Three new plant Species in Western Ghats

News:Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered three new plant species in the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Facts:

• Eugenia sphaerocarpa: It belongs to the Myrtaceae or Rose apple family.It was found in the Malabar wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
• Goniothalamus sericeus: It belongs to the Annonaceae family of custard apple.It has been found in the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
• Memecylon nervosum: It belongs to the Melastomataceae (Kayamboo or Kaasavu in local parlance) family.It was found at the Kanyakumari wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.

Additional Facts:

• Botanical Survey of India(BSI): Founded in 1890, it comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Purpose: Survey, research and conservation of plant resources, flora and endangered species of India including by collecting and maintaining germplasm and gene bank of endangered, patent and vulnerable plant species.