Rhododendron is an economically and ecologically one of the most important plants of India. Of the many species, Rhododendron arboreum Sm. is the only one to be found in the Western Ghats and in the Indian Himalayan Regions. Due to rise in temperature and change in climatic conditions, this species, like others, is also experiencing a change in its habitat. Therefore, the study of this species becomes more important as it, besides being a keystone species, is also a source of income generation to the people residing in the Indian Himalayan Regions. It is threatened not only from climate change but also from forest fire and over-exploitation. Through Habitat Niche Modelling of Rhododendron arboreum we can predict its distribution, thus helping us in understanding its future condition. This will also provide us an insight to its mitigations measures to the threats imposed by changing climate and/or over-exploitation. This review is a small effort in this direction.

The paper deals with 25 species of plants used by the tribes of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, for curing headaches. Leaf is used in a maximum of 10 practices followed by root and rhizome (4 each), and others.

Zingiberales, the pan-tropical angiospermic plant order distributed in majority of the continents contains plant species important in the context of pharmaceutical industry and traditional medicinal systems. Ayurveda, the traditional and endemic medicine system practiced in India since antiquity, has several formulations for strengthening the human body including the celebrated Chyawanprash. The present review highlights the three members of Zingiberales which are included in the list of ingredients therein.

The paper deals with 21 species of plants used for curing eye diseases by the tribes of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh. Leaf is used in maximum of 13 practices followed by whole plant and flower (3 each).

Syzygium palodense Shareef, E.S.S. Kumar and Shaju (Myrtaceae), an endemic and edible fruit tree of southern Western Ghats, is currently listed as rare in its natural habitat. Seeds are found to be the most promising and thriving propagation material. Hence as part of ex-situ conservation and species popularization of the plant, through seed/gene bank, seed studies were carried out. In this context, phenology and morphology of fruits and seeds along with photographs were documented; seed desiccation and viability studies were carried out along with the effect of fresh and desiccated moisture content on seed viability especially that of critical moisture content to recognize the extendable seed longevity. Studies were also carried out to standardize seed germination characters for raising sound seedlings.

Ferns have a great economic value based upon the good ornamental qualities of foliage.  Pityrogramma calomelanos (L.) Link. commonly known as ‘Silver fern’, belongs to the family Pteridaceae and is a terrestrial or lithophytic herbaceous fern distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a medicinally important ornamental fern. The spore germination and developmental pattern of prothallium has been dealt herein with particular emphasis on gametophyte, emergence of antheridia as well as archegonia, their fertilization and turnover of sporophytes. The spores started germinating just after 5 days, whereas thespores sown after 25 days in the similar composition of culture media did not show any germination, emancipating full loss of spore viability. The study of this medicinal fern includes spore germination, gametophyte growth, differentiation sex ontogeny and development of sporophytes. The effect of kinetin and IBA with KC media yielding a high number of sporophyte formations. In addition to the normal turnover of sporophytes in above sets of experiment, it was also observed that the dense spore sowing developed usually small, uniseriate, very occasionally broadened, abnormal gametophytes rather than normal cordate one, which always failed to produce any sporophyte. In vitro raised plants showed 54% of establishment during hardening in the field. The present study has established the reproducible protocol for the ex situ conservation of this Medicinal fern.

In this paper 16 genera and 17 plant species of the family Papilionaceae have been enumerated from Meerut division of Uttar Pradesh with focus on their ethnomedicinal uses.