The genus Memecylon is rich with 260 spp. mainly from the paleotropics; and Western Ghats with a diversity of 27 spp. with 20 endemics. A floristic exploration in the year 2012 in Western Ghats by a team of scientists from M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden, Thiruvananthapuram, came across a Memecylon species and they described it as new species. Being discovered from Kallady forest of Wayanad district, it has got its name after the district. A few population of this species has its distribution on Chembra-Vellarimala hill ranges of Wayanad. The population has observed to be declining in its natural habitat. It has grown as an understory shrub in the evergreen forest from an altitude of 800 to 1400 m. The plant is a large shrub of 1.5 to 2.0 m tall, stems repeatedly branched, branchlet quadrangular turn cylindrical on maturity; the petals are white in colour with violet tinge with no specific fragrance. Conservation status of this species has been assessed as critically endangered with IUCN’s criteria. Wayanadan Kayambu bloomed at present in MSSBG has been collected and conserved since 2012. The period of flowering has observed during September to January.
Reference
Sivu, A. R., Narayanan, M. R., Pradeep, N. S., Kumar, N. A., & Pandurangan, A. G. Memecylon wayanadense (Melastomataceae), a new species from the Western Ghats, India., Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 69(3): 371-378 (2012).
Information & Photography: Mr. Nandakumar M K; Editing: Dr. Smitha S. Thankappan; Approval: Dr. N Anil Kumar