Strobilanthes kunthiana
Encyclopedia
Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) (Tamil
: நீலக்குறிஞ்சி), (Malayalam
: നീലക്കുറിഞ്ഞി) is a shrub
that used to grow abundantly in the shola
grasslands of the Western Ghats
in South India
above 1800 metres. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years. The Paliyan
tribal people apparently used it to calculate their age.
This plant belongs to the genus
Strobilanthes
which was first scientifically described by Nees in the 19th century. The genus has around 250 species, of which at least 46 are found in India. Most of these species show an unusual flowering behaviour, varying from annual to 16-year blooming cycles, on the national scale there is often confusion about which plant is flowering.
Plants that bloom at long intervals like Strobilanthes kunthiana are known as plietesials
, the term plietesial has been used in reference to perennial monocarpic
plants “of the kind most often met with in the Strobilanthinae” (a subtribe of Acanthaceae
containing Strobilanthes
and allied genera
) that usually grow gregariously, flower simultaneously following a long interval, set seed, and die. Other commonly used expressions or terms which apply to part or all of the plietesial life history include gregarious flowering, mast seeding
, and supra-annual synchronized semelparity (semelparity = monocarpy)..
, that has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years. Plants that bloom at long intervals like kurinji are called plietesials
. Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats
. It occurs at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high on the hills. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.
(or semelparous) -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during their lifetime, then die.
and Kerala after a gap of 12 years. Apart from Nilgris, Neelakurinji grow in grass lands of Eravikulam
, hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu
and Vattavada, near Munnar
in Kerala
during the season from August to December.
Kurinji has again flowered in some parts of Kerala
and Tamil Nadu
.
protects the kurinji approximately 32 km² core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devakulam Taluk, Idukki district of Kerala, The Save Kurinji Campaign Council organises campaigns and ,programmes for conservation of the Kurinji plant and its habit.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
: நீலக்குறிஞ்சி), (Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
: നീലക്കുറിഞ്ഞി) is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
that used to grow abundantly in the shola
Shola
Sholas are patches of stunted evergreen tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India. These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating...
grasslands of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
above 1800 metres. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years. The Paliyan
Paliyan
The Paliyan, or Palaiyar or Pazhaiyarare are Adivasi Dravidian people living in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in South India, especially in Tamilnadu and Kerala. They are traditional nomadic hunter-gatherers, honey hunters and foragers. Yams are their major food source...
tribal people apparently used it to calculate their age.
This plant belongs to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia.Selected species...
which was first scientifically described by Nees in the 19th century. The genus has around 250 species, of which at least 46 are found in India. Most of these species show an unusual flowering behaviour, varying from annual to 16-year blooming cycles, on the national scale there is often confusion about which plant is flowering.
Plants that bloom at long intervals like Strobilanthes kunthiana are known as plietesials
Plietesials
Plietesials are plants that grow for a number of years, flower gregariously , set seed and then die.The length of the cycle can vary between 8 and 16 years...
, the term plietesial has been used in reference to perennial monocarpic
Monocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower, set seeds and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle....
plants “of the kind most often met with in the Strobilanthinae” (a subtribe of Acanthaceae
Acanthaceae
The family Acanthaceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species....
containing Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes
Strobilanthes is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia.Selected species...
and allied genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
) that usually grow gregariously, flower simultaneously following a long interval, set seed, and die. Other commonly used expressions or terms which apply to part or all of the plietesial life history include gregarious flowering, mast seeding
Mast Seeding
Masting refers to a mass seeding phenomenon exhibited by some species of plants which can be defined as "synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants", strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpic -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during...
, and supra-annual synchronized semelparity (semelparity = monocarpy)..
Description
Neelakurinji is the best known of a genus, StrobilanthesStrobilanthes
Strobilanthes is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia.Selected species...
, that has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years. Plants that bloom at long intervals like kurinji are called plietesials
Plietesials
Plietesials are plants that grow for a number of years, flower gregariously , set seed and then die.The length of the cycle can vary between 8 and 16 years...
. Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
. It occurs at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high on the hills. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.
Masting
Some species of Strobilanthes including this one are examples of a mass seeding phenomenon termed as masting which can be defined as "synchronous production of seed at long intervals by a population of plants", strict masting only occurs in species that are monocarpicMonocarpic
Monocarpic plants are those that flower, set seeds and then die. Other terms with the same meaning are hapaxanth and semelparous. The term was first used by Alphonse de Candolle....
(or semelparous) -- individuals of the species only reproduce once during their lifetime, then die.
Habitat
They once used to cover the Nilgiri Hills and Palani Hills like a carpet during its flowering season. Now plantations and dwellings occupy much of their habitat. In 2006, Neelakurunji flowered again in Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Kerala after a gap of 12 years. Apart from Nilgris, Neelakurinji grow in grass lands of Eravikulam
Eravikulam National Park
Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km² national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki district of Kerala in India, between 10º05'N - 10º20'N latitude and 77º0'E - 77º10'E longitude...
, hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Vattavada, near Munnar
Munnar
Munnar is one of the most popular hill station in Kerala and in southern India. Munnar is located on the Western Ghats, situated in the Idukki district....
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
during the season from August to December.
Kurinji has again flowered in some parts of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Conservation
Kurinjimala SanctuaryKurinjimala Sanctuary
Kurinjimala Sanctuary protects the approximately 32 km² core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devakulam Taluk, Idukki district of Kerala State in South India. -History:...
protects the kurinji approximately 32 km² core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devakulam Taluk, Idukki district of Kerala, The Save Kurinji Campaign Council organises campaigns and ,programmes for conservation of the Kurinji plant and its habit.