Source: The Hindu
Context: A rare blue-violet flower resembling Neelakurinji has bloomed along trekking trails in the Kudremukh region of Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka — attracting trekkers and nature enthusiasts.
Neelakurinji-like Bloom in Kudremukh Hills
- A mass flowering event has added a striking blue-purple appearance to parts of the Kudremukh Hills in Karnataka.
- The flowering has been compared to the famous Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) bloom of the Western Ghats.
About Neelakurinji
- Scientific name: Strobilanthes kunthiana
- Family: Acanthaceae
- Famous for blooming once in 12 years
- Found in the shola grasslands of the Western Ghats, chiefly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
- The Nilgiri Hills take their name from it — nilgiri meaning “blue mountains”
- Added to Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in 2024, giving it legal protection
- The last major bloom in the Munnar region was in 2018
About Kudremukh
- Located in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, in the Western Ghats
- Kudremukh National Park is the second largest protected area of tropical wet evergreen forest in the Western Ghats
- The name means “horse face” in Kannada, from the shape of a peak
- Kudremukh peak is among Karnataka’s highest, at about 1,894 m
- Source of three rivers: the Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi
- Part of the Western Ghats UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Notable for shola-grassland ecosystems, the habitat where Kurinji species occur
