Notes on Caralluma adscendens (Roxb.) Haw. var. attenuata (Wight) Grav. and Mayur. (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae)

Caralluma adscendens var. attenuata (Wight) Grav.and Mayur. is a wild growing leafless succulent xerophytic herb in southern India, belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The taxonomic status of this taxa is still unsettled due to the great variability in morphological and floral characters including shape of corolla, hairiness pattern on corolla lobes, shape of corona and position of pollinarium insertion. Morphological and reproductive variation were investigated in 10 different sites of Tamil Nadu State in southern India with about 210 individuals. The collected specimens represented the Caralluma adscendens var. attenuata and its taxonomy is not treated in the same way as in many local floras. Based on a morphometric analysis the present study has variants that were recognized within the four different classes of subpopulations in Tamil Nadu.