Materials and methods
Results and discussion
Conclusions
Acknowledgement
References
Home
| Current Science, Vol. 96, No. 1, 10 January 2009 In This Issue |
|
To circumvent the practical difficulties in research on
tropical rainforest lianas in their natural habitat due
to prevailing weather conditions, dense camouflaging
vegetation and problems in transporting equipment
for experimental investigations, Entada pursaetha DC
(syn. Entada scandens Benth., Leguminosae) was grown
inside a research campus in a dry subtropical environment.
A solitary genet has attained a gigantic size
in 17 years, infesting crowns of semi-evergreen trees
growing in an area roughly equivalent to 1.6 ha. It has
used aerially formed, cable-like stolons for navigating
and spreading its canopy across tree gaps. Some of
its parts which had remained unseen in its natural
habitat due to dense vegetation are described. The
attained size of this liana in a climatically different
environment raises the question as to why it is restricted
to evergreen rainforests. Some research problems
for which this liana will be useful are pointed
out. |
Ramesh Maheshwari1,2, K. Sankara Rao2,3 and T. V. Ramachandra3 1 53/13, Sriteertha Apartments, 4th Main, 17th Cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore 560 003, India |