Osbeckia ulotricha

Osbeckia ulotricha Latest News

Recently, scientists from the Botanical Survey of India have discovered a new flowering plant in the Western Ghats and named it Osbeckia ulotricha. 

About Osbeckia ulotricha

• It is a newly identified flowering plant belonging to the Melastomataceae family. 
• It has been discovered in the shola grasslands of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats.

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Characteristics of Osbeckia ulotricha

• It is a woolly-haired species endemic to elevations of 1,200–1,500 metres.
• It leaves clustered at the apex, a sub-globose hypanthium (or an almost round flower base) and an ovary crowned with true bristles, meaning fine, stiff hairs at the top.
• It has an urn-shaped hypanthium (a cup-like flower base) with a neck. The species flowers and fruits between February and May
• Habitat: It grows mainly in the damp margins of Tropical Montane Wet Temperate Forest (shola) and Montane Temperate Grassland ecosystems.

Key Features of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

• Location: It is located in the southern part of the Western Ghats in India, spreading across Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• The reserve was established in 2001 and later included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016.
• Vegetation: It consists of variety of vegetation types such as tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, montaneAgasthyamalai B rainforests, and shola-grassland ecosystems.
• Rivers: Important Rivers such as Thamirabarani, Neyyar, and Karamana originate from this region.
• The biosphere reserve includes several important protected regions namely; Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.

Source: DTE