Leucas droupadiae: Plant species
Botanists recently discovered a previously unknown plant species named growing along the sandy shores of the Coromandel Coast.
- Leucas droupadiae is a new species of plant belonging to the mint family (Lamiaceae).
- It was discovered along the sandy shores of the Coromandel Coast during a survey of the coastal dunes in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.
- It thrives in nutrient-poor, sandy habitats.
- While most similar plants in this family grow as creeping vines or branched bushes with deep taproots, this new species stands upright as a single, unbranched stem, reaching only about 15 centimeters in height.
- It anchors itself into the sands using a shallow web of fibrous roots rather than a single thick root.
- Most distinctively, the plant produces oblong fruit, known as nutlets that are a golden yellow and covered in irregular dark brown spots.
- The scientists have named the plant in honour of Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the 15th President of India.
- Because of its limited range, the species has been provisionally labelled as “Data Deficient”.
