The Hindu : Karnataka News : New plant species found

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

New plant species found

Staff Correspondent

`Isoetes udupiensis' has been derived from `Udupi'

UDUPI: A new plant species belonging to primitive quillwort (a pteridophyte) genus has been discovered by scholars, K. Gopalkrishna Bhat of Poornaprajna College, Udupi and P.K. Rajagopal of MGM College, Udupi.

In a press release issued here, the Head of the Department of Botany, MGM College, Mr. Rajagopal, said the non-flowering plant was found for the first time ever in rocky ditches near the Durgaparmeshwari Temple at Alevoor near Udupi by them during their field work in connection with their research on Pteridophytic Flora of Karnataka. This plant after being confirmed as new to the world of science is now officially recognised as the new species of the genus "Isoetes" and is named "Isoetes udupiensis", the specific epithet being derived from Udupi district.

P.K. Shukla, G.K. Srivastava, S.K. Shukla of Allahabad University, and Prof. Rajagopal have jointly reported this finding in a recent issue of "TAXON". Prof. Bhat, the author of "Flora of Udupi"' published by Indian Naturalist, Udupi, had already reported on the identification of two new plant species — Paracautleya bhatii and Isachne veldkampii — from Udupi district, both originating from Manipal.

The three new plant species from Udupi district are micro endemic known only from their type populations and are declared as critically endangered plants following IUCN criteria.

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