The medicinal plants constitute a major flora in India. There are several species of plants distributed throughout India having different pharmacological importance. However, indiscriminate exploitation by different industries as well as excessive use of medicinal plant species by rural people have resulted in the drastic reductionof population in the wild. In the present review article, genome analysis, in vitro propagation as well as conservation and study of active molecules in two colchicine producing herbs, species of Gloriosa and Iphigenia indica have been discussed. The importance of the alkaloid, colchicine is well known which is used in biological research and as medicine. The differences in nuclear genomic constitutions have been reported among different species of Gloriosa. Such differences have also been reflected on their genome sizes, in vitro responses as well as colchicine contents in these species and a variety of Gloriosa. On the other hand, the importance of biotechnological approaches in the enhancement and continuous production of colchicine as well as conservation of tissue culture-raised elite clones of both species of Gloriosa and Iphigenia indica have been established.

Keywords: Chromosome; Colchicine; Culture; Gloriosa; Iphigenia