UPSC Articles
Two new species of pipeworts from the Western Ghats discovered
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Biodiversity
In news
- Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune have recently discovered two new species of pipeworts from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra & Karnataka.
- Researchers have named the species found in Maharashtra as Eriocaulon parvicephalum for its distinct minute inflorescence size
- Karnataka counterpart has been named Eriocaulon karaavalense indicating the Karaavali coastal region in the state.
Key takeaways
- Pipeworts is a type of wetland plant.
- It belongs to genus Eriocaulon.
- Some of the previously-discovered plant species have medicinal values
- They also have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-cancerous properties.
- However, the team is yet to trace the hidden medicinal applications of these two species.
- Some 111 species exist in India, most of which are endemic to the Western Ghats and eastern Himalayas.
- The two newly-discovered species display different floral characters than previously known species.
- All species of Eriocaulon appear very similar to one another.
- The team has taken up DNA barcoding works of this species to understand the evolution of this genus in India.
Do you know?
DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes
