New fire-resilient, dual-blooming plant species Dicliptera polymorpha found in northern Western Ghats
On 11 November 2024, the Department of Science and Technology said scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune have discovered Dicliptera polymorpha, a new fire-resilient, dual-blooming species in the northern Western Ghats.
Summary
On 11 November 2024, the Department of Science and Technology said a team from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, led by Dr Mandar Datar with botanist Adittya Dharap and PhD student Bhushan Shigwan, has discovered a new species in the genus Dicliptera, named Dicliptera polymorpha for its diverse morphological traits. It grows on slopes in open grasslands of the northern Western Ghats and is pyrophytic (fire-resilient): besides its usual post-monsoon flowering, it shows a second burst of flowering triggered by grassland fires. Its inflorescence structure is rare among Indian species. The first specimens were collected in the 2020 monsoon.
Key facts
- Species
- Dicliptera polymorpha
- Where
- Open grassland slopes, northern Western Ghats
- Discovered by
- Agharkar Research Institute, Pune (DST), team led by Dr Mandar Datar
- Traits
- Fire-resilient (pyrophytic); dual blooming
- First collected
- 2020 monsoon
Practice MCQs 2 questions
Scientists from which institute discovered the new plant species Dicliptera polymorpha in the northern Western Ghats (announced November 2024)?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Agharkar Research Institute, Pune
PIB (DST): the discovery was made by a team led by Dr Mandar Datar of the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute under DST.
Consider the following about Dicliptera polymorpha: 1. It is fire-resilient (pyrophytic) and shows a second burst of flowering after grassland fires. 2. It was discovered in the Eastern Ghats. Which of the above is/are correct?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — 1 only
PIB (DST): the species is pyrophytic with a dual-blooming pattern, but it was found in the northern Western Ghats, not the Eastern Ghats. So only 1 is correct.