Uttarakhand Forest research wing discovers Carnivorous plant

Haldwani: In a very significant finding, the Research wing of Uttarakhand Forest department has discovered a very rare carnivorous plant species that has been published in ‘the journal of Japanese botany’, a 106 years old journal on plant taxonomy and botany and considered to be one of the most prestigious journal in the field.

It is first such publication in this prestigious journal from Uttarakhand Forest Department.
Chief Conservator of forest (CCF) Research Sanjeev Chaturvedi told UNI on Saturday that 'In September 2021, a team of Research wing of Uttarakhand forest department, consisting of Range officer Harish Negi and Junior research fellow Manoj Singh discovered a carnivorous plant Utricularia Furcellata, in Mandal valley of Chamoli district which was first such sighting of this plant not only in Uttarakhand but in entire western Himalayan region of India'In fact after 1986, this species could not be collected from any part of India, he added.

This discovery has now extended its range of distribution westward. These species faces threat due to heavy biotic pressure being within a tourist spot.

The carnivorous plant belongs to a genus which is commonly known as bladderworts which uses one of the most sophisticated and developed plant structures for trap and the targets range from protozoa to insects, mosquito larvae and even young tadpoles. Found mostly in fresh water and wet soil the operation of these plants is simply based on a mechanical process by creating a vacuum or negative pressure area, to draw prey inside trap door.

This discovery was part of a project of study of insectivorous plants in Uttarakhand which was approved by Research Advisory Committee (RAC) in the year 2019.

Because of their completely distinct manner of arranging food and nutrition through intelligent trap mechanisms, as compared to photosynthesis mode of normal plants, carnivorous plants which otherwise generally grow on poor nutrient soil, and also because of their potential medicinal benefits, carnivorous plants has aroused new interest in scientific community across the world.(UNI)