New Plant Species 'Ceropegia Shivarayina' Discovered at Vishalgarh Fort

Tags: Science and Technology

A new flowering plant species named Ceropegia Shivarayina has been discovered at Vishalgarh Fort in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.

An Overview of the News

• The species belongs to the Kandil Pushpa class, genus Ceropegia, and family Apocynaceae.

• The plant is similar to Ceropegia lawii Hooker f., but differs in its climbing habit, hairy peduncles, and obovate corolla cage with reflexed corolla lobes.

Significance of the Name:

• The species is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire.

• This is the first time a plant species has been named in honor of Shivaji Maharaj.

Research Team:

• The research team includes Akshay Jangam, Ratan More, and Nilesh Pawar from the Department of Botany, New College, Kolhapur; Sharad Kamble from Chandwad in Nashik; and S. R. Yadav from Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

• Akshay Jangam and Ratan More have been studying the flora of Vishalgarh Fort for the past six years.

Background of the Discovery:

• In 2013, Jangam and More discovered a different plant of the Ceropegia class at the fort.

• Sharad Kamble, an expert in Ceropegia species, suggested the possibility of the newly found plant being a new species.

• S. R. Yadav, who has previously discovered six new species of Ceropegia, confirmed that this is indeed a new species.

Kandil Pushpa Overview:

• Ceropegia species, also known as Kandil Pushpa, are vine-like plants found in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri).

• These rare species are known for their lantern-like flowers and potato-like tubers in the ground.

• So far, six new species have been discovered within this class.

Maharashtra Context:

• Chief Minister: Eknath Sambhaji Shinde

• Governor: C. P. Radhakrishnan

• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary

• Tiger Reserves: Melghat Tiger Reserve, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve