Cultivation prospects of endangered species Celastrus paniculatus Willd

Celastrus paniculatus Willd. is an important Ayurvedic medicinal plant gaining popularity in the primary healthcare systems and in herbal drug formulations. Its seed oil is reported to be beneficial in stimulating intellect and sharpening the memory. It has also been reported as nervine tonic, rejuvenant, anti-depressant, anti-oxidant, free radical scavenger, etc. Over-exploitation of the plant has put this species in endangered category. Work was initiated on its cultivation and the results obtained are presented in the paper. Maximum seed germination of 74.75% was achieved after Gibberellic acid treatment (350mg/l) and survival rate of seedlings was 73.72%. Plants raised from seeds flowered and set fruits in the 3 year. The cytological study confirmed chromosome number of the species as 2n=46. Meiotic studies revealed regular formation of 23 bivalents per PMC. The species, however, exhibited seed shattering character. Chemical analysis of seeds of six accessions raised at experimental farm was also done to compare percentage of oil yield and other properties of wild and cultivated samples. The seeds on solvent extraction yield 55% (w/v) thick, pinkish red coloured and faintly aromatic oil. The cultivation practices/procedure developed will serve as a reliable and reproducible protocol for cultivation of this species.