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For the past few decades, populations of different species of Ophioglossum (Ophioglossaceae) including
Ophioglossum nudicaule and Ophioglossum vulgatum have become more restricted in geographic range
due to alteration of their actual or potential habitat conditions and therefore are designated as rare species
of India. To find out the potential habitats of Ophioglossum for protection of their ancient gene pool, it is
important to identify their plant associates as well as the nature of those associations. Structural
parameters of the community such as density, abundance, frequency, relative abundance, relative
frequency and importance value index of these two species of Ophioglossum and their co-existing plants
were measured based on a quadrat study of three tropical deciduous forests of the lateritic part of West
Bengal, India. This study reveals that there is a strong negative correlation in the association of O.
nudicaule and O. vulgatum. Among the other associates, Lindernia antipoda (Scrophulariaceae), Cyperus
rotundus (Cyperaceae) and Phyllanthus niruri (Euphorbiaceae) are positively associated with O.
nudicaule where as Phyllanthus niruri, Lindernia antipoda and Dioscorea bulbifera (Dioscoreaceae) have
strong negative association with O. vulgatum. These findings would help in ex situ and in situ
conservation programs for both species of Ophioglossum through maintaining populations of Lindernia
antipoda, Cyperus rotundus, and Phyllanthus niruri with O. nudicaule and removal of populations of
Lindernia antipoda, Phyllanthus niruri and Dioscorea bulbifera found in association with O. vulgatum. It
is also suggested that these two species of Ophioglossum be grown separately to maximize their
population sizes.
Keyword: Ophioglossum, plant association, co-existence, conservation, phytoassemblage.