Three new plant species have been recently discovered by a team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India.
These species were found in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Key takeaways:
These species are:
Eugenia sphaerocarpa
It belongs to the Myrtaceae or Rose apple family.
A good population of Eugenia sphaerocarpa is growing in the Kakkayam area of the Malabar wildlife sanctuary in Kerala above 800m.
‘Sphaerocarpa’ denotes to the large, showy lemon-yellow spherical fruits.
The fruits of Eugenia species are known for their palatability (pleasant to taste).
Goniothalamus sericeus
It belongs to the Annonaceae family of custard apple.
A small number of Goniothalamus sericeus plants has been found in the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu at an altitude of 1400m.
Mature flowers with characteristic greenish-yellow to beige petals are fragrant while the fruits are very showy and an attractive golden yellow in colour.
Sericeus refers to the presence of dense silky hair on petals.
Memecylon nervosum
It belongs to the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family.
A small population of nervosum was also found at the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu at an altitude between 700-900m.
The species has showy purplish-blue flowers and mauve to purplish red fruits.
Nervosum refers to the presence of prominently raised lateral and intramarginal veins on the lower surface of the lamina.
