В заповеднике Агастхиямала обнаружен новый вид цветкового растения с шерстистыми волосками

A newly identified flowering plant, Osbeckia ulotricha, has been discovered in the shola grasslands of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats. Described by scientists from the Botanical Survey of India, this woolly-haired species is endemic to elevations of 1,200–1,500 metres. The species highlights the region’s rich but threatened biodiversity amid habitat loss and climate change. A flowering plant growing in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats has been recognised as a new species. The species, described as Osbeckia ulotricha, belongs to the Melastomataceae family and was recorded from the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, a protected natural area in southern India spreading across the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The findings were published in the international botanical journal Lilloa. The species was described by a team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India’s Southern Regional Centre in Coimbatore. The discovery comes as the Western Ghats face growing threats from habitat loss, fragmentation and climate change. At first glance, the new species shows morphological similarities with Osbeckia yercaudensis, a species discovered in 2023, and Osbeckia wightiana, which is endemic to Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats. However, the authors said micro-morphological characters helped them distinguish it as a separate species. “The genus Osbeckia L. comprises many annual or perennial herbs and woody shrubs, with approximately 43 accepted species worldwide, primarily distributed in the Old-World tropics and Australia,” the study said. “In India, 29 taxa have been reported so far under the sections: Amblyanthera Blume, Asterostoma Blume, Ceramicalyx Blume and Osbeckia L., among which 21 taxa occur in Tamil Nadu.” The features that distinguish the new species include leaves clustered at the apex, a sub-globose hypanthium (or an almost round flower base) and an ovary crowned with true bristles, meaning fine, stiff hairs at the top. The researchers also documented micro-morphological features of the plant’s pollen and seeds, which helped them decide that it was a distinct species. The species flowers and fruits between February and May. It is endemic to the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve and occurs at elevations of 1,200 metres to 1,500 metres. “It grows mainly in the damp margins of Tropical Montane Wet Temperate Forest (shola) and Montane Temperate Grassland ecosystems,” the authors said. The study said the specific epithet “ulotricha” is derived from “ulotrichi”, which comes from two Greek words: “oulos”, meaning woolly or crisp, and “thrix”, meaning hair. Together, “ulotrichous” means woolly-curly-haired, referring to a key morphological feature of the hypanthium of the newly described species. The study noted that the only known Osbeckia with stylar hairs is a variety of O. stellata, distributed in the Himalayas, China and Indo-China, and belonging to the section Ceramicalyx. But the authors said that taxon is clearly different because it has an urn-shaped hypanthium (a cup-like flower base) with a neck. The study said hypanthium shape and the indumentum, or hair covering, of the style are considered stable characters, rather than ecological variations, when delimiting species in Osbeckia. Scientists found nearly 50 flowering individuals across three locations, all within an area of less than a square kilometre. The authors said a comprehensive population study has not yet been conducted. As a result, the species has been assessed as Data Deficient under International Union for Conservation of Nature categories and criteria.