Haldwani (Uttarakhand): A rare carnivorous plant species has been discovered by the research wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. The discovery of the species called Utricularia Furcellata has been published in the Journal of Japanese Botany, a 106-year-old journal on plant taxonomy, considered to be of the most prestigious journals in the field. The plant species has been discovered in the Mandal valley of the Gopeshwar range of Chamoli.
The discovery was made by a team of the Research Wing of the Uttarakhand Forest Department consisting of Range officer Harish Negi and Junior Research Fellow (JRF) Manoj Singh in the State's Mandal valley in September 2021.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Chief Conservator of Forest (Research) said that after 1996, the species could not be found anywhere in India. ”This is the first such recording or sighting of this rare carnivorous plant not only in Uttarakhand but in the entire western Himalayan region of India. In fact, after 1986, this species could not be collected from any part of India,” he said.
Although the discovery of the species has extended its range of distribution westward, the species face threat due to heavy biotic pressure because of being at a tourist spot. According to researchers, the carnivorous plant, belonging to a genus, commonly known as bladderworts, uses one of the most sophisticated and developed plant structures for trap and its targets range from protozoa to insects, and mosquitoes larvae, and even the young tadpoles. Its operation is based on a mechanical process, that is by creating a vacuum or negative pressure area to draw prey inside the trap door.
The plants are mostly found in fresh water and wet soil. The discovery is part of a project on the study of insectivorous plants in Uttarakhand. It was approved by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) in 2019. This was the first such comprehensive study in the State and so far, around 20 plant species belonging to the genus Drosera, Utricularia, and Pinguicula have been found. (With Agency inputs)
