Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

About New plant species:

• The species is named ‘Impatiens Karuppusamyi’ after S. Karuppusamy for his contributions to the taxonomy of South Indian angiosperms.
• The plant is found only in the Agasthyamalai region in the southern Western Ghats.
  The plant, which belongs to the scapigerous group (stemless group), is seen only during the monsoon season for a few weeks.
• Impatiens is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants widely distributed throughout tropical Africa, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, and China.

Key facts about Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

• It is located in the Southern Western Ghats, in the Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu.
• This reserve is a mixture of three main sanctuaries: Kalakkad Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Sanctuary, and a part of Kanyakumari Sanctuary.
• Nestled between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Agastya Malai Hill Range forms the core area of the sanctuary and is part of one of the world's 18 biodiversity hotspots. 
• It is also known as the “River Sanctuary,"with as many as 14 rivers originating from this Tiger Reserve.
• Flora: This region has vegetation types which gradually change from dry thorn forest to dry deciduous, moist deciduous and a patch of West Coast wet evergreen forests on the higher reaches of the reserve.
• Fauna: Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Pipit, Grey Headed Bulbul, Blue Winged Parakeet etc.