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Ex-situ conservation of cacti and succulents at CSIR-NBRI Botanic Garden, Lucknow, India Article · September 2015
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Ex situ conservation of cacti and succulents at CSIR-NBRI Botanic Garden, Lucknow, India R K Roy & J S Khuraijam An account of conservation work in an Indian botanic garden. Photographs by the authors. here are around 10,000 species of succulent plants ranging from tiny annuals to huge trees which belong to over 30 botanical families (Oldfield, 1997). Among these families, the Cactaceae is the largest with over 1,400 species (Hunt, 1992; Oldfield, 1997; Oldfield & Hunt, 2010). Other important families include (or have previously included) – Agavaceae, Aloaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Crassulaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Portulacaceae; though some of these have changed or are under review by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG III). Cacti and succulents with their unique shapes and attractive colourful flowers are sought after for ornamental use and with the ever increasing demand in horticultural markets, wild
T
Fig. 1 Inside view of the Cactus and Succulent House, CSIR-NBRI Botanic Garden
populations of these plants are now facing threats due to over-exploitation. Primary threat factors include degradation of habitats due to deforestation, urbanisation, agricultural development and mining, which have threatened the survival of many members of this group. Several species have now become ‘Endangered’ and many are now categorised in one or the other categories of the IUCN Red List. CITES has restricted the trade in many species. Even though in situ is considered the best long-term conservation practice, conservation in botanic gardens could help in ex situ conservation of germplasm collection in case of any natural calamities and loss of species in the wild. Growing these species in botanic gardens provides them with protection and can help ensure their survival (Anderson, 1997).
Cactus and Succulent House The Cactus and Succulent House at CSIR-NBRI Botanic Garden, Lucknow (Fig. 1) is one of the main plant houses in Asia which holds a germplasm collection of cacti and succulents from different arid regions. This old pagoda-shaped glasshouse is centrally located and has an area of 284sq.m. The plant house shelters about 300 species (and varieties). Educational and aesthetic displays of plant species, their conservation and multiplication are the main activities of this important plant house, which attracts students, researchers, academics and plant lovers from across the country. It is the only plant house in South Asia where one can find Welwitschia mirabilis which is considered to be one of the most bizarre in the plant kingdom. It was introduced from NBG, Kirstenbosch, 2 South Africa in 1989.
expansion. Echinocactus grusonii is known from two disjunct subpopulations at Querétaro and Zacatecas in Mexico. In 1995, the original habitat of the species was destroyed by the construction of the Zimapán dam and the population was critically reduced. According to BGCI’s (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) Plant Search database, over 130 botanic gardens have this species in their collection (Oldfield and Hunt, 2010). This species is now threatened and needs urgent conservation. Euphorbia cylindrifolia is endemic to Madagascar and is threatened by agriculture, in particular the expansion of sisal plantations. It should be noted that the ‘Least Concern’ (LC) category in the IUCN Red List is used to highlight 4
Ex situ conservation of rare, endangered and threatened species Recently an effort to re-label the plants according to the most recent classification system was initiated following online databases such as The Plant List (www.plantlist.org) and the International Plant Names Index (IPNI). During the exercise, it was found that 22 species were in the IUCN Red List and four of them were categorised as ‘Endangered’ (EN) ie Aloe harlana, Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis, Echinocactus grusonii and Euphorbia cylindrifolia (Figs. 2–5). Aloe harlana is known only from the Harerghe Province in Ethiopia. The species is threatened in the wild due to degradation of natural habitats and the impacts of the increase in human population in that region. Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis is endemic to San Luis Potosí in Mexico and is threatened by agricultural 206
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Figs. 2 – 5 Aloe harlana, Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis, Echinocactus grusonii, Euphorbia cylindrifolia
CactusWorld 2015 Vol. 33 (3)
Table 1. Cacti and succulents in the CSIR-NBRI Botanic Garden and their conservation status
Conservation Status
No
Species/Variety
Family
1
Aloe harlana Reynolds
Aloaceae
Endangered
2
Coryphantha maiz-tablasensis Fritz Schwarz ex Backeb.
Cactaceae
Endangered
3
Echinocactus grusonii Hildm.
Cactaceae
Endangered
4
Euphorbia cylindrifolia Marn.-Lap. & Rauh
Euphorbiaceae
Endangered
5
Astrophytum ornatum (DC.) Britton & Rose
Cactaceae
Vulnerable
6
Dracaena draco (L.) L.
Dracaenaceae
Vulnerable
7
Disocactus flagelliformis (L.) Barthlott
Cactaceae
Near Threatened
8
Stenocereus beneckei (Ehrenb) A.Berger & Buxb.
Cactaceae
Near Threatened
9
Cereus fernambucensis Lem.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
10
Cereus repandus (L.) Mill.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
11
Cleistocactus baumannii (Lem.) Lem.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
12
Echinocereus pentalophus (DC) Lem.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
13
Echinopsis calochlora K. Schum.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
14
Echinopsis oxygona (Link) Zucc. ex Pfeiff. & Otto
Cactaceae
Least Concern
15
Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose
Cactaceae
Least Concern
16
Mammillaria baumii Boed.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
17
Mammillaria elongata DC.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
18
Mammillaria prolifera (Mill.) Haw.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
19
Pereskia aculeata Mill.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
20
Pereskia grandifolia Haw.
Cactaceae
Least Concern
21
Pereskia guamacho F.A.C.Weber
Cactaceae
Least Concern
22
Selenicereus anthonyanus (Alexander) D. Hunt
Cactaceae
Least Concern
23
Euphorbia stenoclada Baill.
Euphorbiaceae
Least Concern
species that have a relatively low extinction risk compared with those taxa that are assessed as threatened or ‘Near Threatened’ (NT). This usually includes widespread and abundant taxa, but can also include taxa that have a restricted range but have no current or potential threats, or for very widespread and currently abundant taxa that are very slowly declining. It is also worth bearing in mind that a species may be stable throughout most of its range, but is declining nationally due to localised threats – this species may be listed as threatened in a national or regional Red List, despite being listed as ‘Least Concern’ globally. The categories in the table above refer to global assessment.
Cultivation and propagation Cultivation and multiplication are the major activities in the Cactus and Succulent House in order to raise plants for further use. The plants are generally propagated by cuttings and suckers and are usually transplanted twice in the year during October/ November and February/March. Most plants are either grown in earthen pots or in beds and good
(IUCN Red List)
drainage is essential to prevent the plant roots from rotting. The planting medium consists of equal volumes of very coarse sand and peat. It should be remembered that temperatures are high all year round with an average high of 31°C (87°F). REFERENCES: Anderson, E (1997) Ex-situ conservation. In Oldfield (ed): Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Cactus and Succulent Plants. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Hunt, D R (1992) CITES Cactaceae Checklist. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Oldfield, S (1997) Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Cactus and Succulent Plants. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Oldfield, S & Hunt, D (2010) The conservation of Cacti and Succulents in Botanic Gardens. BG News 7(1).
R K Roy* and J S Khuraijam Botanic Garden, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow-226001, Uttar Pradesh, India. *Corresponding author email:
[email protected] Layout by Alice Vanden Bon
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