Kozhikode Botany researcher discovers new plant species in Western Ghats

Kozhikode: A new plant belonging to the genus 'Pinda' of the Apiaceae family has been discovered in the Western Ghats. The plant was identified as part of the research conducted by C Rekha, a PhD student in the Department of Botany, Devagiri St Joseph's College here.

The research is being conducted under the guidance of Dr K M Manudev. Students M K Prashant and Ajay Nath Gangurdey are also part of the team.

The plant which belongs to the same Apiaceae family of carrot and cumin that grows in the month of June, about one meter long, is named after Dr Prashant Kumar Mukherjee, a botanist and professor at the University of Calcutta. The plant is thus named as Pinda mukherjeeana.

The plant, which grows from a rhizome growing underground at the onset of the monsoon season, has been found in Torna Fort in the Pune district of Maharashtra.

The same plant has also been found growing in Radhanagari, Kolhapur.

Details about the plant have been published in the July issue of the international journal Nordic Journal of Botany.