Bio- Diversity Species in News

Plant Species in News ------2 Senna Spectabilis ------2 Wollemi Pines ------2 Mahua ------2 Pinanga Andamanensis ------2 Eugenia Sphaerocarpa ------3 Goniothalamus Sericeus ------3 Memecylon Nnervosum ------3 Sonneratia Alba ------3 Red Sandalwood ------4 Eulophia Obtusa ------4 Tiger Orchid ------4 Ground Orchid ------4 Gastrodia Agnicellus ------5 Pipeworts ------6 Madhuca diplostemon ------6 Heeng (Asafoetida) ------6 Himalayan Trillium ------6 Globba Andersonii Plant ------7 Blue Poppy ------7 Mission Lantana ------7 Brahma Kamal ------8 Saffron ------8 Punjab Kinnow ------8 Muktoshri Rice ------8 Pothos Boyceanus ------9 Roridomyces Phyllostachydis ------9 Arunachal Kiwi ------9 Ischaemum Janarthanamii ------10 Portulaca Laljii ------10

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Plant Species in News

Senna Spectabilis  Due to mass flowering and drying of bamboo species in Wayanad, lots of open spaces (78.91sq km) has been occupied by Senna spectabilis.  The plant has also started to invade the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves in Karnataka and Mudumalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu.  Senna spectabilis is a deciduous tree native to tropical areas of America.  It grows up to 15 to 20 metres in a short period of time and distributes thousands of seeds after flowering.  The thick foliage of the tree arrests the growth of other indigenous tree and grass species. Thus, it causes food shortage for the wildlife population, especially herbivores.  It also adversely affects the germination and growth of the native species.  Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern.

Wollemi Pines  The prehistoric Wollemi Pine grove, which exists in the Wollemi National Park northwest of Sydney, has been saved from bushfires in Australia.  Wollemi Pines are thought to have existed even during the Jurassic period. The oldest fossil of the rare pine species dates back 90 million years.  Wollemi National Park is the only place in the world where these trees are found in the wild. Approximately, less than 200 trees are left.  The pines, which prior to 1994 were thought to be extinct.  Their location was kept secret to prevent contamination. They have benefited from an unprecedented environmental protection mission.  Wollemi National Park is a part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Endangered.

Mahua  Mahua is a large sized multipurpose forest tree that is found throughout the mixed deciduous forests of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries.  The botanical name of Mahua is 'Madhucaindica' and it belongs to the family Sapotaceae.  It is an important economic tree used as food, medicine and for other commercial uses such as soap and detergent manufacture, oil extraction, skincare, etc.  Mahua flowers and seeds are edible. The fruits of the tree are used as vegetable. The seeds of the tree contain about 40% pale yellow oil.  Mahua flowers contain about 65 to 70% sugar, cellulose, albuminous substances, ash, enzymes, yeast and water. Due to high sugar content, the flowers provide adequate energy on oral administration.  An estimated 90 per cent of annual production of Mahuwa flower is used in the process of brewing beverages.  Mahua tree is native to dry region of India. It is a multipurpose tree, mostly found in tropical and subtropical areas, in forests of North and Central part of India.

PinangaAndamanensis  A rare palm endemic to the South Andaman Island is finding a second home at Thiruvananthapuram-based Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI).

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 The name is derived from ‘Penang’, the modern-day Malaysian state.  Pinangaandamanensis is an IUCN critically endangered species and one of the least known among the endemic palms of the Andaman Islands.  Its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.  It was originally described by the Italian botanist OdoardoBeccari in 1934.  His description was based on an old herbarium specimen collected by E.H. Man, a late-19th century assistant superintendent in the Andaman administration.  After that first identification, it was thought to be extinct till 1992.  Its uses are yet to be understood fully. But this palm holds promise as an avenue tree for gardens, pavements and homesteads.  Threats:Natural calamities such as cyclones, earthquakes and rampaging by wild elephants among others.

Eugenia Sphaerocarpa  A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  It belongs to 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 800m.  The epithet ‘sphaerocarpa’ denotes to the large, showy lemon-yellow spherical fruits. The fruits of Eugenia species are known for their palatability.

GoniothalamusSericeus  A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  It belongs to the Annonaceae family of custard apple.  A small number of Goniothalamussericeus plants has been found in the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu at an altitude of 1400m.  Mature flowers with characteristic greenish-yellow to beige petals are fragrant while the fruits are very showy and an attractive golden yellow in colour. Sericeus refers to the presence of dense silky hair on petals.

MemecylonNnervosum  A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  It belongs to the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family.  A small population of nervosum was also found at the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu at an altitude between 700-900m.  The species has showy purplish-blue flowers and mauve to purplish red fruits. Nervosum refers to the presence of prominently raised lateral and intramarginal veins on the lower surface of the lamina.

SonneratiaAlba  Maharashtra is set to become the first state in the country to declare Sonneratia alba as a state mangrove tree species.  It is an evergreen mangrove tree in the family Lythraceae.

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 Sonneratia alba grow up to five feet and bear white flowers with a pink base as well as green fruits that resemble apples and are used to make pickles.  It grows naturally in many tropical and subtropical areas from East Africa to the Indian subcontinent, southern China, the Ryukyu Islands, Indochina, Malesia, Papuasia, Australia and the Western Pacific region. Its habitat is sheltered around sandy seashores and tidal creeks.  They often grow on newly-formed mudflats and play an important role in combating land erosion. The flowers, which bloom at night, are pollinated by nocturnal creatures like bats.  Note: Maharashtra already has the state tree (mango), state animal (giant squirrel), state bird (green pigeon), state butterfly (Blue Mormon) and state flower (jarul).

Red Sandalwood  Red sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) is endemic to South India.  They are found in the Tropical Dry Deciduous forest of the Palakonda and Seshachalam hill ranges of Andhra Pradesh and also found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.  Red Sanders usually grow in the rocky, degraded and fallow lands with Red Soil and hot and dry climate.  Benefits: It is known for its rich hue and therapeutic properties, is high in demand across Asia, particularly in China and Japan, for cosmetics and medicinal products, wood-works and musical instruments.  Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that a tonne of red sanders costs anything between Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 1 crore in the international market  Conservation Status:  IUCN: Near Threatened;  CITES: Appendix II

EulophiaObtusa  A rare orchid species- Eulophiaobtusa- also known as ground orchid has been rediscovered in India after 118-year hiatus in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.  The species was originally described from Uttarakhand in the 19th century, it was last recorded in Pilibhit in 1902.  Later in 2008, the plant species was sighted in Bangladesh for the first time.  Threat:habitat loss and reduction in the number of mature individuals in Bangladesh.  Conservation Status: IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.

Tiger Orchid  Scientific name: Grammatophyllumspeciosum [a rare orchid]  It has large and resplendent flowers which resemble the tiger skin.  It flowers in alternate years and remains in bloom for about a month.  These epiphytic plants are not native to India, and are endemic to southeast Asia i.e. Indonesia and Philippines.  The tiger orchid has an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records due to its massive size. Mature plant in its natural habitat weighs up to 2 tonnes.

Ground Orchid  Scientific name: Eulophia obtuse [a rare orchid]  It has been rediscovered in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh after 118 years.  It was last recorded in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh in 1902.  The species is originally from Uttarakhand.  It has white flowers and bright pink hues.  Conservation Status: IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.

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GastrodiaAgnicellus  It is a newly discovered orchid has been named the ugliest orchid in the world.  Found in a forest in Madagascar, it feeds on fungi. and has no leaves.  Although assessed as a threatened species, the plants have some protection because they are located in a national park.

Pipeworts  Recently, the scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) have discovered two new species of pipeworts, a type of wetland plant, from areas along the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Karnataka.  Eriocaulon is a genus of about 400 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae.  It is commonly known as pipeworts widely distributed in tropical regions, particularly southern Asia and the Americas.  The genus Eriocaulon is usually adapted to soft water.  It is a quite small, very narrow-leaved and almost cushion-growing plant that demands good supply of light and carbon dioxide to develop.  The species found in Maharashtra is named as Eriocaulonparvicephalum for its distinct minute inflorescence size.  The Karnataka counterpart has been named Eriocaulonkaraavalense indicating the Karaavali coastal region in the state.

Madhucadiplostemon  It is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapotaceae, endemic to India.  A tree species, long believed extinct, has been rediscovered after a gap of more than 180 years from a sacred grove in Kollam district, Kerala.  Scientists have identified the tree as Madhucadiplostemon (family Sapotaceae), a threatened species of the Western Ghats whose specimen was first collected in 1835.  In 1835, Robert Wight, a surgeon-botanist with the East India Company, had collected three specimens of the species.  Only one mature tree has been found so far, which makes this remarkable rediscovery extremely valuable from a scientific, environmental and conservation point of view.  Since the species is represented only by one specimen in a single locality, it is eligible to be categorised ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN.

