By IT Correspondent
Pune, Oct 5:
Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune have discovered two new species of
Pipeworts from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra & Karnataka- one of the thirty-five hot-spots of biological diversity in the world.
The Pipewort (Eriocaulon aquaticum) is a wetland plant that produces small white flowers in summer. It grows in Adirondack marshes, bogs, and the shallow water of lakes and ponds. Northern Pipewort is part of the genus Eriocaulon. There are about 400 species in this genus, widely distributed around the globe.
The new species of a plant group are known for their varied medicinal properties. The plant completes its life cycle within a small period during monsoon. It exhibits great diversity in the Western Ghats, having around 111 species in India.
Most of these plants are reported from the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas, and around 70% of them are endemic to the country. “Eriocaulon cinereum”, is well known for its anti-cancerous, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. Similarly “Eriocaulon Quinquangulare” is used against liver diseases. Whereas “Eriocaulon Madayiparense” is an anti-bacterial from Kerala.
Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute of the Union Department of Science & Technology, recently found two new species of pipeworts in Maharashtra and Karnataka. They wanted to trace the evolutionary history of the genus ”Eriocaulon” and made extensive efforts to collect as many species as possible from India, especially from the Western Ghats.
“While critically examining our collection, we came across two accessions, which showed different floral characters than earlier known species. Hence, we studied morphology and its DNA to confirm the novelty,” Dr. Ritesh Kumar Choudhary, the lead author of the study said.
“Identification of the species belonging to ”Eriocaulon” is very difficult as they all look similar, which is why the genus is often referred to as ‘Taxonomist’s nightmare’. Its tiny flowers and seeds make it difficult to distinguish between different species,” Dr. Choudhary pointed out. Their study has been published in the journals ’Phytotaxa’ and ‘Annales Botanici Fennici’.
The specie found out from Sindhudurg (Maharashtra) was named as ”Eriocaulon parvicephalum” and the one found in Kumta (Karnataka) was named as” Eriocaulon karaavalense”.
”Future studies will focus on elucidating the evolutionary history of the genus in India. A thorough investigation of the phylogenetic relationship between all Indian species would also help in prioritizing the conservation of threatened species in India. We are also trying to develop DNA barcodes, which will enable us to identify the species with just a portion of the leaf,” Dr. Choudhary’s Ph.D. student Ashwini Darshetkar said.
