International Journal of Horticulture, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 25, 229-238
230
of stem and root, the ground tissue of the petiole, and the leaf mesophyll) of aquatic plants have been made
adaptable to buoyancy and aeration (Marwat et al., 2011a).
Depending upon the relationship to water and air, the hydrophytes can be studied under various types, some are
submerged hydrophytes (totally embedded under the water and are not incontact with atmosphere) which may be
free floating (e.g., Ceratophyllum, Myriophyllum, and Utricularia etc.) or rooted (Hydrilla, Vallisneria,
Potamogeton, etc.). Others are floating hydrophytes (which float on the surface or slightly below the surface of
water, having no contact with atmosphere), which may be free floating, e.g., duck weeds (Lemna and Wolffia),
water hyacinth (
Eichhornia crassipes
) or rooted to substratum, e.g., lotus (Nelumbium) and water lily
(Nymphaea) .
Still others are partially submerged hydrophytes (that are partly in water and partly in air). The aquatic part may
be in shallow water or muddy sub-stratum (Singh, 2012). Such habitats include banks of canals, rivers, periphery
of water bodies which are mostly in earthen dams, and partly in masonry dams, drainage ditches and water ponds
near villages. These may be called semi-aquatic but more appropriately referred to as emergent aquatic (Marwat
et al., 2013).
There are conditions where vast areas of land remain swamped with water for long periods of time, and may only
dry out in severe drought situations. Such lands areknown as marshes or swampy areas. They support a different
type of vegetation which may include plants that are capable of growing under both flooded and
saturatedconditions (Lancar and Krake, 2002).Some floristic work has been carried out and a number of research
papers have appeared in different journals on aquatic plants in the country by Jafri (1966), Stewart (1972), Beg
and Samad (1974), Ahmed and Younis (1979), Omer and Hashmi (1987), Leghari et al. (1999), Qaiser (2001),
Leghari (2004), Maseeh (2007), Marwat et al. (2009), Marwat et al. (2011a; 2011b) and Marwat et al. (2013) and
Ishaq et al. (2017). But no research work about aquatic angiosperms of QillaSaifullah has been undertaken. The
present preliminary study is an attempt to highlight some of the aquatic angiospermic plant species of the
research area. Further, more work is needed in this regard.
2 Materials and Methods
A floristic study of the semi aquatic and marshland plants of QillaSaifullah Tehsil (Figure 1) of QillaSaifullah
District, Balochistan, Pakistan, was conducted during 2016. The specimens were collected by hand from various
aquatic habitats such as burmas, slow-running streams, and sides of streams, vegetable fields, sewerage canals
and marshy places of the study area. The research area was surveyed to investigate the plant species. Field trips
were arranged to various villages and streams. Many species were collected and photographs were taken. Plants
were identified with the help of available literature, and internet. Literature used for identification included Jafri
(1966), Beg and Samad (1974), Bhopal and Chaudhri (1977a; 1977b), Ahmad and Younis (1979), Cope (1982),
Marwat et al. (1996), Leghari et al. (1999), Qaiser (2001), Leghari et al. (2004), Marwat et al. (2009), Marwat et
al. (2011a; 2011b) and Marwat et al. (2013) and Ishaq et al. (2017). Plants with botanical names, common names,
family, class, habit, flowering and fruiting period, availability, distribution, and % age share of families were
listed in Table 1, Table 2, and Table3. Photographs of some plants were also made and were included in the paper.
3 Results and Discussion
The present preliminary study was conducted for the first time in QillaSaifullah Tehsil of the district
QillaSaifullah, Balochistan, Pakistan. During the study 30 species of 27 genera belonging to 16 families were
recorded from the research area (Table 1). Of these, monocots were represented by 12 species belonging to 10
genera and 4 families, while dicots contributed 18 species of 17 genera and 12 families. Poaceae was the largest
family that contributed 07 species (23.33%), followed by Typhaceae with 03 species (10%) each; next 6 families,
Asteraceae, Brassicaeae, Chenopodiaceae, Cyperaceae, Polygonaceae and Rnunculaceae with 02 species
(06.66 %) each; while the last 08 families contributed 1 species (3.33%) each (Figure 2 and Table 4).
Enumeration of the taxa is as follows.
