Key Points:
- Researchers from India and Italy have discovered a new plant species of the Sahyadri globe thistle, Echinops sahyadricus, from the Rajgad Fort area in Pune district, which is located in the Sahyadri hills in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
- The newly discovered species, under the genus Echinops (spiny thistle) and an erect branched flowering herb with stout stems, is endemic to western Maharashtra.
- “…Western Ghats have potential from both the floral and faunal point of view..” said Rajendra Shinde, botanist and principal, Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
While on the Northern-Western Ghats, a team of Mumbai based botanist Sushant More from Sathaye College, Vile Parle, in collaboration with Fabio Conti from the University of Camerino, Italy plus Harshal Bhosale from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), discovered a news special of plant – Echinops sahyadricus.
The newly discovered species is endemic to the Western Maharashtra Region and is found only on a few open hilltops in the area.
Where is the Species found?
“Echinops Sahyadricus is distributed in the northern Western Ghats from Salher (Nashik district) in the north to Kolhapur in the south. It is endemic to the state of Maharashtra and the species grows on open mountain slopes from 800 to 1400 metres (m) above sea level.
About the Species:
- Genus – Echinops (meaning Spiny Thistle)
- Size of its inflorescence due to a large number of small flowers clustered together.
- 9 centimetres (cm) in diameter (larger compared to other Echinops)
- Arrangement of phyllaries (spine-like bracts) around the floret (smaller flowers making up the main flower head)
- Different type of leaves surface in comparison to the other Echinops.
- This species is named after the Sahyadri hills – Echinops Sahyadricus
With around 130 species of the genus in the world, five are found in the country with two in Maharashtra alone. Echinops are distributed across the Himalayas and neighbouring areas, while a species is endemic to Rajasthan.
The new species is similar to other species found in the country such as Indian globe thistle (Echinops echinatus) and the great globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus).
3 odonate species of Reedtail Damselflies and a tiny-colourful Fish Species were discovered lately in the Southern Western Ghats and the Sahyadris, respectively.
Rajendra Shinde, a Botanist and Principal of Xavier’s College Mumbai said that,
“All these findings show that the Western Ghats have potential from both the floral and faunal point of view and need to be protected.”
Nevertheless, during future developments in road widening and repairs in the ghats can prove to be a threat to the species.
