Biophytum nervifolium Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 64 1858. (syn: Biophytum sensitivum var. nervifolium (Thw.) Edgew. & Hook.fil.);
.
Little Tree Plant, Sensitive plant, Sikerpud • Hindi: लजालू Lajalu • Marathi: झरेरा Jharera, लाजवंती Lajvanti • Tamil: Tintanali • Malayalam: മുക്കുട്ടീ Mukkutti • Telugu: Pulicenta • Bengali: ঝলৈ Jhalai • Sanskrit: पंक्तिपत्र Panktipatra, झुल्लिपुष्प Jhullipuspa;
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Flower pedicels are always longer than sepals in B. reinwardtii, but the pedicel is always half or less as long as the sepals in B. nervifolium. Further the nervation is more clear and strong in B. nervifolium.
.
One may be surprised and shocked if I say Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not available in India.
Biophytum sensitivum has the sepals more or less equal to the petals whereas in B.nervifolium it is just half a way up to the petals (Ref. eflorofindia thread 1)
.
Santosh ji has done a lot of research on this genus and his conclusions should be more authentic than The Plant List. It is convenient for us that we place all our specimens of B. sensivitum (from India) under B. nervifolium; (Ref. efloraofindia thread 2)
.
Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not occurring in India. It has been said to be reported from India, Sri Lanka, Africa and S E Asian countries. But recent studies shows that the Indian so called B. sensitivum consists of at least five different species B. nervifolium, B. veldkampii, B. poterioides, B. longibracteatum, B. nervifolium var assamicum (previously known as B. sensistivum var assamicum) and the true B. sensistivum is not recorded from India. The species previously called B. sensitivum from Sri Lanka is B. hermani (but I think this also represents B. reinwardtii) and the African one is called B. helenae. More studies are needed to unravel the mysteries. (Ref. efloraofindia thread 3)
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Request for species ID – DKV 111009 DKV 2:  3 images.
Request for Species Id
Plant observed growing wild.
Mhow Dist Indore, Madhya Pradesh


This could be Biophytum sensitivum (Oxalidaceae family).


This is nothing but Biophytum nervifolium not Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC.


Can u add a point on how to distinguish between the two?


Biophytum sensitivum has the sepals more or less equal to the petals whereas in B.nervifolium it is just half a way up to the petals. This is one of the easily distinguishable character between these two.


Thanks so much. Very clear now


APNI gives Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites (not available in ITIS 2009 check list as well as in GRIN) as syn. of Biophytum sensitivum as per link:
http://www.ipni.org/ipni/
How to go about it in such cases?

Further to complicate the matter, Sh. T.Pullaih book (2006) gives Biophytum sensitivum DC. (not available in ITIS 2009 check list as well as in GRIN) as syn. of Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites:
http://books.google.com/books

One may be surprised and shocked if I say Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not available in India. Carl Linneaus proposed this originally as Oxalis sensitiva and later transferred to Biophytum as B. sensitivum. Biophytum sensitivum has its sepals more or less equal to its petals in legth whereas B. nervifolium has its sepals reach only half a way upto the petals.
B. nervifolium is originally from Sri Lanka and also distributed in India.
The taxonomy of B.sensitivum is a highly complex one and I have been working on this family for 8 years and one of my recent article communicated will explain the taxonomic complexicity of B. sensitivum in India. In short, B. sensitivum is not occur in India and this complex is having B. veldkampii, B nervifolium, B.poterioides, etc as species.



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Balsaminaceae, Geraniaceae and Oxalidaceae Week : sk01 : Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC.: 4 images.
This is the same plant as in my earlier upload (efi thread) and it is Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC., recorded on 03-09-12, at Konnagarh, Hooghly.


This is not Biophytum sensistivum, It is B. nervifolium


Thanks … Perhaps now some one has to show the typical B. sensivitum. By the way what is your opinion about two uploads at Flowers of India Website as B. reinwardtii and B. sensivitum?


There is a Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites, which is synonym of Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. – http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2676169
There is a Biophytum sensitivum var. nervifolium (Thwaites) Edgew. & Hook.f., which is, again, synonym of – Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. – http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2676197
According to F. B. I. i. 437. :-
  • B. sensitivum DC. – Petals usually twice as long as the sepals, yellow (sometimes purple?)
  • B. sensitivum var. nervifolia – purple petals and shining ….

A little while ago i read the discussion at – efi thread, which i missed earlier.


