Coffee's new species - 'Pyrostria laljii' from Andaman

Pyrostria laljii, a new species belonging to the genus of the coffee family, was discovered from the Andaman Islands.

Coffee's new species - 'Pyrostria laljii' from Andaman

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• The story: Pyrostria laljii, a new species belonging to the genus of the coffee family, was discovered from the Andaman Islands. A new species of pokeweed named Rivina andamanensis was also discovered. The Andaman and Nicobar chain is a group of 572 islands and islets that are rich and unique in terms of plant diversity in India.
• Points to note: It is the first record of the genus Pyrostria in India. It is a 15-meter-tall tree. Plants belonging to genus Pyrostria are usually found in Madagascar but the recently discovered species is new to science. While the genus Pyrostria is not found in India, there are several genera from the family Rubiaceae that are common in India. These plants, including cinchona, coffee, adina, hamelia, ixora, gallium, gardenia, mussaenda, rubia, morinda, have high potential for economic value. It is named Pyrostria laljii after Lal Ji Singh, Joint Director, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Botanical Survey of India, and assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List criteria.
• Features: It is distinguished by a long stem with a whitish coating on the trunk, and oblong-ovate leaves with a cuneate base. Another physical feature that distinguishes the tree from other species of the genus is its umbellate inflorescence with eight to 12 flowers. First reported from South Andaman’s Wandoor forest. Other places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the tree could be located are the Tirur forest near the Jarawa Reserve Forest and the Chidiya Tapu (Munda Pahar) forest.
• Rivina andamanensis: Another species of pokeweed named Rivina andamanensis was also discovered. It was found growing under large trees, shaded and rocky areas, along with herbs and shrubby plants. The pokeweed is a strong-smelling plant with a poisonous root. The berries contain a red dye used to colour wine, candies, cloth, and paper. This discovery of new species, representing the first record of the pokeweed family Petiveriaceae in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, adds one more family to the islands’ flora.

 

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