CYTOMORPHOLOGY OF SOME MEDICINAL GRASSES FROM HANGRANG VALLEY OF DISTRICT KINNAUR, HIMACHAL PRADESH

Objective: The present study is focused on the chromosome number, their meiotic behavior, pollen fertility and medicinal importance of 6 species of grasses from the remote high altitude region of Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh.Methods: The young spikes of suitable sizes were fixed in carnoy's fixative (6 ethanol: 3 chloroform: 1 acetic acid v/v) for 24 h and preserved in 70% alcohol at 4 °C until use. For meiotic studies, anthers were squashed in 2% acetocarmine. Pollen fertility was examined using the glycerol-acetocarmine method.Results: The species studied have shown chromosome numbers like Arundo donax (n=12), Avena fatua (n=21), Cynodon dactylon (n=18), Cymbopogon distans (n=20), Eleusine indica (n=9), Sorghum halepense (n=20). The medicinal uses, other traditional uses and the cytological analysis of these grasses belonging to family Poaceae are studied for the first time from the study area.Conclusion: The present exploration gives useful information regarding the chromosome number and various meiotic irregularities including their medicinal importance.Keywords: Grasses, Medicinal value, Meiotic behavior, Cytomixis, Kinnaur, Himachal Prades