Two plant species discovered in Kerala

Context

Researchers have recenlty discovered two new plant species from the Western Ghats regions in Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad districts of Kerala. These two plant species have been named as 

• Fimbristylis sunilii
• Neanotis prabhuii

About the discovered species

Fimbristylis sunilii

• It is a perennial plant of the Cyperaceae family.
• It has been named after plant taxonomist C.N. Sunil, retired professor and research guide of Botany, SNM College.
• It has been found from the grasslands of Ponmudi hills, Thiruvananthapuram.
• It stands 20-59 cm tall and was collected from an elevation of 1,100 metres in Western Ghats region.
• Conservation status: It has been provisionally assessed as data deficient (DD) under the IUCN Red List categories.

Neanotis prabhuii

• It is a prostrate perennial herb named after K.M. Prabhukumar, Senior Scientist at CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, in recognition of his research on flowering plants of the Western Ghats and contributions to biodiversity conservation. 
• It was discovered in the Chembra Peak grasslands of Wayanad. It hails from the family Rubiaceae and grows on high-altitude grasslands.
• It grows up to 70 cm in length and is many-flowered with the petals pale pink in colour. 
• Conservation status: It has been categorised as data deficient (DD) in the absence of any detailed observations and data on populations.