View of WILD ORNAMENTAL GRASSES (POACEAE) OF MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037

Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 72 WILD ORNAMENTAL GRASSES (POACEAE) OF MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

Kumar Vinod Chhotupuri Gosavi

Department of Botany, HPT Arts & RYK Science College, Nashik – 422005, Maharashtra, India

Abstract - The present paper deals with selected wild grasses from state of Maharashtra, which have ornamental potential.

1 INTRODUCTION

Grasses (Poaceae) are distributed and diversified throughout world.According to latest estimation by Soreng et al. (2017), Poaceae consists of 11 506 species belonging to 768 genera. In India, the family is represented by 1506 taxa belong to 266 genera (Kellog et al., 2020). Maharashtra state shares more than 40 % diversity of the Poaceae by having 210 genera and 410 species (Potdar et al.2012). Grasses are the source of carbohydrates (cereals) and sugar (sugarcane) for our daily life thus, grasses havehighlyeconomic importance. Grasses are major component in many ecosystems by being as producer. Major taxonomic work on Indian grasses have been done by Bor (1960), Sreekumar and Nair (1991), Shukla (1996), Kabeer et al. (2009), Potdar et al. (2012) and Chorghe and Prasanna (2021). However, not a single grass species registered for their aesthetic or ornamental value from India. Thus, in present communication elaborate ornamental potential and habitat information of selected wild grasses from Maharashtra state. This work can be useful to botanist, horticulturist and plant breeder as a basal line of cultivation and propagation of wild ornamental grasses.

Keywords: Aesthetic value, cultivation, Maharashtra, Poaceae, wild species.

2 SELECTIVE GRASSES WITH ITS ORNAMENTAL CHARACTER AND HABITAT 1. Arundinella ciliata (Roxb.) NeesexMiq.

Ornamental potential: Long broad tiny panicle

Habitat: Grows in open moist grassland in all types of soil 2. Arundinella leptochloa (Nees ex Steud.) Hook.f.

Habitat: Grows at along the open forest areas in moist region usually on laterite and red soil.

3. Arundinella nepalensisTrin.

Ornamental potential: Long broad robust to tiny panicle with caespitose stem Habitat: Grows in seasonal to perennial stream or river bed.

4. Arundinella pumila (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Steud.

Habitat: Grows in shady and moist places in forest of edges of rocks on all types of soil.

5. Arundinella setosa Trin.

Habitat: Grows in open moist grassland in all types of soil 6. Arundo donaxL.

Ornamental potential: Long broad dense panicle and evergreen leaf.

Habitat: Grows along river or stream in muddy soil.

7. CynodonbarberiRang. & Tad.

Ornamental potential: Slender stoloniferous prostrate habit, forming mat like lawn Habitat: Grows in open rocky areas. in gravelly soil.

8. Cynodondactylon(L.) Pers.

Ornamental potential: Slender stoloniferous prostrate habit, forming mat like lawn Habitat: Grows in open moist areas in all types of soil.

9. Cynodon radiatus Roth ex Roem. & Schult.

Ornamental potential: Slender stoloniferous prostrate habit, forming mat like lawn Habitat: Grows in open moist areas in all types of soil.

10. Eragrostis japonica (Thunb.) Trin.

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Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 73 Ornamental potential: Red to brown coloured lax panicle with dense spikelets branches.

Habitat: Grows in open moist grassland in usually black soil.

11. Eragrostisunioloides(Retz.)NeesexSteud

Ornamental potential: broad white pinkish spikelets in panicle Habitat: Grows in open and disturbed grassland in all types of soil.

12. Lepturus radicans (Steud.) A. Camus

Ornamental potential: Slender stoloniferous prostrate habit, forming mat like lawn Habitat: Grows under shade in open forest areas.

13. Pennisetum alopecuroides(L.)Spr.

Ornamental potential: Dense spiciform panicle and evergreen caespitose branches.

Habitat: Grows on rocky cleft at open areas.

