In news- Recently, Researchers have discovered two new plant species named Fimbristylis sunilii and Neanotis prabhuii from the biodiversity-rich Western Ghats regions in Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad districts.
About the plant species-
- Fimbristylis sunilii was collected from the grasslands of Ponmudi hills, Thiruvananthapuram, it has been named after plant taxonomist C.N. Sunil, retired professor SNM College Kerala.
- A perennial plant of the Cyperaceae family, it stands 20-59 cm tall and was collected from an elevation of 1,100 meters.
- Fimbristylis sunilii has been provisionally assessed as data deficient (DD) under the IUCN Red List categories.
- Neanotis prabhuii is a prostrate perennial herb named after K.M. Prabhukumar, Senior Scientist at CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, in recognition of his research on flowering plants of the Western Ghats and contributions to biodiversity conservation.
- Discovered in the Chembra Peak grasslands of Wayanad, it hails from the family Rubiaceae and grows on high-altitude grasslands.
- Neanotis prabhuii grows up to 70 cm in length and is many-flowered with the petals pale pink in colour.
- Neanotis prabhuii has been categorized data deficient (DD) in the absence of any detailed observations and data on populations.
Source: The Hindu
