15.04.2024
Impatiens Neo-Uncinata
For the Prelims:About Impatiens Neo-Uncinata,Important points
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Why in the news?
Recently, a new species of garden balsam, Impatiens neo-uncinata, has been discovered by researchers in Kerala.
Important points:
- The plant material of the new species was collected in the Naraikadu valley of KMTR in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India.
- Impatiens neo-uncinata was initially identified as Impatiens uncinata, a species in the genus Impatiens.
About Impatiens Neo-Uncinata:
- This small plant with attractive milky-white flowers with red stripes has been discovered in the Western Ghats.
- It is a new species of impatiens (family Balsamiaceae).
- In this, flowering and fruiting occurs from August to December.
- It is a rare, wild cousin of the popular garden balsam.
- It bears morphological similarity to Impatiens uncinata but differs in the shape of the flowers, basal and distal lobes, dorsal petals and pollen.
- It is a herb that grows up to 20 cm in height with simple or branched stems.
- It grows in open areas of evergreen forests, especially wetlands.
- The genus Impatiens has more than 1000 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics.
- In India, the highest diversity of impatiens is found in the Himalayas and north-eastern regions, while the southern part of the Western Ghats comes second in this regard.
- Its remote location and low population have led researchers to recommend that it be classified as 'endangered' using IUCN criteria.
Source: The hindu