Utricularia Furcellata: Rare plant species found in western Himalayan region for first time

What is the News?

A very rare carnivorous plant species called Utricularia Furcellata has been found in the western Himalayan region for the first time.

What is Utricularia Furcellata?

It is a rare carnivorous plant species found in Uttarakhand’s Mandal valley, Chamoli district. This plant was last seen in the country in Meghalaya state in 1986.

Genus: ​​The plant belongs to a genus, commonly known as bladderworts.

Habitat: These plants are mostly found in freshwater and wet soil.

Diet: The plants of this genus use one of the most sophisticated and developed plant structures for traps and its targets range from protozoa to insects, mosquito larvae and even the young tadpoles.

Significance of this discovery: This is the first sighting of this plant not only in Uttarakhand but in the entire western Himalayan region.

Source: The post is based on the article “Rare plant species found in western Himalayan region for first time” published in Indian Express on 27th June 2022.