Dipterocarpus macrocarpus, Canarium strictum, Beilschmiedia assamica and Ostodes paniculata are important tree species of tropical humid forests of northeast that have significant value for timber and various other uses. Little is known about their germination behaviour particularly in relation to the effect of intra-specific variation in seed-size. The present study describes seed weight, days to germination, seedling viability and seedling growth as affected by seed weight variation for the above-mentioned species. Significant variation was recorded in seed weight for all the studied species (p<0.001). Seed weight was strongly correlated with days to germination (P<0.001). High germination was recorded with increase in seed size for O. paniculata (P<0.01) and D. macrocarpus (p<0.01), though it decreased slightly in heavier seeds for C. strictum and B. assamica (p<0.05). Lighter seeds showed earlier germination, however heavier seeds had higher germination percentage. Effect of seed mass on growth performance of seedlings for all investigated species showed a strong positive correlation. The seed weight significantly affected seedling-growth until 180 days after germination and thereafter the differences were not significant.The study highlights that seed weight plays an important role in rapid germination and early seedling establishment in forest stand.

During investigation on the bryophytes of the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Grimmia nepalensis has been identified for the first time from this region. It is a new record for India and has been collected after about 150 years since its original collection from Nepal. The species is endemic to the Himalaya.

Pyrrosia boothii is a rare fern of Eastern Himalayan sect with a narrow distribution and listed under the different categories of IUCN. During British Raj in India this species was reported only from Bhutan. Though there are some collections from Sikkim but they remain unnoticed for nearly a century, furthermore, there is no collection of this species from Sikkim by subsequent Indian workers. Recently present author recollected it from Sikkim after the gap of nearly 125 years. During the typification Hovenkamp cited Holotype but the species was published with syntypes which is corrected here. In present communication history, collection, taxonomy, nomenclature and typification of this rare fern are discussed in brief.

Cardamine circaeoides Hook.f. & Thomson, Codonopsis gracilis Hook.f. & Thomson, Synotis rufinervis (DC.) C. Jeffrey & Y.L. Chen and Synotis vagans (Wall. ex DC.) C. Jeffrey & Y.L. Chen from Neora Valley National Park, Darjeeling are being reported here as new distributional record for West Bengal.

In the present work attempt has been made to determine the groundwater quality in four talukas of Ratnagiri district: Chiplun, Khed, Guhagar and Dapoli. Total 60 groundwater samples were collected from borewells and handpumps in premonsoon and postmonsoon season. The groundwater samples were analyzed for pH, EC, TDS, Ca, Na, Mg, K, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄, NO₃, Fe and F to comprehend the hydrogeochemistry of the study area. The spatio temporal variation of the major cations and anions has been shown in interpolation maps. The groundwater has concentration of iron above permissible limit in the industrial area of LoteParshuram. Piper trilinear diagram has been plotted to understand the hydrochemical facies that showed that water is mainly Ca-Cl-HCO₃ type. Durov diagram was used to know the hydrogeochemical nature of the groundwater. The scatter plot diagram of concentration of calcium and magnesium against bicarbonate and sulfate of groundwater indicates that silicate weathering is dominating the area. Chloro Alkaline Indices showed that there is direct exchange of ions in most of the samples. Trends in mineral saturation indices have been studied by the PHREEQC. The groundwater showed oversaturation of iron. Water quality index based on WHO parameters has been calculated which showed that majority of water samples are recommended for drinking purpose except few samples which have very high iron concentration. The suitability of groundwater for the purpose of Irrigation has been determined by evaluating parameters Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium percent (% Na), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Magnesium Ratio, Kelley Ratio and Permeability Index. The results showed that most of the groundwater samples are suitable for irrigation.

The paper presents illustrations of three taxa of Crotalaria L. and a new combination.

A lectotype is selected for Herminium angustilabre King & Pantl. in the present paper. The image of the selected lectotype is also provided.

Drepanolejeunea ternatensis (Gottsche) Steph., earlier reported from Tamil Nadu only in Indian bryophyte, is reported here for the first time from Meghalaya in Northeast India. The taxonomic description and illustration of the species is provided.

