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| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 2 | Page : 159-172 |
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Floristic exploration of East Sikkim district of Sikkim
Yugandhar Pulicherla1, Sudhanshu Kumar Meher1, Shiddamallayya Nagayya2, Devanjal Bora3, Srinivasulu Cheemanapalli1, Yashpal Bhardwaj1, Ashish Kumar Tripathi4, Bandi Venkateshwarlu4, Chinmay Rath4, Anupam Kumar Mangal5, Srikanth Narayanam4
1 Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit, CCRAS-Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India
2 Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit, CCRAS-Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India; Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India
3 Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit, CCRAS-Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Guwahati, Assam, India
4 Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India
5 Department of Pharmacognosy, CCRAS-Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| Date of Submission | 19-Nov-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 19-Dec-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 31-Mar-2023 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Shiddamallayya Nagayya
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India, Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jdras.jdras_161_22
BACKGROUND: The state of Sikkim possesses 26% of Indian flowering plants. This is an important phytogeographical region of India. There are no floristic exploration studies being carried out in East Sikkim district. Due to this, the present study was intended to explore the floristic diversity in the East Sikkim district of Sikkim state. METHODS: For the exploration, the Medico Ethno-Botanical Survey (MEBS) team surveyed 09 different forest ranges of East Sikkim and documented the floristic diversity as per the guidelines of CCRAS, Ministry of Ayush, New Delhi. RESULTS: The study explored 165 plant species belonging to 140 genera of 71 families. Among the collected plants, the family Asteraceae represents the highest number (15) of plants, whereas the genus Rhododendron exhibits more number (06) of species. The herbs encompass a copious number (87) of plants compared to other habits of the plant. The enlisted plants were cross-verified with Ayurvedic texts, which revealed that 26 plant species were indexed with their Ayurvedic formulations. The IUCN status and trade value of the explored plants were also mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: The floristic exploratory studies represent the species richness of a particular geographical area. It facilitates further research for scholars to utilize the plant taxa sustainably to taxonomy, ecology, biodiversity, and medicinal plants-related works to manufacture herbal-based formulations. Keywords: Ayurvedic plants, East Sikkim, floristic studies, IUCN status
How to cite this article:
Pulicherla Y, Meher SK, Nagayya S, Bora D, Cheemanapalli S, Bhardwaj Y, Tripathi AK, Venkateshwarlu B, Rath C, Mangal AK, Narayanam S. Floristic exploration of East Sikkim district of Sikkim. J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci 2023;8:159-72 |
How to cite this URL:
Pulicherla Y, Meher SK, Nagayya S, Bora D, Cheemanapalli S, Bhardwaj Y, Tripathi AK, Venkateshwarlu B, Rath C, Mangal AK, Narayanam S. Floristic exploration of East Sikkim district of Sikkim. J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci [serial online] 2023 [cited 2023 Jun 10];8:159-72. Available from: http://www.jdrasccras.com/text.asp?2023/8/2/159/373014 |
| Introduction | |  |
Floristic diversity plays a significant role in the management of the ecosystem. It regulates climate change, offers natural habitats to fauna, and provides food, fiber, and medicines for livelihood.[1] Floristic diversity represents different types of vegetation established in a specified geographical area.[2] Exploring floristic diversity in a geographical location is a fundamental step toward the conservation and sustainable use of plant products to promote the living standards of human beings.[3] Enthusiastic scholars around the globe carried out different exploratory studies to understand the diversity of flora. It includes a floristic inventory of pant diversity in Malindi Bay coastal dune field, Kenya[4] San Rafael Coxcatlán, Valley of Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, Mexico,[5] Sangla Valley, Northwest Himalaya,[6] Thrissur district, Kerala,[7] Nikyal valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir,[8] Al-shafa highlands in Taif, Western Saudi Arabia,[9] Tropical Africa,[10] Atto Khel Mohmand Agency, Pakistan,[11] Peshawar university campus, Pakistan,[12] Madathody Naga Kavu Sacred Grove, Chalavara, Palakkad District, Kerala,[13] Kangchenjunga Landscape of Eastern Himalayas, India,[14] North Western Himalayas of Kashmir, India[15] and West Midnapore district, West Bengal, India.[16]
Sikkim is India’s second-smallest state and engrosses about 7096 sq km. China borders it from North to East, Bhutan from East to South, Bengal from South to West, and Nepal from West to North. The state harbored mainly three aboriginals: Lepchas, Bhutias, and Nepalese. Nepali is the most popular language spoken among the 11 different languages. The state is situated in North-Eastern Himalayas and is a homeland of high hilly mountains perpetuated with snow glaciers. These mountains have elevation ranges from 300 to 7000 m approximately. Due to these high altitude variations, the climate of this state is highly varied. The high-altitude mountains act as barriers to the migration of monsoon winds. Due to this low temperature and high precipitation of orographic rain on windward slopes, dry climate toward the leeward side and high precipitation of snow on the mountain tops are considered climatic features of the state. The state harbored 3359 sq km. (47.33%) of forest land, including tropical to temperate and alpine types of forests. Among the forest cover, 500 sq km. of very dense forest (14.88%), 2161 sq km. of dense forest (64.33%), and 698 sq km. of open forest (20.77%) have been covered.[17] The forests are divided into reserve and protected forests, which occupy 93.34% and 6.66% of forest cover, respectively.[18] Due to the distribution of thick forests, Sikkim is considered an important phytogeographical region in India. It is a home garden for 26% of the country’s flowering plants. This colossal biodiversity of the state offers potential exploratory studies to explore the native flora.
