Parasitic Plant in Nicobar

Subject – Environment

Context – Parasitic plant found in Nicobar eco hotspot

Concept –

A new genus of a parasitic flowering plant has recently been discovered from the Nicobar group of islands.
The genus Septemeranthus grows on the plant species Horsfieldiaglabra (Blume) Warb.
The parasitic flowering plants have a modified root structure spread on the stem of the tree and are anchored inside the bark of the host tree.
The plant was found on the periphery of the tropical forest in one of the biodiversity hotspots referred to as the Nicobar group of islands separated from the Andaman group of Islands by a wide gap of 160 km with heavy tidal flows.
Septemeranthus partially depends on its host but also has leaves capable of photosynthesis.
What makes the new genus unique is that it is endemic only to the Nicobar group of islands.
In addition to Septemeranthus, four other genera on non-parasitic plants, Nicobariodendron (Hippocrateaceae), Pseudodiplospora (Rubiaceae), Pubistylis (Rubiaceae), Sphyranthera , (Euphorbiaceae) have also been discovered earlier from Nicobar group of islands, highlighting the ecological significance of the region.
- Recently a new species in the hemiparasitic family Loranthaceae, Dendrophthoelaljii have also been discovered from the Nicobar group of islands.