Pandanus fascicularis Lam. is a dominant species in the coastal vegetation of India. Owing to the aromatic principle hydro-distilled from the male inflorescences for the perfume industry, the plant is a major bioresource of Ganjam coast, Orissa. Variations in plant morphology, somatic chromosome complements, 4C nuclear DNA content, RAPD and phytochemical profiles were analysed in three morphotypes: wild spinous, spineless and ketaki types. All had a chromosome number of 2n = 60. Both intra- and inter-morphotype chromosomal mosaicism (2n = 56 to 64) was evident. There were clear differences in the 4C-DNA content in the three morphotypes, namely 6.0 ± 1.71 pg (= 5 793.55 Mbp) in spinous, 7.41 ± 2.0 pg (= 7 156.74 Mbp) in spineless and 10.24 ± 2.6 pg (= 9 883.12 Mbp) in ketaki types. The 4C-DNA content of the ketaki type was significantly higher (p =0.05) than that of spinous as well as spineless types. Somatic metaphase chromosome numbers agreed with the basic chromosome number, x = 30. Phytochemical profiling indicated a clear distinction between the spinous and ketaki types. RAPD analysis placed the three morphotypes in two clusters: spinous and spineless types vs. ketaki. Taxonomically, the biosystematics and molecular phylogeny imply that the ketaki morphotype deserves the status of a subspecies or variety, if not a species, in the genus Pandanus, perhaps warranting a nomenclatural revision.
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