Neelakurinji

News Highlight

New varieties of Neelakurinji have been identified in the Santhanpara region of the Western Ghats.

Key Takeaway

• The experts call for collective efforts to protect the rich biodiversity hotspot on the Kallippara hills.

The new varieties of Neelakurinji

• The types of Neelakurinji flowers that have been identified from the hill ranges include:
  • Strobilanthes Anamallaica
  • Strobilanthes Heyneanus
  • Strobilanthes Pulnyensis
  • Strobilanthes Neoasper

Neelakurinji

• About
  • It is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
  • Locally known as Kurinji, the flowers grow at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,400 metres.
• Habitat
  • It is native to Shola forests in the Western Ghats.
• Features
  • The flowers of Neelakurinji are purple-blue in colour and bloom once in 12 years. 
  • The flower has no smell or medicinal value. 
  • It has been categorised as endangered species.
• Paliyan tribe
  • Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu use this flower bloom as a reference to calculate their age.
• Nilgiri Hills:
  • It literally means the blue mountains, and got its name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji.
• Eravikulam National Park
  • The Eravikulam National Park houses the Neelakurinji flowers.

Eravikulam National Park

• Location
  • It is located in the High Ranges (Kannan Devan Hills) of the Southern Western Ghats in the Idukki District, Kerala.
• Flora
  • Apart from Neelakurinji flowers, other three major types of plant communities found in the park are, Grasslands, Shrub Land and Shola Forests
• Fauna
  • The park holds the largest viable population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr.
  • It has other little-known fauna such as Nilgiri Marten, Ruddy Mongoose, Small Clawed Otter, Dusky Striped Squirrel, etc.
• Proximity:
  • The park is in continuity with the neighbouring 
    • Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Anamudi Shola National Park
    • Pampadum Shola National Park
    • Kurinjimala Sanctuary
    • Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

The Western Ghats

• About
  • The Western Ghats is a mountain chain that runs almost parallel to India’s western coast.
• Spread
  • It runs to a length of 1,600 km.
  • Starting from the mouth of the river Tapti near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India in Tamil Nadu
  • It stretches across six states:
    • Tamil Nadu
    • Karnataka
    • Kerala
    • Goa
    • Maharashtra
    • Gujarat
• Biodiversity hotspot
  • It is recognised as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
  • Many sites of the Western Ghats were inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list.
• Mountain Ranges
  • The Niligiri ranges southeast of Mysore in Karnataka, meet the Shevaroys (Servarayan range) and Tirumala range farther east, linking the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats.
  • The peak of Anamudi in Kerala is the highest peak in the Western Ghats, as well as the highest peak in India outside the Himalayas
  • This range is home to many hill stations like Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh and Kodagu.
• Rivers
  • The major rivers that originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the west are Periyar, Bharathappuzha, Netravati, Sharavathi, Mandovi etc. 

Content Source: The Hindu

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Created on October 25, 2022 By Pavithra

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Consider the following statements.

1. The Eravikulam National Park houses the Neelakurinji flowers.
2. Neelakurinji is a shrub that is found in the shola forests.

Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?

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2 only

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