Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Conservation
Why in News?
Recently, a new species of plant has been discovered in Telangana by scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
- The new flowering plant belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
- Genus – Dicliptera.
- Nomenclature – Named after Pakhal Lake, a historic man-made reservoir from the Kakatiya period.
- Habitat – Grows along stream banks and rocky areas near waterfalls inside Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Distribution – The species is known only from its type locality in Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Family Trait – Notably, the Acanthaceae family of plants are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
- Key Characteristics –
- Plant – Stem has tiny hairs lying flat and pointing downward
- Leaf-like parts near the flowers are smooth, without a central ridge
- Flowers and fruits – Lack sticky or oil-secreting hairs
- Seeds have a rough, spiny surface
- Flowers between November and January
- Fruiting extends from December to March.
- Similar species – It closely resembles Dicliptera parvibracteata, a species native to parts of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
- Unique association – The species occurs in association with other native plants such as Tarenna asiatica, Eranthemum purpurascens, Ruellia prostrata and Mallotus philippensis.
- Conservation Status –
- IUCN Red List – Data Deficient (DD).
- Ecological Significance – It adds to the plant diversity of the Eastern Ghats landscape.
- Highlights the importance of protected sites as a centre of plant diversity.
References
The New Indian Express | Dicliptera pakhalica