The East Sikkim district of Sikkim is the second smallest district of the state, with Gangtok as headquarters. The district covers an area of 954 sq km. and is bounded by Pakyong district in the South, Bhutan in the East, China in the North, and Namchi district in the West. The major rivers like Teesta and Jaldhaka flow in the district. Along with these, the rivers like Khola, Rangchang, Ranikhola, Ratey, and Roro also flow. The state is harbored by sub-tropical, moist mixed deciduous, wet temperate, conifer, and sub-alpine forests covered with an area of 699 sq km. (73.27%). Among the forest cover, 162 sq km. of very dense forest (23.17%), 411 sq km. of dense forest (58.79%), and 126 sq km. of open forest (25.25%) have been covered (Forest Survey of India, 2011). As such no floristic exploratory studies were carried out in the entire district of East Sikkim, exceptionally some of the studies on the collection and conservation of medicinal plants,[19] plant wealth,[20] and Orchid diversity[21] from the Darjeeling area of East Sikkim. Due to lacuna and higher biodiversity in this district, the present study was intended to explore floristic diversity. Consequently, seasonal field surveys were conducted by the MEBS team, Survey of Medicinal Plant Unit, RARI, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, to document the floristic diversity as per the guidelines of CCRAS.
| Materials and Methods | | |
Study area
The East Sikkim district was selected for floristic exploratory studies, and it geographically lies between 27°15′49.17″N, and 88°34′13.02″E. Evergreen forests, hills, ridges, streams, and rivers inhabit the district. It is mainly harbored by two important mountains, Nathula, Jelepla, and two important sanctuaries, Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, and Fambong Lho Wildlife Sanctuary. The study was carried out in nine different forest ranges namely Pangthang, Tingda, Singtam, Pakyong, Samsing, Ranka, Hanuman Tok, Ganesh Tok, and Kupup. The study area of the present study is represented in [Figure 1].
Field survey and data collection
The field surveys were conducted from 2017 to 2018 in different seasons to document the floristic diversity. The plant specimens with flowers or fruits were collected from the field, digitally photographed, and GPS coordinates were recorded. Additionally, field numbers were assigned to every specimen, and short notes on plant morphological characters were recorded. After the collection, the specimens were processed, preserved, poisoned, and mounted on herbarium sheets as per the standard herbarium techniques[22] and deposited in the internationally recognized herbarium (ARRI) of RARI, Itanagar for future reference. The mounted herbarium specimens were identified by standard herbariums preserved in the Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Itanagar, and available regional floras.[23],[24],[25] After that, the specimens were accessioned and the nomenclature of the plants was updated according to World Flora Online http://www.worldfloraonline.org/.[26] The IUCN status of the explored plants was evaluated according to the IUCN red list categories and criteria https://www.iucnredlist.org/.[27] The Ayurvedic name and formulations prepared from the official parts of the plants have been verified by Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India (API) and Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI). The trade value of the documented plants has been verified according to Medicinal plants in India: an assessment of their demand and supply.[28]
| Results and Discussion | | |
The floristic exploratory studies were conducted in nine different forest ranges of East Sikkim district by the MEBS team of SMPU, Itanagar. The collected floristic data were systematically tabulated with the Scientific name of the plant, Sanskrit name, Local name, Family, Habit, Field book number, Accession number, IUCN status, Locality, and GPS coordinates [Table 1]. Photographs of the essential plants and surveys carried out at East Sikkim were given in [Figure 2][Figure 3][Figure 4]. The survey documented 165 plant species belonging to 140 genera of 71 families. Among the documented plants, the family Asteraceae comprises fifteen plant species followed by Fabaceae with twelve species, Ericaceae with nine species, Acanthaceae with eight species, Lamiaceae with seven species, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae with six species, Polygonaceae with five species, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Oleaceae, and Urticaceae with four species, Euphorbiaceae and Rosaceae with three species, Araliaceae, Brassicaceae, Convolvulaceae, Lythraceae, Menispermaceae, Moraceae, Plantaginaceae Primulaceae, Ranunculaceae, Smilacaceae, and Thymelaeaceae with two species and the remaining families encompass each with one species [Figure 5]. This type of result with Asteraceae containing more plant species was also encountered in the floristic exploratory studies carried out in Atto Khel Mohmand Agency, KPK, Pakistan.[11]  | Figure 5: Graphical representation of documented plant families with number of plant species
