NEWS: Neelakurinji, a rare high-altitude flowering plant of the Western Ghats, is known for its spectacular mass flowering at a 12-year interval.

ABOUT

• Scientific name → Strobilanthes kunthiana
• Family → Acanthaceae
• Endemic to India.
• Flowers once in its lifetime → produces seeds → dies = Semelparity.
• Last major flowering → 2018.
• Flowering cycle → 12 years.

HABITAT

• Mainly found in shola-grassland ecosystems of the Western Ghats.
• Elevation → 1,340–2,600 m.
• Usually 30–60 cm tall; can reach up to 3 m.
• Produces dense purplish-blue flowers.

DISTRIBUTION

• 34 subpopulations across 14 ecoregions.
• 33 → Western Ghats
• 1 → Eastern Ghats

ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

• Indicator of high-altitude grassland health.
• Mass flowering → supports pollinators + associated wildlife.
• Closely associated with habitat of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr.
• Conservation of Neelakurinji → conservation of shola-grassland ecosystem.

CONSERVATION

• IUCN status → Vulnerable (Criterion A2c).
• Habitat loss → about 40%.
• Threats → habitat fragmentation + tea plantations + urbanisation + invasive species + tourism + climate change.
• Long 12-year cycle → disturbances can seriously affect population recovery.