Phenological Study of a Medicinally Important Plant Leonotis nepetifolia in Jharia Coal Field

Abstract

Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. is a herbaceous plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae and grows across India by the roadsides or on the barren land field. This plant is medicinally very important. Various parts of the plant are used as depurative, febrifuge, antihelminthic, in relieving cough, in skin problems etc. But the ecology of this plant is also quite interesting. It can even survive the harsh conditions of Jharia coal field where the atmospheric conditions and edaphic factors are not favourable for the growth of various plants. But the plant, Leonotis nepetifolia grows luxuriantly in those stressful conditions as well. Keeping in view this ecological adaptability of this plant the present study was conducted with an objective to study the phenology of this particular plant in various conditions of Jharia coal field of Dhanbad district of Jharkhand so as to know how germination and flowering time of Leonotis nepetifolia changes with adversity so as to understand the ecological aspects quite better. For this, three stressful conditions were chosen where this plant was growing and their phenology was compared with that of the plant growing in controlled conditions. The phenology of this annual plant was found to be quite distinct in different places especially their germination time and death/dormancy.