From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various species mentioned
Mains level: Western Ghats and its biodiversity richness
A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery of three new plant species from the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
One may get carried away from the heavy botanical names. But UPSC is known for asking ruthless questions.
Q. Recently, our scientists have discovered new and distinct spices of banana plant which attains a height of about 11 meters and has orange – colored form of pulp. In which part of India has been discovered? (CSP 2016)
a) Andaman Islands
b) Anaimalai Forests
c) Maikala Hills
d) Tropical rainforest of North-East
Which are the new species?
The three new species found are:
1) Eugenia sphaerocarpa of the Myrtaceae or Rose apple family
- A good population of Eugenia sphaerocarpa is growing in the Kakkayam area of the Malabar wildlife sanctuary in Kerala above 800 m.
- The specific epithet ‘sphaerocarpa’ denotes to the large, showy lemon-yellow spherical fruit.
- The fruits of Eugenia species are known for their palatability and many of them are harvested from the wild with some under cultivation.
2) Goniothalamus sericeus of the Annonaceae family of custard apple
- A small number of Goniothalamus sericeus plants has been found in the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
- Mature flowers with characteristic greenish-yellow to beige petals are fragrant while the fruits are very showy and an attractive golden yellow in colour.
- The specific epithet ‘sericeus’ refers to the presence of dense silky hair on the petals.
3) Memecylon nervosum of the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family
- A small population of Memecylon nervosum was also found at the same sanctuary at an altitude between 700-900 m with more that than 10 sub-populations located along the banks of a perennial rivulet.
- The species have showy purplish-blue flowers and mauve to purplish-red fruits.
- The specific epithet ‘nervosum’ alludes to the presence of prominently raised lateral and intramarginal veins on the lower surface of the lamina.
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