Rare plant found near Ananthapura lake temple in Kasaragod and hence named ‘Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis’
A team of researchers have reported a new species of perennial woody herb of the genus Lepidagathis from the northern laterite plateaus of Kasaragod district in the State.
Since this rare plant was spotted in the neighbourhood of the Ananthapura lake temple, it has been named ‘Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis’ after the famed temple dedicated to Ananthapadmanabha.
An article on the discovery authored by P. Biju of Government College, Kasaragod; V.S. Anil Kumar and S. Arya of University College, Thiruvananthapuram; E.J. Josekutty, Government Brennen College, Thalassery; and Jomy Augustine, St Thomas College, Pala; has been published in the latest edition of Phytotaxa, a journal on plant taxonomy.
The plant was spotted during field explorations in the region, V.S. Anil Kumar said. With its discovery, the number of species of the genus Lepidagathis (family Acanthaceae) found in India has risen to 34. “Plants of this species are locally called ‘Paramullu’. As far as we know, Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis is endemic to the region,” he said.
To date, eight species of the genus Lepidagathis and three varieties have been reported from Kerala, of which four are endemic to the Western Ghats.
Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis is closely related to Lepidagathis keralensis reported from Madayippura in Kannur district. Detailed studies have established the former as a hitherto undescribed species, he said.
An erect woody herb that grows to a height of 50-100 cm, Lepidagathis ananthapuramensis is characterised by a hairy and branched stem, thick and woody rootstock, hairy leaf veins, and flowers clustered on one side of the inflorescence.
October 09, 2020 at 08:56PM
https://ift.tt/3nvsWzP
New perennial woody herb species spotted - The Hindu
https://ift.tt/3eCf9lu
Herb
No comments:
Post a Comment