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Taxonomy and Biosystematics

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Momordica genus in Asia - An Overview

Abstract

Momordica belongs to the subtribe Thalidianthinae Pax, tribe Joliffieae Schrad., subfamily Cucurbitoideae of Cucurbitaceae. Chakravarty (1959) enumerated seven species from India. De Wilde and Duyfjes (Bot Z 87:132–148, 2002) list out ten species from Asia of which six each occur in India and Malaysia. Joseph and Antony (Indian J Plant Genet Resour 23:172–184, 2010) presented a taxonomic revision of the genus for India. They recognized six species: M. balsamina L., M. charantia L., M. dioica Roxb., M. sahyadrica Joseph and Antony, M. subangulata Blume [subsp. renigera (G. Don) W. J. de Wilde] and M. cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng. M. dioica sensu stricto comprises delicate forms with evening anthesis and intensely musky scented flowers, distributed in low elevation areas in the Western Ghats, and in peninsular and Central India. Stout forms with day anthesis and large showy flowers occurring in mid and high elevation Western Ghats are separated as a new species (M. sahyadrica Joseph and Antony). North-eastern elements, presently treated under M. dioica, are placed under M. subangulata ssp. renigera. M. macrophylla Gage has been placed in synonymy with M. cochinchinensis. The presence of M. denudata (Thwaites) C. B. Clarke in India is doubtful in the absence of valid herbarium specimens or field collections from the reported localities. Generic and specific descriptions, key to species, and notes on distribution, habitat and ecology are also provided. A biosystematic account of the genus for the Indian taxa comprises morphology, molecular taxonomy, cytology, crossability and conclusions on evolutionary relationship are also presented.

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  1. Horticulture, Central Horticultural Experiment, StationAiginia, Bhubaneswar, 751019, Orissa, India

    L. K. Bharathi

  2. Economic Botany, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional Station, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680656, Kerala, India

    K. Joseph John

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Bharathi, L.K., John, K.J. (2013). Taxonomy and Biosystematics. In: Momordica genus in Asia - An Overview. Springer, India. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1032-0_4

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