In News
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji ( Strobilanthes kunthiana) under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including it on the list of protected plants.
Image Courtesy:TH
About Neelakurinji
- Kurinji or Neelakurinji is a shrub that grows in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in South India.
- It is a shrub of the Acanthaceae family that famously blooms once every 12 years.
- Scientific Name: Strobilanthes kunthiana.
- Strobilanthes is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia and Madagascar.
- In the Western Ghats region, nearly 70 varieties of Neelakurinji plants have been identified.
- The Eravikulam National Park, near Munnar, is known for widespread blooming of the kurinji, with the next flowering season expected in 2030.
Source:TH