A study was conducted to understand the floristic diversity along an altitudinal gradient with elevations varying from 2500-3100m above msl in Bharmeri beat of Shikari Devi Wild Life Sanctuary in district Mandi, Himachal Pradesh during 2015-16. Total number of plant species was 127 belonging to 46 families and 86 genera. The dominant families were Labiateae, Rosaceae, Compositae and Pinaceae. The number of tree species was 6 and 5 with the dominance of Cedrus deodara and Quercus semecarpifolia at 2500-2800m and 2800-3100m elevation respectively. The number of shrub species was 12 and 7 at the elevation of 2500-2800m and 2800-3100m having dominant shrub Prinsepia utilis and Cotoneatser myicrophyllus respectively. The number of herbs species was 47 and 50 with the dominance of Valeriana jatamansi and Anaphalis triplinerves at 2500-2800m and 2800-3100m elevation respectively. The distribution pattern of species was mostly contiguous in the both altitude ranges. Index of diversity for herb in these elevation ranges was 3.34 and 3.44 respectively. Out of 53 medicinal plant species recorded from the area, 3 species i.e. Bergenia stracheyi, Polygonatum verticillatum and Taxus wallichiana fall in the category of threatened plants. The better conservation of natural resources can be done through promotion of community based conservation, ex-situ conservation through tissue culture, developing cultivation technologies and nurseries of medicinal plants and conducting of regular training on the procedure of medicinal plants collection and processing among the end users.

Phyla nodiflora. var. minor is reported here for the first time from India with detailed description, photo plate and taxonomic notes.

The communcation records a white flowered form of Impatiens talbotii Hook.f.

Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth is reported for the first time from Telangana state. A detailed description, photo plate and relevant notes are provided.

Present communication deals with new distributional record of Indigofera zollingeriana Miq. (Fabaceae) in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Trifolium tomentosum L. (Fabaceae) is recorded here as an addition to the flora of Madhya Pradesh. The specimens were collected by the collector from Niwari in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Detailed description, scanned herbarium specimen, illustrations and relevant notes are provided.

Rapid industrialisation, urbanisation, population explosion and change in lifestyle of the people are directly affecting the consumption pattern which finally results into the higher municipal solid waste (MSW) generation. In the present study, the accounting of the methane for two MSW dumping sites of Dehradun with different management regime was made for the year 2011 using three different methodologies viz. Default Method (DM), Modified Triangular Model (MTM) and First Order Decay (FOD) Model. These two dumping sites were- Nanurkheda (as managed) and Vikasnagar (as unmanaged). Both the dumping sites receive a variety of mixed MSW collected from households of the city. For MTM and FOD Model, year 2003 was assumed as base year or starting year (although Vikasnagar site was started in 1996) as these two methods need current as well as chronological MSW data. The annual methane emission from Nanurkheda dumping site using DM, MTM and FOD Model was 909 tonnes, 744 tonnes and 159 tonnes respectively; whereas from Vikasnagar dumping site, it was 31 tonnes, 33 tonnes and 5.39 tonnes respectively.

In the present paper, three species of wild mushrooms belonging to the genus Gymnopilus i.e Gymnopilus aeruginosus (Peck) Singer, G liquiritiae (Pers.) P. Karst and G. luteus (Peck) Hesler are described macro- and microscopically from the plains of Jammu. All the three species constitute new records for the Indian mycobiota.

Typhonium inopinatum Prain (Araceae) is reported here as an addition to the Flora of South India, collected from Rangareddy district of Telangana state. A detailed description and colour photographs are provided to facilitate identification.

Flowering behavior of Mallotus philippensis was studied in the three forest communities, viz. Sal forest, Teak plantation and Dry miscellaneous forest of Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. It was observed that though its vegetative performance is well adapted under different conditions of the forest, reproductive behavior was greatly affected by the nature of the forest type. Dry miscellaneous forest was the best habitat for Mallotus philippensis with highest flowering and flowering traits while Teak plantation had lowest.

The present study was carried out to prepare a comprehensive list of endemic flowering plants found in Gudalur Forest Division, Nilgiri Plateau, Tamil Nadu. A total of 58 species of flowering plants belonging to 43 genera and 27 families were recorded. Majority of the species are Peninsular Indian endemics. Of the 58 endemic species, one belonged to the Critically Endangered, 7 Endangered and 4 Vulnerable category.

Timmiella anomala (B.S.G.) Limpr. is recorded new from Darjeeling district, West Bengal in Eastern Himalaya. A detailed description of the taxon with illustration, photomicrograph, SEM micrographs, along with note and discussion for its status is presented.