TIRUCHY: The botany department of St Joseph's College in Tiruchy fetched another feather in their cap after articles on two new plant species - Theriophonum blumei and Lepidagathis decumbens - discovered by the department in 2019 were published respectively in Nordic, a Norwegian journal, and Adasonia, a French journal.
S Soosairaj, Assistant Professor of Botany at the college, said they spotted Theriophonum blumei for the first time during a field visit to a forest near Samayapuram in Tiruchy in 2019. The second plant species, Lepidagathis decumbens, was discovered by N Dhatchanamoorhty, a research scholar, at a jungle in Thippampatti in Dharmapuri district.
Professor Soosairaj said, "Theriophonum blumei was first discovered in 2019. Since then we have been initiating research into its various aspects. It belongs to a plant family named Araceae."
The professor added that the new species was named after German-Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume (1796 - 1862). The discovery was approved by researchers at Kew Herbarium in London.
Lepidagathis decumbens, the second species to be discovered recently, belongs to the 'Acanthaceae family. It grows up to 20 cm.
Professor Soosairaj also said they were able to discover the species since their research extended to the ghats and hilly areas. "Innumerable plant species could be spotted in the plains too," he added.
It is to be noted that authorised taxonomists have the authorization to publish new plants after the approval process from the other researchers. The publishing journal would be approving the discovery by cross-checking it with the renowned botanists in the world. After the approval, the name rights as per the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, would be conferred to the author.