Mussenda conferta and Rungia longistachya

21.11.2023

Mussenda conferta and Rungia longistachya , Daily Current Affairs , RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

Why in the news?                        

Recently, two new plant species have been discovered in the Western Ghats by Botanical Survey of India (BSI) scientists.

Important points:

• A team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) made this discovery from evergreen forest areas in the southern end of the Western Ghats.
• These discoveries have been published in recent issues of BSI's official magazine Taiwania and Nelumbo magazine.

Two new plant species discovered in the Western Ghats:

1.Musenda Conferta:

• Mussenda conferta was discovered by a team led by scientists KA Sujana and RG Jeevadhyar from rocky areas of the Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It belongs to the Mussaenda hirsutissima family.
• It prefers around rocks in high altitude grassland ecosystems.
• It has attractive flowers, and the ornamental potential of this plant can be explored.

2.Rungia longstachya:

• Rungia longstachya belongs to the Acanthaceae family.
• It was discovered by senior conservation assistant Basil Paul and another team led by scientist C. Murugan from the wetlands of the Anamalai areas near the Idukki dam site in Kerala.

• This plant is a herb and grows at the edges of evergreen forests.
• Only eleven species of Rungia have been reported from the Western Ghats, and the newly discovered plant has a distinct, narrow, long spike with a long slender stalk and pale pinkish-white flowers.

About Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Located in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, the sanctuary is situated at the confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
• Seven rivers originate in this forest, including the famous Paharali and Thamirabarani rivers.
• Flora: The region represents southern thorn forests, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen forests and evergreen hill shoals with grasslands.
• Fauna: It is home to reptiles like Indian bison, elephant, Nilgiri tahr, sambar deer, lion-tailed macaque and Indian rock python.

Botanical Survey of India:

• The Botanical Survey of India was established on February 13, 1890.
• It was established under the direction of Sir George King.
• Its headquarters is located in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• It was established with the basic objective of exploring the plant resources of the country and identifying plant species with economic values.
• Botanical Survey of India (BSI), is the apex taxonomic research organization of the country.
• It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.

At present BSI has 16 regional centers/units.