New Fire-Resilient Plant Discovered in Western Ghats Blooms in Response to Fires

A new botanical discovery has been made in the Western Ghats, one of India’s four global biodiversity hotspots, known for its rich and largely unexplored flora. Scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, led by Dr. Mandar Datar and botanist Adittya Dharap, along with Ph.D. student Bhushan Shigwan, have identified a unique, fire-resilient plant species. Named Dicliptera polymorpha, this species exhibits a rare, dual-blooming cycle and thrives in fire-prone grasslands.

The discovery of Dicliptera polymorpha adds a new species to the genus Dicliptera and is the first Indian plant documented with a spicate inflorescence structure, which is typically found in African species. This plant’s distinct blooming pattern allows it to flower twice: once post-monsoon from November to April and again in response to grassland fires in May and June. Such a pyrophytic, or fire-adapted, trait makes Dicliptera polymorpha remarkably suited to the extreme conditions of the northern Western Ghats.

Collected first in Talegaon-Dabhade, a region known for its grasslands, the species has been carefully studied over several years. Its uniqueness was confirmed by Dr. I. Darbyshire of Kew Botanic Gardens, London, with the findings published in the Kew Bulletin. The species' fire-resilience is both a fascinating adaptation and a call for conservation.

While human-induced fires help stimulate the plant’s second flowering, excessive burning can threaten its habitat. As fires are essential for Dicliptera polymorpha's lifecycle, careful management of grassland fires is crucial. Balancing conservation needs with local land use practices will be essential to preserve this species and its ecosystem.

The discovery of Dicliptera polymorpha highlights the unexplored biodiversity of the Western Ghats and underscores the importance of preserving this fragile ecosystem.

It emphasizes a critical need to protect and study the Ghats, which may still hold countless species with unique survival strategies that could be lost without conservation efforts.