Click here to view |
Coming to the genera of the plants, the genus Rhododendron constitutes six number of species followed by Persicaria with four species, Cestrum, Jasminum, Sida, and Solanum with three species, Alternanthera, Crotalaria, Dicliptera, Ipomoea, Maesa, Mimosa, Pavetta, Plantago, Rubus, Senna, and Smilax with two species and the reaming genera represents one species [Figure 6]. Whereas habit of the plants, herbs distributed primarily with 87 species (53%) followed by trees with 30 species (18%), climbers with 27 species (16%), shrubs with 20 species (12%), and creepers with one species (1%) [Figure 7]. A similar result exhibits herbaceous flora as a dominant habit was reported from Kankabati Sitabala Than sacred grove in West Midnapore district, West Bengal, India.[16] The evaluated IUCN status represents 127 plant species that were Not Evaluated (77%) followed by 34 species of Least Concern (20%), 02 species of Data Deficient (1%), one species of Endangered and Near-threatened (1%) categories, respectively [Figure 8]. The evaluation of the plants’ IUCN status represents their current category and criteria. The obtained results represent that most plants coming under the not evaluated category. The study describes the wealth of plants distributed in the East Sikkim district and offers evaluation studies of the IUCN status of unevaluated plants. Apart from IUCN, some of the individual studies carried out by the researchers and statutory bodies meant for plant studies gave different statuses to the East Sikkim plants. Among the documented plants, G. trichophylla, T. wallichiana,[14] and R. ciliatum[29] were categorized into endemic plants. R. thomsonii and T. wallichiana were considered as endangered plants.[30]B. ciliata,[14]R. ciliatum and R. falconeri were classified as threatened plants, and R. thomsonii was classified as under vulnerable plant.[31] Based on this, East Sikkim is considered as a diverse geographical area that hosting different endemic, endangered and threatened types of plants. | Figure 6: Graphical representation of documented genera with number of plant species
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 | Figure 7: Graphical representation of habit of the documented plant species
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 | Figure 8: Graphical representation of IUCN status of the documented plant species
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The standard Ayurvedic literature search of explored plants revealed 26 species indexed in Ayurvedic texts and described their medicine formulations in API and AFI [Table 2]. The steady increase in herbal medicine consumption in the country indicates that people are becoming more attracted to herbal remedies. It is due to the ease of accessibility, less expensive, and has no side effects when compared to allopathic medicine. However, the supply of sustainable medicinal plants to the herbal sector is declining due to the unavailability of medicinal plants in the forest, inadequacy of cultivation methods and lack of awareness of the revenue generation on the cultivation of medicinal plants by the farmers. Goraya and Ved[28] estimated the annual trade of different medicinal plants and their demand in the Indian market. According to this, nearly 48 types of plants enumerated from East Sikkim were notified with their trade values [Table 3]. Among them, P. ovata has the highest trade value (>30,000 MT) in the market, followed by S. tora (>20,000 MT) and P. emblica (>10,000 MT). | Table 2: Ayurvedic formulations prepared from the official part of the plant
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 | Table 3: The trade value of the important medicinal plants documented in East Sikkim (Source: Goraya and Ved[28])
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| Conclusion | | |
The present study explored the distribution of different types of plants in the East Sikkim district of Sikkim state. The plants in this geographical area are astonishing due to the establishment of different types of forests ranging from tropical to temperate and alpine. The present study offers research on not evaluated plants according to IUCN categories of this geographical region. Further, the obtained results revealed the distribution of plant taxa and offered further studies to utilize the plants sustainably to increase humankind’s health.
Acknowledgment
Authors are greatly acknowledged to forest officials of Sikkim state for allowing authors to explore the floristic diversity of East Sikkim district.
Financial support and sponsorship
IMR funded project by CCRAS, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, New Delhi.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3], [Figure 4], [Figure 5], [Figure 6], [Figure 7], [Figure 8]
[Table 1], [Table 2], [Table 3]
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