167 new plant species discovered in India

New Delhi (PTI): Two new species each of bamboo and cinnamon and three species of ginger were among a total 167 plants discovered by scientists in 2008 in the country. According to the recently released "Plant Discoveries 2008," a publication of Botanical Survey of India (BSI), 137 plants were new to scientists while 30 were found in the country for the first time. "The BSI scientists discovered 30 species, one subspecies and seven varieties of new plants while 23 species, one subspecies and three varieties as new records for India," BSI director M Sanjappa told PTI. He said that to make the publication more comprehensive, the discoveries reported by the taxonomists from academia and other institutions both within and outside the country were also included. They had reported three genera, 78 species, 15 subspecies, five varieties and three species as new records of India. "The Indian flora is mainly concentrated in three major centres of diversity namely Himalayas, the Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar islands. The discoveries reflect the potential of the country's plant heritage which is yet to be explored," Sanjappa added. Bamboo species Munrochloa was discovered from country's Western Ghats, while Calamus renukae was found in tropical evergreen forests of Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, growing at about 1300 metre altitude. Aconitum bhutanicum, a perennial tuberous herb, has been collected for the first time from Pin Valley National Park in Himachal Pradesh. Various species originally home to China, Sri Lanka and Myanmar have been found in the jungles of Himachal Pradesh as well the north-eastern part of the country. "For the first time, we have included 14 species and a genes of bacteria in the publication," Sanjappa added. The Indian flora accounts for about 11 per cent of the total plant species of the world while about 28 per cent of the plants are endemic to the country. Flowering plants namely Aconitum Bhutanicum, Agapetes hilli, Agapetes kingdonis, Agapetes Leucocarpa, and Agapetes Subvinacea have naturalised well in the country, the scientists found. According to Sanjappa, India has about 45,968 species of plants with Angiosperm family topping the list which have already been identified and classified.

 

 The Hindu, 8th June 2009