Curcuma caulina

Threats to the native, endemic flora of the high altitude plateaus of Maharashtra include grazing, soil erosion, agricultural development, mining for iron and aluminium ores, tourism, dams and private land development. These pressures are likely to continue as long as the plateaus, that appear as barren and bald during most of the seasons (except monsoon), are perceived as wastelands by planners and developers (Jagdale and Kanwar 2004). The ability of this species to persist and regenerate in disturbed and secondary vegetation is unknown. The tubers yield a white edible starch, which has sometimes been used as a substitute for arrowroot starch. Hence, it is widely cultivated in some parts of Goa, Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Products containing this species are sold internationally and it is used in Indian folk medicine (Nadkarni and Nadkarmi 1994). The impact on the population, as a result of the harvest of wild tubers for the manufacture of arrowroot, is unknown. It is a very attractive species which has ornamental potential (Peter 2007). Gingers have enjoyed popularity as an ornamental plant in Asia and the Far East for centuries. Ornamental gingers have rapidly increased in popularity in the past few years in the western world (West Demmy and Burch 1998, Peter 2007), which has promoted an increase in illegal collecting.

The high altitude plateaus of Maharashtra represent unique and highly specialized ecosystems, which are rich in endemic plant species. The taxon was not collected within any conservation units. However, Mahabaleshwar has an Environmentally Sensitive Area Notification, the first of its kind for a hill station (Kapoor et al. 2009). It is grown in some botanical institutions and cultivated as a root crop in several parts of south India. The cytology (genome size and chromosome number) of this species has been studied (Leong-Skornickova et al. 2007). Micropropagation protocols should be developed for this species. Habitats where the taxon occurs are in need of protection from further anthropogenic disturbance. Field surveys should be conducted to determine the current range of this species, to estimate the population size and to determine if local extinction has occurred. Harvesting levels and their impact on the population should also be investigated. The species has been assessed as Vulnerable, in Maharashtra, in 2001, under the 1994 IUCN criteria (Mishra and Singh 2001).