New high-altitude plant species discovered in Western Ghats

A team of botanists from Palakkad has discovered a new plant species in the southern Western Ghats. The newly identified species, belonging to the sunflower family, has been named Anaphalis sahyadrica. The plant was found in high-altitude montane grasslands and shola forest margins of the Western Ghats, including regions such as Anamudi and Meesapulimala, as part of the doctoral research of S. Remya from the Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, Palakkad.

The study was guided by Maya C. Nair, Principal of Government Arts and Science College, Tholanur, and K.M. Prabhukumar, Senior Scientist at the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. Botany researcher G. Kanakambika also shared credit for the discovery. The findings have been published in Novon, an international journal of botanical nomenclature, in its Volume 34.

According to Dr. Nair, the species is a subshrub that grows at elevations above 2,200 metres above sea level, typically in montane grasslands and along shola forest margins. She noted that its key identifying features include smooth, hairless leaves with three prominent veins. The plant grows up to about one metre in height and produces 90 to 120 white, hemispherical flower heads (capitula).