Thanks a lot … for digging out this important thread
Santosh ji has done a lot of research on this genus and his conclusions should be more authentic than The Plant List. It is convenient for us that we place all our specimens of B. sensivitum (from India) under B. nervifolium.


The flowers were recorded hours before 11 am, as the owner+recorder confirms.
She also confirms, as i telephoned her a little while ago, that the flowers get closed in the late morning. Moreover, the leaves are sensitive.
But i cannot prove the above because i saw the flowers and fruits well after 11 am, when my colleague handed over me a small poly-pouch.
In noway, merely by stating the above fact, it is an effort to convince that this is a Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC.
A digital herbarium of Oxalis sensitiva can be found at – http://www.linnean-online.org/4266/ that has a zoomable image, which clearly shows that petals are noticeably longer than the sepals (contrary to the claim, “Carl Linneaus proposed this originally as Oxalis sensitiva and later transferred to Biophytum as B. sensitivum. Biophytum sensitivum has its sepals more or less equal to its petals…..”).
Other links are :-

Thank you,


Thank you for your good efforts!
In Linnaean herbarium there are three specimens bearing the numbers 600.37, 600.38 and 600.39. All are having the labelas as B. sensitivum. Dr J F Veldkamp had identified it as follows:
1. Specimen 600.37 is B. hermani Veldkamp
2. Specimen 600.38 is B. sensitivum (L.) DC.
3. Specimen 600.39 is B. nervifolium Thw.
Kindly read the following article, which will tell you the real story about B. sensitivum.Veldkamp J F 1971. Notes on Biophytum (Oxalidaceae) of the old world. Taxon 38: 110-116.

Good morning Sir and thank you for explaining confusions over Linnaean herbarium.

In one side i have so many sources suggesting that this plant is B. sensitivum, on the opposite side i find, as you have explained in this thread, there is only Veldkamp.
A preview page (of Veldkamp) is available at – http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/. But, i fail to understand anything (described on that page).


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Biophytum sp. from Hooghly 11/10/12 sk2:

I searched Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. in group posts and in other websites and found a couple of keys –
  1. “…. The main difference is sepals are more or less equal to petals in B.sensitivum whereas in B. nervifolium sepals are half the length of petals…..” and “….. Biophtyum reinwardtii was a nightmare for me. This species often having a long and slender stem in shady habitat but in open place it is stem less with rosette of leaves apparetly seems to be a different species……” = efi thread
  2. : …. This is not Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. This is B. reinwardtii. Biophytum sensitivum has pedicels 1/3 of the calyx length. ” = https://groups.google.com/d/topic/indiantreepix/U0TJHuKQZ14/discussion
  3. “… This species is similar to Biophytum reinwardtii (Zuccarini) Klotzsch of Bhutan, India (W Himalaya), Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Thailand, which differs in the longer pedicels (5-7 mm) and capsules, which are longer than sepals...” = FoC = http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012374
  4. Biophytum sensitivum in FoI = http://www.flowersofindia.Little%20Tree%20Plant.html
  5. Biophytum reinwardtii in FoI = http://www.flowersofindia.Reinwardt’s%20Tree%20Plant.html
  6. Biophytum sensitivum in eFI = efi thread
  7. another site = http://mukkutti-biophytumsensitivum.blogspot.in/
  8. from Japan = http://www.botanic.jp/plants-aa/osafuu.htm
Species : Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. ?
Habit & Habitat : wild herb grew in the garden of my colleague,
Date : 3-Sept-2012
Place : Konnagar (Hooghly) 

Taken as Biophytum nervifolium Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 64 1858 as per discusion in another thread;


I think this is (and efi thread) NOT Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites, because the species in this thread differs from following herbarium-
I think this plant qualifies the description of FoC, besides “Bengal Plants”, “Flora of British India”, “Flora Indica”, – http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012374.
This is Biophytum sensitivum DC. of the “Bengal Plants” whatever be its current status and however one plays some botanical jargon using the terms like “holotype”, “lectotype”, “typotype” or “neotype”!
Even if it is Biophytum nervifolium Thwaites, as you seem to be more comfortable with, it is Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. as per The Plant List – http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2676169.
When we, in this group, are always consulting KEW, GRIN, FoC, FoP and other efloras to identify all other plants submitted to our group why should this case be an exception?

