Thiruvananthapuram’s wasteland yields a new plant species
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Sida keralensis is of the genus Sida, to which Kurumthotti, utilized in Ayurveda, belongs
Scornfully dismissing crops rising wild on roadsides and in our backyards as ‘weeds’ will be a mistake. Here’s why.
A subshrub noticed on the roadsides and wastelands in Thiruvananthapuram district has been recognized as a new species of the genus Sida, to which the Kurumthotti, utilized in Ayurveda, additionally belongs.
Named Sida keralensis, the plant was noticed throughout a floristic survey at Maruthur within the district. A subsequent search helped affirm the presence of the plant, which belongs to the household Malvaceae, in close by areas comparable to Vattapara as nicely. Its discovery has taken the variety of species within the genus Sida endemic to India from six to seven.
Sida keralensis was recognized and described by a crew of researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Palode, consisting of E.S. Santhosh Kumar, S. Shailajakumari, A.K. Sreekala and R. Prakashkumar (director, JNTBGRI) and Parthipan B. of S.T. Puucho College, Nagercoil. Their findings have been revealed in journal Phytotaxa.
22 in India
The genus Sida has about 250 species distributed within the tropical and sub-tropical areas, of which 22 will be present in India. Sida rhombifolia and a few different associated species are used right this moment as Kurumthotti for the remedy of medical circumstances in Ayurveda. Sida keralensis is much like Sida scabrida however differs in bodily traits, Dr. Santhosh Kumar stated.
Not simply in forests
The discovery underscores the significance of documenting neighbourhood plant wealth which will get destroyed as a consequence of urbanisation, street improvement, and ignorance. “People tend to harbour a misconception that new plant species can be found only in forests. This is not the first time that we have located them on roadsides. Several new ones have been spotted in sacred groves as well,” he stated.
Named after Kerala
Sida keralensis is an erect branched subshrub, rising to a top of 40-80 cm. The stems are greenish or barely purple-tinged. It has 2 mm-long, brownish-black seeds and hanging yellow flowers. As its identify suggests, the species is called after the State of Kerala.
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