Status, Ecology and Conservation of Sapria Himalayana Griff. (Rafflesiaceae) in Thailand

Elliott, S. . Faculty of Science. Dept. of Biology

Status, Ecology and Conservation of Sapria Himalayana Griff. (Rafflesiaceae) in Thailand

1992

Elliott, S. (Chiang Mai Univ., Chiang Mai (Thailand). Faculty of Science. Dept. of Biology)

Sapria himalayana (Griff.) (Rafflesiaceae) is a parasitic plant, with spectacular red flowers about 20 cm across, which grows in the roots of lianas. The objectives of the study reported here were to determine the current status and distribution of S. himalayana in Thailand and to investigate its reproductive ecology to determine how best to conserve the species. I could confirm the continued survival of S. himalayana at one site in Chiang Mai Province and another in Mae Hong Sorn and received recent reports from Tak and Kanchanaburi. Host lianas were Tetrastigma obovatum (Laws.) Gagnep., T. laoticum Gagnep. and T. cruciatum Craib & Gagnep. (Vitaceae) in evergreen forest at 1000-1450 m above sea level. After a developmental period of 100-123 days (99 percent c.l.), unisexual flowers (2.17 males per female) opened in September-April, with a peak (73.4 percent) in November-January. Flies may carry out pollination whilst seed dispersal may be effected by small rodents. Of 627 buds examined, 40 percent died before reaching maturity, mostly due to abortion. Mortality rates of males and females were the same. S. himalayana is endangered with extinction. Sites where the plant grows should be better protected; collection or trade of the plant should be forbidden by law and attempts should be made to pollinate the flowers by hand and transfer seed to infect new hosts in the natural habitat.

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