Taxonomic identity is subjective and may vary as per person’s view. If someone thinking that he should follow on certain concept and he has the freedom to do so. Somebody having a broad species concept accommodating all variabilities of a taxon and the others are not. That doesnt meant that all concepts are wrong. If one has to get identified his specimen, he can use only the available monographs or floras. We will be waiting for a better one in near future.


Thank you very much Sir for elaborating on taxonomic views. I understand your view. But, it cannot be put in the same bracket along with Phyllanthus niruri, i am afraid.


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What is Biophytum sensitivum in India :
Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not occurring in India. It has been said to be reported from India, Sri Lanka, Africa and S E Asian countries.
But recent studies shows that the Indian so called B. sensitivum consists of at least five different species B. nervifolium, B. veldkampii, B. poterioides, B. longibracteatum, B. nervifolium var assamicum (previously known as B. sensistivum var assamicum) and the true B. sensistivum is not recorded from India. 
The species previously called B. sensitivum from Sri Lanka is B. hermani (but I think this also represents B. reinwardtii) and the African one is called B. helenae. More studies are needed to unravel the mysteries.
One must understand that after 11 am nobody can get a well opened flower of Biophytum so that we have to start our research a little early in the morning. Always we should have a living collection that help us to understand the species in its real sense. These are some of my personal experiences. We need to discuss this issue in the coming episodes.

Thanks … for this detailed explanation


Thanks … for the eye-opener! Its hard to believe that B. sensitivum is not occurring in India… as we have so far been thinking it is the commonest species of the genus in India. This story seems to be similar to that of Phyllanthus niruri… now we learn, after several decades, that it is not present in India.
Thanks once again for the valuable notes. Is the work published? If yes, please share or tell us about it.

And this eye-opener also reminded me ofThe myth of “minima” and “maxima”, the species of Physalis in the Indian Subcontinent.


Thanks to all. I am now preparing the mss for publication



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Balsaminaceae, Geraniaceae and Oxalidaceae Week: Oxalidaceae :: Biophytum sp. for ID. 07/03/2013 SMP1 : 2 images. 2 posts by 1 author.
Biophytum sp. for ID.
Observed this Biophytum species near Pune in Aug 2012. Growing wild.
Not still clear about the differentiating features so taking this shortcut route for ID


Seems to be B. nervifolium


Thanks for the ID B. nervifolium



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Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC SN 25 :  3 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (2).
Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC (B. candolleanum Wt.),
herb in the shola margin, Nilgiri hills, Tamilnadu 


The plant is Biopytum sensitivum


Thanks, …, Some relevant feedback from other threads:
One may be surprised and shocked if I say Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not available in India.
Biophytum sensitivum has the sepals more or less equal to the petals whereas in B.nervifolium it is just half a way up to the petals (Ref. eflorofindia thread 1)
Santosh ji has done a lot of research on this genus and his conclusions should be more authentic than The Plant List. It is convenient for us that we place all our specimens of B. sensivitum (from India) under B. nervifolium; (Ref. efloraofindia thread 2)
Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not occurring in India. It has been said to be reported from India, Sri Lanka, Africa and S E Asian countries. But recent studies shows that the Indian so called B. sensitivum consists of at least five different species B. nervifolium, B. veldkampii, B. poterioides, B. longibracteatum, B. nervifolium var assamicum (previously known as B. sensistivum var assamicum) and the true B. sensistivum is not recorded from India. The species previously called B. sensitivum from Sri Lanka is B. hermani (but I think this also represents B. reinwardtii) and the African one is called B. helenae. More studies are needed to unravel the mysteries. (Ref. efloraofindia thread 3)


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ID Request 171014SG : 5 posts by 5 authors. Attachments (3)
Please help identify this herb, spreading 9-12”.  Photo taken on 17Oct14 at Mohol, Maharashtra.


Biophytum sp.


Botanical name: Biophytum sensitivum,  a herb.


Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. is not occurring in India. It has been said to be reported from India, Sri Lanka, Africa and S E Asian countries. But recent studies shows that the Indian so called B. sensitivum consists of at least five different species B. nervifolium, B. veldkampii, B. poterioides, B. longibracteatum, B. nervifolium var assamicum (previously known as B. sensistivum var assamicum) and the true B. sensistivum is not recorded from India. The species previously called B. sensitivum from Sri Lanka is B. hermani (but I think this also represents B. reinwardtii) and the African one is called B. helenae. More studies are needed to unravel the mysteries. (Ref. efloraofindia thread 3)  


This is Biophytum nervifolium


 


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Thrissur, Kerala
November 2014


Biophytum species in eFloraofindia (with details/ keys from published papers/ regional floras/ FRLHT/ FOI/ Biotik/ efloras/ books etc., where ever available)


Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC. (= B. candolleanum Wight , Biophytum sensitivum var. candolleanum Edgew. & Hook.f.)


