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Pyrostria Laljii, a tree that belongs to the genus of the coffee family has recently been discovered from the Andaman Islands.
About Pyrostria Laljii
- The new species, Pyrostria laljii, is also the first record of the genus Pyrostria in India
- Plants belonging to genus Pyrostria are usually found in Madagascar but the recently discovered species is new to science.
- The other places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the tree could be located are the Tirur forest near the Jarawa Rerserve Forest and the Chidia Tapu (Munda Pahar) forest.
- While the genus Pyrostria is not found in India, there are several genera from the family Rubiaceae that are common in India.
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
New pokeweed species
- A new species of pokeweed named Rivina andamanensis.
- 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.
- The A&N Islands is a group of 572 islands and islets that are rich and unique in terms of plant diversity in India.
- The total number of listed flora on the islands is approximately 3,410 plant species under 1,281 genera and 303 families belonging to Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, Pteridophytes, Bryophytes, and Lichens.
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