of India. 

Fascicle 24. Botanical Survey of India. Calcutta. 190- 

211pp 

Karuppusamy, S. & T. Pullaiah (2007). Two new varieties 

of Caralluma stalagmifera C.E.C. Fisch. (Asclepiadaceae) 

from Peninsular India. Rheedea 17(1&2): 41–45. 

Kumari, G.R. & G.V.S. Rao (1976). A new species of 

Caralluma (Asclepiadaceae) from India. Journal of the 

Bombay Natural History Society 73: 194–196. 

Kushalappa, C.G. (1996). Germplasm exploration for plants 

of horticultural and silvicultural importance from the forests 

in Tumkur District, Karnataka. University of Agricultural 

Sciences, Bangalore, Ph.D. Thesis, 55–56pp. 

2658 

W 

> 

N 

> 

> 

S 

> E 

Figure 1. Location of C. stalagmifera 

var. longipetala in Chitradurga 

District. 

Meve, U. & S. Liede (2002). A molecular phylogeny and 

generic rearrangement of the Stapelioid Ceropegieae 

(Apocynaceace- Asclepiadoideae). Plant Systematics and 

Evolution 234: 171–209. 

Meve, U. & S. Liede (2004). Subtribal division of Ceropegieae 

(Apocynaceae- Asclepiadoideae). Taxon 53(1): 61–72. 

Plowes, D.c.H. (1995). A reclassification of Caralluma R. 

Brown (Stapelieae: Asclepiadaceae). Haseltonia 3: 49–70. 

Ramachandran, V.S., B. Thomas, C. Sofiya & R. Sasi (2011). 

Rediscovery of an endemic plant Caralluma diffusa (Wight) 

N.E. Br.(Asclepiadaceae) from Coimbatore District, Tamil 

Nadu, India, after 160 years. Journal of Threatened Taxa 

3(3): 1622–1623. 

Sharma, B.D., n.P. Singh, R.S. Raghavan & U.R. Deshpande 

(1984). Flora of Karnataka - analysis. Botanical Survey of 

India, 164–165pp. 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | June 2012 | 4(6): 2656–2659



Figure 2. Caralluma stalagmifera var. longipetala Karupp. 

& Pull. 

a - habitat; b - calyx; c - corolla; d - corona; e - pollinia; 

f - fruiting twig; g - seed 


Image 2. Seed dispersal of Caralluma stalagmifera var. 

longipetala 

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | June 2012 | 4(6): 2656–2659 

Image 3. Herbarium of Caralluma stalagmifera var. 

longipetala 

Saldanha, c.J. & D.H. nicolson (eds.) (1976). Flora of 

Hassan District, Karnataka. New Delhi, 809pp. 

Seetharam, Y.n., K. Kotresha & S.B. Uplaonkar (2000). 

Flora of Gulbarga District. Publisher Registrar, Gulbarga 

University, Gulbarga, 27–28pp. 

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