Cost effective and ex-situ (Seed Germination) conservation of Cullenia exarillata Robyns.an Endemic and Keystone species in Western Ghats, South India.

The Western Ghats is a chain of mountains and is one of the 33 recognized ecologically sensitive zones in the world. There are several centres of plant endemism and species richness within the Western Ghats. Cullenia exarillata Robyns is a large evergreen tree in the mid-elevation evergreen forests which is endemic to Western Ghats. This tree acts as a hot bed of activity when in flower and functions as a keystone resource for several species of arboreal mammals, including the endangered primate Lion tailed macaque and Nilgiri langur. A preliminary attempt is carried out to regenerate and restore the populations of C.exarillata. Seed germination studies were performed and seeds were treated using 3 different pre-sowing treatments. Seeds were soaked in Dithane-45 for 5minutes, in cow dung extract for two nights and in gibberillic acid (100 ppm) for 24 hours. Untreated seeds were also used as control. Dithane-45 treatment showed 80% seed germination and the cow dung extract treatment showed 20% seed germination. Dithane-45 treatment promotes speedy seed germination when compared to other treatments. Therefore, pre-sowing treatment with Dithane-45 for 5 minutes was more effective for this plant.