14. Pennisetum orientaleL. C. Rich.

Ornamental potential: Dense spiciform white panicle and evergreen caespitose branches.

Habitat: Grows in rocky cleft at open areas.

15. Pennisetum pedicellatumTrin.

Ornamental potential: Dense spiciform dark pink to brown panicle.

Habitat: Grows in open grassland and disturbed areas in all types of soil.

16. Pennisetum polystachyon(L.)Schult.

Ornamental potential: Dense spiciform yellow panicle.

Habitat: Grows open grassland, along seasonal stream, river bank and moist slopes 17. Perotis indica (L.)O. Ktze.

Ornamental potential: Dense spiciform panicle.

Habitat: Grows open grassland at dry region on gravelly soil.

18. Phragmites valltoria(Pluk.exL.)Veldk.

Ornamental potential: Long broad dense panicle and evergreen leaf.

Habitat: Grows along river or stream in muddy soil.

19. Pogonatherumcrinitum(Thunb.)Kunth

Ornamental potential: Tiny branched grass with bamboo like appearance and having lush green leaves.

Habitat: Grows in moist shady rock slopes.

20. Pogonatherumpaniceum(Lam.)Hack.

Ornamental potential: Tiny branched grass with bamboo like appearance and having lush green leaves.

Habitat: Grows in moist shady rock slopes.

21. Rhynchelytrum repens (Willd.)C.E.Hubb.

Ornamental potential: Long branched dense dark pink panicle Habitat: Grows at dry areas in cleft of rock and gravelly soil.

22. Saccharum spontaneumL.

Ornamental potential: Long branched dense white panicle Habitat: Grows in seasonal to perennial stream or river bed.

23. Spodiopogon rhizophorus (Steud.)Pilger

Ornamental potential: Conspicuous broad long lush green leaves.

Habitat: Grows in shady places in ghat areas.

24. Zoysia matrella (L.)Merr.

Ornamental potential: Slender stoloniferous prostrate habit, forming mat like lawn Habitat: Grows in sandy soil along the seashore.

Acknowledgement: Author is thankful to the Principal, HPT Arts and RYK Science College, Nashik for provided necessary laboratory facilities and to the Department of Science and Technology, Science and Engineering Research Board DST and Science and Engineering Research Board (No. CRG/2018/001381) for financial assistance.

REFERENCES

1. Chorghe, A. R. and Prasanna, P.V. 2021. Grasses of Odisha, Poaceae (Excluding Bambusoideae), Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.

2. Kabeer, A.A., Nair, V.J. and Bir S.P. 2009. Flora of Tamil Nadu – Grasses, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037

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Vol. 08, Special Issue 04, March 2023 IMPACT FACTOR: 8.20 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 74 3. Kellogg, E.A., Abbott, R.J., Bawa, K.S., Gandhi, K.N.,Kailash, B.R., Ganeshaiah K.N., Shrestha, U.B. and

Raven P. 2020. Checklist of the grasses of India. PhytoKeys 163: 1–560.

4. Potdar GG, Salunkhe CB, Yadav SR (2012) Grasses of Maharashtra. Shivaji University Press, Kolhapur, pp 80–113.

5. Shukla, U. 1996. The Grasses of North-eastern India. Scientific Publishers

6. Soreng, R.J., Peterson, P.M., Romaschenko, K., Davidse, G., Teisher, J.K., Clark, L.G., Barbera, P., Gillespie, L.J. andZuloaga, F.O. 2017. A worldwide phylogenetic classification of the Poaceae (Gramineae) II:

An update and a comparison of two 2015 classifications. Journal of Systematics Evolution 55(4): 259–290.

7. Sreekumar, P. V. and Nair, V. J. 1991. Flora of Kerala – Grasses, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata.

Legends:

Fig. 1. Some wild ornamental grasses in their habitat: a. Arundinella nepalensisTrin.;

b. Pennisetum polystachyon(L.)Schult.; c. Saccharum spontaneumL.; d. Spodiopogon rhizophorus (Steud.)Pilger