Annamalai University Discovers Cyphostemma annamalaii in Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu

Researchers from Annamalai University have discovered a new plant species, Cyphostemma annamalaii, in Sanjeevi Hill of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. The discovery is biodiversity documentation in the southern Eastern Ghats.

Cyphostemma annamalaii:

Dimension	Key Details
Scientific Name	The scientific name of the new plant species is Cyphostemma annamalaii.
Discovery Site	The species has been discovered in Sanjeevi Hill of Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
Taxonomy	The species belongs to Kingdom Plantae, family Vitaceae, and genus Cyphostemma.
Family	Vitaceae is the grape family and comprises around 1,000 species and 20 genera.
Genus	Cyphostemma is the second largest genus in Vitaceae and comprises around 250 species.
Nomenclature	The species is named after Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiyar.
Habitat	The species occurs in tropical dry forest and open scrubby habitat as a climber using surrounding vegetation for support.
Range	The species is endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats and has restricted distribution.
Leaves	Cyphostemma annamalaii starts with three leaves and ends with three leaves.
Flowers	The species has white or yellow petals.
Fruit	The species has round yellow fruit.
Root	The species has a tuberous root system.
Allied Species	Cyphostemma setosum starts with a single leaf and ends with three leaves, has greenish-white to reddish-brown petals, and has red ovate fruit.
Distinctiveness	Morphological features clearly separate Cyphostemma annamalaii from its allied species and have been confirmed by expert review in Phytotaxa.