About Osbeckia ulotricha:
- It is a newly identified flowering plant that belongs to the Melastomataceae family.
- It has been discovered in the shola grasslands of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats.
- Characteristics
- It is a woolly-haired species endemic to elevations of 1,200–1,500 metres.
- It 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 species flowers and fruits between February and May
- Habitat: It grows mainly in the damp margins of Tropical Montane Wet Temperate Forest (shola) and Montane Temperate Grassland ecosystems.
- It has an urn-shaped hypanthium (a cup-like flower base) with a neck.
Key Features of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve
- Location: It is located in the southern part of the Western Ghats in India, spreading across Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- The reserve was established in 2001 and later included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016.
- Vegetation: It consists of variety of vegetation types such as tropical evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, montane Agasthyamalai B rainforests, and shola-grassland ecosystems.
- Rivers: Important Rivers such as Thamirabarani, Neyyar, and Karamana originate from this region.
- The biosphere reserve includes several important protected regions, namely: Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
