Researchers discover new grass species from mangrove wetland

Payyanur: A team of researchers has identified a new species of Dimeria (locally known as neypullu), a genus of grass commonly found across the Western Ghats and laterite plateaus. The species was discovered in the Poruni fields, a network of brackish polders adjoining the mangrove forests at Thamarakkulangara in Kunjimangalam, where tidal waters regularly flow in.

The discovery was made by a team comprising botanists Dr A K Ratheesh Narayanan of Payyanur College, Dr C N Sunil of SNM College, Maliankara, Ernakulam, and researchers Siddharth S Nair, K Chaithra and M K Lakshmi Nandana. The team has formally reported the discovery of the new species to the scientific community.

Named Dimeria Rajaniana, the species is different from the 23 known Dimeria species found across the Western Ghats and laterite rock formations. It also differs significantly from Dimeria Coppiana, a species that was earlier recorded from the Alappuzha region.

The new species has been named in honour of P P Rajan, an environmental activist from Thamarakkulangara in Edattu, in recognition of his lifelong efforts to conserve mangrove forests, midland hill ecosystems and biodiversity.

Rajan had fought a lone legal battle against the destruction of mangroves and the reclamation of wetlands in the Poruni polders and the adjoining marshes, where the new species was discovered. He secured a favourable verdict from the Kerala High Court and ensured its implementation. By naming the plant after Rajan, the researchers have acknowledged his contribution to environmental conservation while reaffirming their commitment to protecting fragile ecosystems.