Why is it in the News?

Recently a new plant species belonging to the 'Impatiens' genus (Balsaminaceae) has been identified in the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tirunelveli.

About Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve:

• The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, is situated in the Southern Western Ghats within the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu.
• This reserve combines three major sanctuaries:
• The Kalakkad Sanctuary
• The Mundanthurai Sanctuary, and
• A portion of the Kanyakumari Sanctuary.
• The Agasthyamalai Hills, nestled between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, forms the sanctuary's core and is part of one of the world's 18 biodiversity hotspots.
• This reserve is also recognized as the “River Sanctuary,” with 14 rivers originating from it.
• Flora: The flora in this region exhibits a gradual transition from dry thorn forest to dry deciduous, moist deciduous, and a patch of West Coast wet evergreen forests at higher elevations.
• Fauna: Diverse fauna includes species such as Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Pipit, Grey Headed Bulbul, Blue Winged Parakeet, and more.

Details about the New Plant Species:

• The species, named 'Impatiens Karuppusamyi,' pays tribute to S. Karuppusamy for his significant contributions to the taxonomy of South Indian angiosperms.
• This particular plant is exclusively found in the Agasthyamalai region within the southern Western Ghats.
• Belonging to the scapigerous group (stemless group), the plant is observable only during the monsoon season, lasting for a few weeks.
• Impatiens, a genus comprising over 1,000 flowering plant species, is widely distributed across tropical Africa, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, and China.