A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery of three new plant species in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
About:
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.
The epithet ‘sphaerocarpa’ denotes to the large, showy lemon-yellow spherical fruits. The fruits of Eugenia species are known for their palatability.
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.
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