Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovers new flowering plant species Dicliptera pakhalica in Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary, Telangana

Key facts

• Botanical Survey of India (BSI) scientists identified the new species Dicliptera pakhalica in Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahbubabad district, Telangana.
• The species belongs to the Acanthaceae family and was formally described in the journal Brittonia on 29 January.
• The plant was found along stream banks and rocky areas near waterfalls within the sanctuary.
• Dicliptera pakhalica differs from related Eastern Ghats species by adpressed deflexed stem hairiness, unkeeled bracts, absence of glandular hairs on floral parts and fruit, obovoid capsule, and echinate seeds.
• The genus Dicliptera contains over 220 species worldwide; 29 taxa are recorded in India.
• Flowering occurs from November to January and fruiting from December to March.
• The species is currently known only from its type locality and is classified as Data Deficient under IUCN guidelines.