The Nelliampathi hills are a storehouse of diverse flora. A team of botanists has discovered a new species at Nelliampathi Minnam Para in Palakkad, the land of blackberries.
A new species, Impatiens minnamparaensis, belonging to section uniflorae is described and illustrated from southern Western Ghats of Kerala. It is morphologically similar to Impatiens sasidharanii but can easily be distinguished in having ovate-oblong leaf, milky white distal lobe of keel petal, red blotch on lower sepal, pollen architecture and capsule morphology.
This impatiens minnaparesnsis is named after it was found in Minnam rock. Scientists said that this is a thyme belonging to the Uniflora section of the Impatiens genus. The plant has white to pink flowers and can reach a length of about 4 to 10 cm. Other distinguishing features are single flowers and small, plump pods, unlike common thymes.
The scientists said that they were first discovered in the surveys conducted in Minnampara in 2021, and from the subsequent studies, it was confirmed that they are a species of plant that is not familiar to the scientific world. The researchers also reported that the Kashi thumba found was similar to two plant species, Impatiens sasidharani and Impatiens rupicola.
It is also showing similarities with I. rupicola but differs in shape of lower sepal, shape of distal lobe, number of flowers per axil, anther, pollen and capsule morphology. Impatiens minnamparaensis is assessed here as Endangered based on the categories and criteria of the IUCN Red List.