New ginger species in Western Ghats

Thrissur: A new species of wild ginger has been discovered in the Western Ghats.

Scientists P. Sujanapal of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and N.Sasidharan of the Kerala Forest Research Institute discovered the new species, named Zingiber Anamalayanum (Zingiberaceae), in the Nelliyampathy and Anamalai hills in the Western Ghats.

The species, found in grasslands that are 1,400-1,650 metres above sea level, has been termed rare. It flowers between May and August. Fruits mature between July and November.

The Nordic Journal of Botany (Volume 28, Issue 3), an international journal that publishes studies of relevance to the botanical biodiversity on earth, has reported the discovery.

“Research needs to be carried out about the edible and medicinal values of the new species,” says Dr. Sujanapal.

The Western Ghats is home to different species of gingers (Zingiber), turmeric (Curcuma) and pepper (Piper). As many as 156 species of the genus Zingiber are found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Japan, Malaysia and Queensland. Most of the species occur in the Indo-Chinese Peninsula and southern China. In the Indian subcontinent, the North-East and the Western Ghats report Zingiber diversity.

“During our study of the flora of the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, a few specimens of Zingiber were collected from the grasslands. We compared them with all the recorded Zingiber species of the Indo-Malaysian region. The specimen did not match any of the already reported species,” adds Mr. Sujanapal.

He points out the need for preserving the new species. “Human activity causes destruction of its habitat,” he says.

Source :The Hindu, 5-11-2010