New distributional record of Piper retrofractum (Piperaceae) from West Bengal, India: A taxonomic note

Abstract

Piper retrofractum Vahl, (Piperaceae L.) is recorded here from West Bengal for the first time seen near the coast of Purba Medinipur. It is a climbing vine characterized with nodal roots and spicy fruits. This study intends to find out the habitat and distribution pattern of this plant taxa in the selected study area. A detailed taxonomic study was conducted on the basis of microscopic studies of vegetative and reproductive parts. Taxonomic description, distributional details, phenology, pollen study and notes on ecological aspects along with illustrations of this species are discussed. The species was located at four different sites in the study area.