TAXONOMIC, MOLECULAR AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF COSTUS PICTUS D. DON PLANTS ORIGINALLY OBTAINED FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF KERALA, INDIA

Abstract

Costus pictus D. Don is known to have antidiabetic property, and its leaves are traditionally consumed (2-3, twice a day) for the management of diabetes. The plant is popularly known as “insulin plant†and it was introduced in India only recently. However, it is already cultivated in home gardens throughout Kerala. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterize the newly introduced Costus pictus on the basis of a large number of morphological, molecular (RAPD analyses), and selected physiological (gas and water vapour exchange) characteristics. The results of this study confirm that the three accessions of Costus pictus originally collected from different populations growing in south, middle and north Kerala belong to the same gene pool. These findings will be useful marker for the further exploitation of C. pictus scientifically.