Heeng(Asafoetida)  Recently, scientists from the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have planted hing saplings in Himachal Pradesh.  It is aherbaceous plant of the umbelliferae family.  It is a perennial plant which produces oleo-gum resin from the roots after five years of plantation.  It thrives in dry and cold desert conditions.  It is endemic to Iran and Afghanistan and they are the prominent global suppliers.  It is one of the widely used spices in Indian cuisine since time immemorial. There is no production of heeng in India and currently it is being imported annually from Afghanistan, Iran and Uzbekistan.  It has a range of medicinal properties, including relief for digestive, spasmodic and stomach disorders, asthma and bronchitis. It is also commonly used to help with painful or excessive bleeding during menstruation and premature labour.

Himalayan Trillium

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 The Himalayan trillium (Trillium govanianum), a common herb of the Himalayas was declared ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last week.  In recent years, the plant has become one of the most traded commercial plants of the Himalayan region, due to its high medicinal quality.  It is found in temperate and sub-alpine zones of the Himalayas, at an altitude from 2,400-4,000 metres above sea level.  Their existence has also been traced across India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  In India, it is found in four states only- Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand.  Often called Nagchatri, in local areas this herb grows to a height of 15-20 cm.  Causes for decline are Overexploitation; Longer life cycle i.e. slow to reach reproductive maturity; Poor capacity for seed dispersal; Due to its high medicinal quality, it is vulnerable to trading.

GlobbaAndersonii Plant  A team of researchers have “rediscovered” a rare species called Globbaandersonii from the Sikkim Himalayas near the Teesta River valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years.  It is characterised by white flowers, non-appendaged anthers (the part of a stamen that contains the pollen) and a “yellowish lip”.  It is commonly as ‘dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers.’  The species is restricted mainly to Teesta River Valley region which includes the Sikkim Himalays and Darjeeling hill ranges  The plant usually grows in a dense colony as a lithophyte (plant growing on a bare rock or stone).  Micro-propagation, tissue culture of this taxon and multiplication of this species and its re-introduction in the natural habitat could be the key for it to survive and thrive in the future.  Conservational Status:IUCN status: Critically Endangered.

Blue Poppy  A recent study indicated that it is slowly depleting at lower altitudes and rocky moraines.  Scientific name: Meconopisacculette.  It is considered the Queen of Himalayan Flowers.  It is found from Kumaon to Kashmir at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 meters.  High alpine rock screes, small, loose stones, rock fragments and lateral periglacial moraines seem to be the core occupancy zone of the species.  However, a recent comparative study of abundance of the species in alpine moraines at different elevations indicated that it is slowly depleting at lower altitudes and rocky moraines.  Not only the Blue Poppy but several other flowering plants, found at very high altitudes, are facing the “climb higher or die” situation due to climate change.

Mission Lantana  A special drive to uproot the invasive lantana bushes in the famous Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district under “Mission Lantana” helped in ecological restoration of grasslands and saved biodiversity.  Lantana camara is a small perennial shrub, which forms extensive, dense and impenetrable thickets.  It is native toCentral and South America.  It is an invasive species which was introduced in tropical regions as an ornamental plant (introduced in India in 1807).

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 It is generally deleterious to biodiversity and is an agricultural weed.  The thickets covered vast tracts of land, stopping the natural light and nutrition for other flora and fauna.  The toxic substance in its foliage and ripe berries affected the animals.  With the herbivores not getting sufficient forage, the prey base for carnivorous animals was declining, leading to ecological disturbances in the food chain.  It has also invaded other wildlife reserves, river banks and the Project Tiger areas.

Brahma Kamal  The rare Brahma Kamal, the only flower known to bloom after sunset and just once a year has been spotted in the higher reaches of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.  It is a species of flowering plant native to the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, India, Mongolia, Burma and southwest China.  It is also the state flower of Uttarakhand.  The flower is named after God Brahma who is believed to have created the universe. The flower only blooms for a few hours and is said to bring good luck and prosperity.  The flower also finds itself mentioned in the scriptures and is offered in many holy shrines including Kedarnath, Badrinath and Tunganath.  The flower is highly valued in Tibetan medicine and Ayurveda for its healing properties. It is extensively used by the local population to treat cuts and bruises.

