Begonia rajvikramanii
Why in News?
Begonia rajvikramanii is in the news because researchers recently discovered it as a brand-new species of perennial flowering plant in the Western Ghats of Keralam.
Key Information
- Discovery Team: The plant was spotted by researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The finding was formally published in the international plant taxonomy journal Phytotaxa.
- Location & Habitat: It was discovered within the evergreen forests of Rosemala, located in the Kollam district of Kerala. It thrives specifically in wet habitats, growing on steep rocky cliffs and road-cut walls.
- Altitude Range: The plant is found at low-to-moderate elevations, approximately 200 metres to 350 metres above sea level.
- Naming: The species is named in honour of R. Raj Vikraman, the former Head of the Garden Management Division at JNTBGRI, celebrating his lifelong contributions to ex-situ plant conservation.
- Botanical Classification: It belongs to the genus Begonia within the family Begoniaceae. While the global Begonia genus is massive—holding over 2,200 species—this new find expands the known representation of the genus in the Western Ghats to 23 distinct species.
- Life Cycle: It is a perennial flowering plant, with its specific flowering and fruiting periods occurring between August and April.
- Conservation Status: The species has been provisionally assessed as Data Deficient (DD) under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Because it is a newly documented organism, scientists require more extensive field assessments to formally determine its exact risk of extinction.
- Population Size: The currently observed population is critically small and highly localized, consisting of only about 200 mature individuals confined to a geographic area of less than 5 square kilometres.
