Diversity, phytogeographical distribution, endemism and conservation status of Zingiberaceae in India

Abstract

Monocotyledonous angiosperm family Zingiberaceae (Ginger family) is one of the most economically important and treasured monocotyledonous families. The members of this family consist of a large number of medicinal plants and they are also well known for their use as spices and condiments. The family is represented by 53 genera and about 1377 species distributed worldwide. Malaysian regions (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Papua New Guinea) have the highest diversity in the family. In India, it is represented by about 230 species and eight varieties falling under 22 genera. The largest genera are Hedychium, with 43 species, followed by Zingiber with 41 species, Curcuma, with 38 species and Globba and Amomum, with 20 and 19 species respectively. Two monotypic genera, Parakaempferia and Stadiochilus are found in India of which Parakaempferia and about 102 species are endemic to India. Some of the endemic species are categorized as rare, threatened and endangered as per IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. In this study, the genus-wise representation of species with a position of endemism in India (based on literature) and other geographical analyses were done.