Prelims: Current events of National Importance | Conservation
Why in News?
New plant species discovered in Aravali hills landscape near Jaipur.
- It is a new species of flowering plant named after Bharat serves as a symbolic reminder of India’s rich and still-unfolding natural heritage.
- Genus - Portulaca currently comprises about 153 species worldwide, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions.
- These succulent plants are known for their toughness, water-storing tissues, and adaptation to extreme environments.
- In India, 11 species are currently known, including four endemics, mostly distributed in dry and semi-arid habitats.
- Habitat - Discovered in the rocky and semi-arid landscape of Aravali hills.
- Appearance – It has opposite and slightly conclave leaves and pale-yellow flowers becoming creamish-white towards apex, with the presence of glandular hairs on stamen filaments and thick roots.
- It added to the list of India’s endemics.
- The plant’s narrow endemism and specific habitat requirements make it highly vulnerable to habitat degradation and climate change.
- It has been provisionally assessed as “data deficient” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List guidelines.
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