Neelakurinji sanctuary
Why in news:
- Though the Union government has included Neelakurinji on the list of protected plants from Kerala, the proposal for a Neelakurinji sanctuary in Idukki still remains a distant dream.
- On October 6, 2006, the then Forest Minister Benoy Viswom had announced a 32sq.km Neelakurinji sanctuary in the KottakamboorVattavada area in Devikulam taluk, Munnar.
- The main aim of the proposal is to protect Neelakurinji plants.
- But even after 16 years, the proposed sanctuary is still on paper.
- As per the government order, the proposed sanctuary is in 3,200 hectares of land.
About Neelakurinji plants:
- It is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
- The purplish blue flower blossoms only once in 12 years, and gave the Nilgiri Mountains range its name, from the Tamil language Kurinji (flower).
- The Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.This plant flowers during September–October.
- Kurinji grows at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.
- Kurinji flower is used to describe the associated mountainous landscape where it blooms in Sangam Literature classical Tamil literature.
Syllabus: Prelims + Mains; GS3 – Environment and Ecology