Source: New Indian Express
Context: A new freshwater flowering plant species discovered in Telangana has been named Ammannia telanganensis and described in the international taxonomy journal Phytotaxa.
What It Is
- An annual, herbaceous, semi-aquatic flowering plant
- Belongs to the Lythraceae (loosestrife) family
- A newly classified species within the genus Ammannia — a group of wetland-adapted herbs found in tropical and subtropical freshwater habitats
Habitat and Distribution
- Ecosystem: grows in wet, sandy soils along seasonal streams, temporary puddles and marshy margins of freshwater bodies
Where found:
- Rangareddy district — Narsingi and Gachibowli
- Nagarkurnool district — Vatwarlapalle, in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve
- Associated flora: co-exists with Ammannia multiflora and various Rotala species
- Flowering and fruiting: post-monsoon through winter — November to February
Key Terms
- Pedunculate — borne on a stalk; sessile — attached directly, without a stalk
- Apetalous — lacking petals
- Testa — the outer seed coat
- Cyme — a flower cluster in which the central flower opens first
- Riparian — relating to the bank of a river or stream
