Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
Recently, A new species of wild brinjal, discovered in the evergreen forests of Middle Andaman by Dr. Lal Ji Singh of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
- Common Name – Wild orange eggplant, has ethnobotanical significance for the Great Andamanese tribe.
- Scientific Name – Solanum pandeyi.
- Genus – Solanum (Leptostemonum clade).
- Family – Solanaceae.
- Nomenclature – Named after Prof. Arun Kumar Pandey, University of Delhi, for his contributions to plant systematics.
- Morphological traits – Variation in spines, stellate hairs.
- Distribution – Endemic to Middle Andaman, found along forest edges.
- Genetic confirmation – Phylogenetic analysis distinguishes it from Solanum lasiocarpum.
- Ethnobotanical uses –
- Seeds and roots used by Great Andamanese tribe to treat tooth infection.
- Ripe fruit consumed with jaggery, chilli, garlic, ginger, and salt by settler communities.
Ethnobotany – Study of how people of a culture or region use native plants for medicine, food, rituals, and daily needs.
- Breeding Potential – It as an excellent genetic resource, plant breeders could use to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties of the commercial brinjal crop.
Reference
The Hindu | Solanum pandeyi
