Ceropegia tamilnaduensis

Ceropegia tamilnaduensis Latest News

Recently, botanists from the Botanical Survey of India have discovered and described a new plant species, named Ceropegia tamilnaduensis. 

About Ceropegia tamilnaduensis

• It is a new plant species discovered from the hill slopes of the Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
• This perennial herb was found thriving at an elevation of approximately 380 meters on a stream-adjacent hill slope surrounded by evergreen forest.
• Features
  • It features solitary flowers growing directly from the leaf axils with drooping stems.
  • It possesses a glabrous (hairless) central corona and a pollinial corpusculum with lateral wings.
  • It produces unusually large seeds measuring up to 14 mm long.
  • It shows close morphological similarity to Ceropegia annamacharyae (in flower structure) and Ceropegia swarupa (in narrow leaves/body structure).

Key Facts about Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: It is located in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• It earned the title of wildlife sanctuary in 2015.
• Geography: It features 29 mountain peaks, including Sivagiri Mala (highest peak at 1,748 m), Totti Malai, Kalli Malai, and Aruitalai Mottai.
• Rivers: It is sustained by the drainage network of the Cauvery, Moyar, Bhavani, Vaigai, and Tamirabarani River Systems. 
• Flora: It Santalum album (Sandalwood), Shorea, Tectona grandis, Shola tree species, Avicennia mangroves, Strobilanthes kunthiana.
• Fauna: It is home to Nilgiri Tahr, Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Lion-tailed Macaque, Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Gaur, Sloth Bear.

Source: RM

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