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History of discovery of the fastest growing angiosperm, Wolffia microscopica (Griff.) Kurz entwined with British India


Affiliations
1 Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Kerala, Periye 671 320, India
2 formerly at University of Delhi (passed away on 12 June 2019), India
3 Matthias Schleiden Institute – Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
4 Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110 021, India
 

Wolffia microscopica (Griff.) Kurz, the fastest multiplying angiosperm, belongs to the family Lemnaceae (the duckweed family) and characteristically exhibits frequent flowering. Interestingly, the discovery of this plant species originally designated as Grantia microscopica by William Griffith (1810–45) is interlinked with the ascent of the British in India. In this note, a historic account of the discovery, nomenclature and uniqueness of this species of duckweed endemic to the Indian subcontinent is presented in view of its gaining attention as a potential bioresource when there is resurgence in duckweed research globally for its utility as a model plant for both basic and applied studies.

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  • History of discovery of the fastest growing angiosperm, Wolffia microscopica (Griff.) Kurz entwined with British India

Abstract Views: 309  |  PDF Views: 124

Authors

K. Sowjanya Sree
Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Kerala, Periye 671 320, India
Satish C. Maheshwari
formerly at University of Delhi (passed away on 12 June 2019), India
Klaus J. Appenroth
Matthias Schleiden Institute – Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena 07743, Germany
Jitendra P. Khurana
Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110 021, India

Abstract


Wolffia microscopica (Griff.) Kurz, the fastest multiplying angiosperm, belongs to the family Lemnaceae (the duckweed family) and characteristically exhibits frequent flowering. Interestingly, the discovery of this plant species originally designated as Grantia microscopica by William Griffith (1810–45) is interlinked with the ascent of the British in India. In this note, a historic account of the discovery, nomenclature and uniqueness of this species of duckweed endemic to the Indian subcontinent is presented in view of its gaining attention as a potential bioresource when there is resurgence in duckweed research globally for its utility as a model plant for both basic and applied studies.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv121%2Fi5%2F724-726