ARI discovered two species of pipeworts in Western ghats

Scientists from Agharkar research institute, Pune (ARI) has discovered two new species of ‘pipeworts’ in the Western ghats of Maharashtra and Karnataka – one of the 35 hotspots of biological diversity in the world.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020

Key-Points

These new species belong to a plant group known for their varied medicinal properties.

It completes its life cycle within a small period during monsoon, and exhibits the great diversity of the Western ghats, with 111 species in India.

The one reported from Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra was named as Eriocaulon parvicephalum (due to its minute inflorescence size).

The other reported from Kumta, Karnataka was named as Eriocaulon karaavalense (named after Karaavali = Coastal Karnataka region).