Attaching the keys to Biophytum species from Flora of India. Attachments (1)


The plant uploaded seems to be Biophytum sensitivum


Santosh ji has done a lot of research on this genus and his conclusions should be more authentic than The Plant List. It is convenient for us that we place all our specimens of B. sensivitum (from India) under B. nervifolium; (Ref. efloraofindia thread 2)


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Biophytum sensitivum in FOI : 1 post by 1 author.
Biophytum sensitivum in FOI should be Biophytum nervifolium as per details herein by Santhosh ji.


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040619AB3 ID : 8 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (2)
Identification, please.
The leaves of the plant would stoop after touching, similar to Mimosa pudica. But the leaves were much larger than M. pudica.

Date/Time- November 4, 2017; 09:22 AM

Location- Place, Altitude, GPS- Eastern Melghat; 21°17.483′ N, 77°22.530′ E

Habitat- Garden/ Urban/ Wild/ Type- Wild

Plant Habit- Tree/ Shrub/ Climber/ Herb-  Herb

Height/Length- 2’ Height


Biophytum sensitivum
Oxalidaceae.


May be Biophytum nervifolium & not Biophytum sensitivum as per details herein.

Is B. nervifolium a different species or is it synonym of B. sensitivum (B. sensitivum var nervifolium) as some other sites seem to suggest?

Pl. read details at the top of the page at Biophytum nervifolium in red and blue.

Thank you for redirecting me to the species page.


Images by tspkumar

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64-TSP-ID-12MAY2016-3:Herb @ Belur for ID. : 5 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (6)

Kindly identify this plant.. Appears that it is touch sensitive…!

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Wild, Roadside, under a tree

Sighting: Belur, Karnataka, about 900 msl

Date: 04-06-2015


Biophytum sensitivum of oxalidaceae


Thanks, …, for the Id as Biophytum sensitivum.
Pl. check Biophytum nervifolium with Santosh ji’s feedback at top in red & blue as Biophytum sensitivum is not found in India as per his latest research.

Ohh thats great … new info for me !!!



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Need id of this small plant from Morena, M.P : 11 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4)
Need id of this small plant from Morena, M.P
25 October 19

Biophytum reinwardtii. Pedicel very small


Supposed to be rheophytic, so how about this plants’s habitat pictures?

Going by keys at Biophytum reinwardtii, should it not be Biophytum nervifolium ?


My guess go to B.nervifolium only


My mistake. Sorry for that. Small pedicel = B. nervifolium


.


ID help: little yellow flower: 1 image.
Bhopal; black soil; 19/11/2021


Biophytum sensitivum (Linnaeus) Candolle ??


I concur with …


I think Biophytum nervifolium Thw. as per images and keys herein.


.


Oxalidaceae: Biophytum sensitivum (L.) DC.: 1 high res. image.
synonyms: Oxalis sensitiva L., Biophytum poterioides Edgew. ex Hook.fil.
location/date: Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, October 1994


I think it should be Biophytum nervifolium Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 64 1858. (syn: Biophytum sensitivum var. nervifolium (Thw.) Edgew. & Hook.fil.) (as per differences between the species mentioned herein):
https://efloraofindia.com/2011/02/10/biophytum-nervifolium/


I think you are right !
http://flora-peninsula-indica.ces.iisc.ac.in/herbsheet.php?id=6964&cat=7 !


.


Wildflower ID: 1 high res. image.
Need help with this plant ID.
Bhopal.
07/02/2024.


Biophytum sensitivum ?


It is (as per keys herein):
https://efloraofindia.com/2011/02/10/biophytum-nervifolium/


 

 

 


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References:

eflorofindia thread 1  efloraofindia thread 2  efloraofindia thread 3  The Plant List  

Medicinal Plants in Andhra Pradesh, India By T. Pullaiah 

Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 1 By Thamminen Pullaiah, D. Muralidhar Rao, K. Sri Ramamurthy (keys & Description)

Flora Of Guntur District: Andhra Pradesh, India By T. Pullaiah (Description)