New Varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers | 18 Oct 2022
Why in News?
Recently, 6 new varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers have been identified in the Kallippara hills in Santhanpara region of Western Ghats.
- Neelakurinji Flowers are in full bloom on a vast area on the Kallippara hills in Idukki, Kerala.
What are Neelakurinji Flowers?
- About:
- In Neelakurinji, ‘Neela’ means blue, and ‘Kurinji’ refers to the flowers.
- At maturity, the light blue color of the flowers changes to purple bluish.
- The flowers give the ‘Nilgiri Mountain Range’ its name.
- The plant is named after the famous Kunthi River which flows through Kerala’s Silent Valley National Park, where the plant occurs abundantly
- It usually grows at an elevation of 1,300-2,400m.
- In Neelakurinji, ‘Neela’ means blue, and ‘Kurinji’ refers to the flowers.
- Scientific Name:
- Strobilanthes Kunthiana
- New Varieties Discovered:
- The types of neelakurinji flowers that have been identified from the hill ranges include:
- Strobilanthes Anamallaica
- Strobilanthes Heyneanus
- Strobilanthes Pulnyensis
- Strobilanthes Neoasper
- The types of neelakurinji flowers that have been identified from the hill ranges include:
- Habitat:
- All neelakurinji species are endemic to the Shola Forest of Western Ghats.
- According to statistics, there are more than 40 different varieties of neelakurinji in India.
- Flower Bloom:
- Flower Bloom takes place once in 12 years as the pollination of flowers needs a longer period.
- It bloomed for the last time in 2006. The next bloom was expected to happen in 2018, but because of forest fires, Neelakurinji were not seen that year.
- Flower Bloom takes place once in 12 years as the pollination of flowers needs a longer period.
- Other Facts:
- Tamil Nadu’s ‘Paliyan’ tribe used the Neelakurinji flowers to calculate age.
- There are almost 250 Neelakurinji species in the world.