Why in the News
According to The Hindu (30 May 2026), a team of botanists from Palakkad has discovered a new plant species, Anaphalis sahyadrica, in the southern Western Ghats. It is a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) and was found in the montane grasslands and shola-forest edges of high-mountain areas such as Anamudi and Meesapulimala. The description was published in Novon (Volume 34), the international journal of botanical nomenclature.
Anaphalis sahyadrica
New species; Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae
Habitat
Montane grasslands + shola edges, southern Ghats
Closest (abstract)
A. marcescens; differs in several traits
Original explanatory summary.
What Does the Research Paper Contain?
The paper is "Anaphalis sahyadrica (Asteraceae), a New Species from Southern Western Ghats, Keralam, India" (S. Remya, K.M. Prabhukumar, G. Kanakambika, C.N. Maya; Novon 34: 134-142; DOI: 10.3417/20261045). According to the abstract, the new species is described and illustrated; it resembles A. marcescens in habit, leaf shape, heterogamous and disciform capitula, and uniseriate, free, barbellate pappus bristles, but has stable differences in several traits. The paper carries detailed information on distribution and ecology, colour photographs, a comparative assessment with related species, and SEM images of the cypsela.
According to The Hindu, this discovery is part of the doctoral research of S. Remya of the Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, Palakkad; she was guided by Maya C. Nair (Principal, Government Arts and Science College, Tholanur) and K.M. Prabhukumar (Senior Scientist, NBRI, Lucknow), and G. Kanakambika is a co-researcher. According to Dr Nair, the species is a subshrub of montane grasslands and shola edges above 2,200 metres, about one metre tall, bearing 90 to 120 white hemispherical flower heads (capitula); among its identification traits are smooth, hairless leaves with three prominent veins.
Where Does Confusion Arise in the Exam?
The name "sahyadrica" comes from Sahyadri (the Western Ghats) — it is not named after any person. The closest relative is A. marcescens (abstract), not any "common Anaphalis". The altitude figure (above 2,200 m) and the count of capitula (90-120) are from the press quote (Dr Nair); the abstract's basis of distinction is technical scalation/indument traits. Team order: the first author is S. Remya; "Maya Nair's doctoral student" would be correct, "Nair's discovery" would not. Dates: the paper is in Novon 34 (no date printed on the journal page; 28 May 2026 in search-engine metadata), the news is of 30 May.
Preparation Direction from Past Questions:
The official General Studies Paper-I of UPSC Prelims 2023 included statement-based questions. So prepare the species, the place and the basis of identification separately. The questions below are original practice, not actual PYQs.
Prelims Style: Practice Questions
1. Based on the abstract of the research paper, consider the following statements:
Statement 1: Anaphalis sahyadrica is a new species of the Asteraceae family.
Statement 2: Its closest morphological similarity is stated to be with A. marcescens.
Statement 3: According to the abstract, it is a species of low-altitude coastal plains.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
View answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Only two. Statements 1 and 2 are in the abstract. The species belongs to montane grasslands and shola edges, not coastal plains — Statement 3 is wrong.
2. According to The Hindu, from which places has Anaphalis sahyadrica been reported?
(a) Anamudi and Meesapulimala
(b) Shendurney and Peechi-Vazhani
(c) Silent Valley and Parambikulam
(d) Eravikulam and Agasthyamalai
View answer and explanation
Answer: (a). The report names the Anamudi and Meesapulimala areas; (b) and (c) are locations of other recent discoveries.
3. Which of the following details is from the press quote (Dr Nair), and not from the abstract of the research paper?
(a) The closest similarity is with A. marcescens
(b) The paper contains SEM images of the cypsela
(c) The species grows above 2,200 metres and bears 90-120 capitula
(d) It differs from the related species in leaf base and phyllary
View answer and explanation
Answer: (c). The altitude and the capitula count are in Dr Nair's quote; (a), (b) and (d) are in the abstract.
Sources:
Novon 34: Anaphalis sahyadrica (Asteraceae), a New Species from Southern Western Ghats, Keralam, India (novon.mobot.org).
The Hindu: New high-altitude plant species discovered in Western Ghats, 30 May 2026 (thehindu.com).
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