NEELAKURINJI FLOWERS - ENVIRONMENT
News: Neelakurinji flowers wither away, tourists inflow continues
What's in the news?
● Though
the Neelakurinji flowers ( Strobilanthes kunthiana) atop the Kallippara hills in Idukki have
withered away, the inflow of tourists to the picturesque landscape continues.
● According
to Santhanpara panchayat officials, Neelakurinji largely bloomed on the
Kallippara hills from the first week of October.
● It is estimated that more than 10 lakh people flocked to the hills in the past 30 days.
Key takeaways:
● Alongside Strobilanthes kunthiana,
the types of neelakurinji flowers that have been identified from the hill
ranges include Strobilanthes anamallaica, Strobilanthes heyneanus,
Strobilanthes pulnyensis, and Strobilanthes neoasper.
● All
these neelakurinji species are endemic
to the Western Ghats and spread over nearly 200 acres of the Kallippara hills.
● In
fact, the neelakurinji population here can be considered one of the biggest of
the species after the protected areas of Munnar.
● A vast variety of medicinal plants too have been spotted on the hills.
Neelakurunji:
● Neelakurinji
is a tropical plant species.
● It grows at a height of 30 to 60 cm on hills slopes at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters where there is no tree forest.
Habitat:
● It
is native to Shola forests in Western
Ghats.
● It
is also seen in Shevaroys Hills in
Eastern Ghats, Anamalai hills and Agali hills in Kerala and Sanduru hills in
Karnataka.
● Kurinjimala Sanctuary of
Kerala protects the kurinji in approximately 32 sq
km core habitat in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Idukki district.
● Kurinji
Andavar temple located in Kodaikanal of Tamil Nadu dedicated to Tamil God
Murugan also preserves these plants.
● It
is because of these flowers, Nilgiri hills in the southern tip of Western Ghats
are called blue mountains.
● It is the rarest of rare plant species that grows in Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world.
Features of the flowers:
● The
flowers of Neelakurinji are purple-blue in color and bloom once in 12 years.
● The
flower has no smell or any medicinal
value.
● It
has been categorized as endangered
species.
● In
ancient Tamil literature, kurinji
flowers symbolize love.
● Paliyan tribal people
living in Tamil Nadu use this flower bloom as reference to calculate their age.