Saffron  The saffron bowl, which was so far confined to Kashmir, may soon expand to the North East of India. Plants from seeds transported from Kashmir to Sikkim and acclimatized there are now flowering in Yangyang in the Southern part of the North-East state.  Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around the 1st Century BCE.  It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.  It is a very precious and costly product.  It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir.  The features which differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over are:  It is the only saffron that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m above mean sea level.  It has longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing.  It also has a high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).  There are three types of saffron available in Kashmir- Lachha Saffron, Mongra Saffron and Guchhi Saffron.  Kashmir saffron is used globally as a spice. It also helps in revitalizing health.  It is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.

Punjab Kinnow  The Punjab Agri Export Corporation recently launched the ‘Punjab Kinnow’ brand at the kinnow festival in Abohar.  This brand of kinnow, which is considered the ‘king fruit’ of Punjab, is also said to be “pesticide-free”.  Punjab being the largest producer of kinnow in the country, such branding will attract more consumers.

Muktoshri Rice  Researchers from West Bengal’s have developed a rice variety called Muktoshri (IET 21845), that is resistant to arsenic.

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 It has been jointly developed by the Rice Research Station at Chinsurah, under West Bengal’s Agriculture Department and the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow.  The variety yields 5.5 metric tons per hectare in the Boro (Winter) season and 4.5 to 5 metric tons per hectare in the Kharif season, respectively.  The rice was long and thin, and aromatic.

PothosBoyceanus  Recently, the researchers at the scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) have identified PothosBoyceanus in Western Ghats.  It is a rare species of climber of the genus Pothos (family Araceae).  The species has been christened Pothosboyceanus after Peter C. Boyce, an expert on Araceae of southeast Asia.  It belongs to the same family as Colocasia.  It is characterised by a ligule, slightly-winged petiole, asymmetric lamina, cylindric spadix and ovoid, milky- white berries.  Pothosboyceanus belongs to the subgenus Allopothos and is closely related to Pothoscrassipedunculatus.  The surveys could locate fewer than 100 individuals found scattered in a 10-sq km area which qualifies it for categorisation as Critically Endangered as per IUCN.

RoridomycesPhyllostachydis  A mushroom documentation project in the forests of Northeast India has led to a new discovery: a bioluminescent- or light emitting- variety of mushroom.  The new species- named Roridomycesphyllostachydis- was first sighted on a wet August night near a stream in Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills district and later at KrangShuri in West Jaintia Hills district.  It is now one among the 97 known species of bioluminescent fungi in the world.  The new species is important because it is the first mushroom in the Roridomyces genus to be found in India.  It was the only member in its genus to have light emitting from its stipe or stalk.

Arunachal Kiwi  Recently, the ‘Wild’ Arunachal Kiwi has received organic certification by the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for the North East Region.  The kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa Chev.) is a deciduous fruiting vine native to Yangtze River valley of south and central China.  In Arunachal Pradesh, a domesticated variety of kiwi was introduced as a commercial fruit only in 2000.  The Ziro Valley specifically located at 1,500-2,000 metres above sea level is the most ideal for kiwi.  It is also called “China’s miracle fruit” and “Horticulture wonder of New Zealand”.

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IschaemumJanarthanamii  Recently, a novel species of Murain-grass has been identified by scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), in the plateaus of Western Ghats of Goa.  It is named as ‘Ischaemumjanarthanamii’ in honour of Prof. M. K. Janarthanam who is famous for his contribution to Indian grass taxonomy.  It has the ability to survive harsh conditions with low nutrient availability, and blossoms every monsoon.  They are known for their ecological and economic importance, such as fodder.  It grows on low altitude lateritic plateaus in the outskirts of Bhagwan Mahavir National Park, Goa.  The Western Ghats have 40 species with the highest concentration of the Ischaemum (genus).

PortulacaLaljii  Botanists have discovered a new species of wild Sun Rose from the Eastern Ghats in India.  Discovered from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.  It has unique features such as a tuberous root, no hair in its leaf axils, a reddishpink flower, prolateshaped fruits, and copper brown seeds without lustre.  The succulent nature of tuberous roots allows the plant to survive on rocky crevices.  The plants belonging genus Portulaca are classified in the category Sun Rose because they flower in bright sunshine.  The genus was described by Linnaeus in 1753 as a type genus of the flowering plant family Portulacaceae.  It has been named to honour the contribution of Lal Ji Singh, an eminent botanist of the Botanical Survey of India.

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