When Neelakurinji I blossomed Eucalyptus This September, it was not met with the usual enthusiasm botanistsBut with a greater sense of anxiety.
Neelakurinji last bloomed in 2018, and has attracted tourists and locals, botanists and nature lovers ooty And Kotagiri, who wanted to catch a glimpse of this spectacle that occurs once in 12 years. Especially since everyone knew that the next synchronous flowering would only occur in 2030.
But when the hills unexpectedly turned blue this year, environmentalists wondered whether climate change was the cause.
“Five years ago, Neelakurinji bloomed in the same area where it is blooming again now. Although these may then have been individual bushes, irregular blooming cycle This could be linked to climate change,” says S Rajan, retired field botanist with the Union AYUSH ministry.
He’s not the only one interested in its bloom reserved forest Near Bikkapatimund, a Toda tribal settlement, close to Ebbanad village in Ooty taluk. Many botanists also believe that climate change may affect inconsistent bloom cycles.
According to statistics, the Nilgiris are home to about 36 species of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus), which bloom every 4 to 12 years in different parts of the hills at an altitude of 6,000 feet to 7,000 feet.
“Neelkurinji plants bloom in cycles ranging from one year to seven years. As far as Eucalyptus is concerned, details of the flowers of Kurinji species have not been documented. Moreover, with changes in global weather patterns due to climate change, it is possible that the blooming cycle of Kurinji has also been affected,” says Rajan. For example, Ooty is not experiencing normal September weather. Strong winds are blowing and foggy conditions are unusual at this time of the year.
Professor Franklin Charles Jose, head of the department of Botany at Ooty Government Arts College, calls the 12-year cycle of Neelakurinji an enigma. “During my research in a virgin shola in the Doddabetta region from 2009 to 2011, I observed a population of Neelakurinji blooming for three consecutive years. Climate change may be one reason for this more frequent flowering. Furthermore, different species of Kurinji react differently to climatic conditions.
Franklin wrote Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) about their three-year observation, which was later published.
The BNHS publication, referencing Franklin’s communication, cites another 2008 study on reproductive ecology that found Strobilanthes kunthianus to be semelparous, or monocarpic – meaning it flowers once in its lifetime and then dies. . This species is a small shrub, typically reaching a height of 30 cm to 60 cm.
The BNHS also noted that Strobilanthes kunthianus is an important component of tropical evergreen forests, as reported in a 2001 research paper. Considerable variation has been observed in the life cycle and mass of flowering of Strobilanthes. Typically, these plants flower en masse every 10–15 years (usually 12), although cycles of less than 4–9 years have also been reported.
Franklin reports that 8 of the 15 flowering plants in the study area were observed for three years. According to a BNHS publication, “the same plants bloomed in October 2009 and again in September 2010 and September 2011.”
Franklin says, “Research in the 1950s showed that this species flowers annually. However, variations in flowering patterns have been reported in other Strobilanthes species and related genera.”
“In contrast to previous findings, I observed both flowering and non-flowering populations in the same area. Also, contrary to popular belief that the plant dies after flowering, I found that not only did the plant survive, but the flowering branch remained intact, and flowered again the following year. These observations show that the life cycles of plantiatal taxa (plants that bloom at long intervals) are not completely understood.
Franklin states that a 1976 research report suggests that the timing of reproduction in plytacials is controlled by an internal body clock rather than external weather cues.
“This may explain the isolated cases of Strobilanthes kunthianus flowering that I recorded in the Nilgiris. Or perhaps it may be influenced by local climate and soil conditions.
Professor Logmadevi, head of the Botany Department at NGM College, Pollachi, says that Neelakurinji is a sensitive plant. “It is unlikely that climate change affects the phenology of the species. Kurinji is an attractive plant. Populations communicate with each other, allowing mass flowering. It is possible that a different species bloomed in this area five years ago. Although the flower itself is simple, what makes it special is the periodicity of its blooming,” she says.
Logmadevi further says that after the publication of ‘Flora of British India’ in the 19th century, there has been no documentation of the flora in the country. The flower was recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, marking the first global assessment of the species.
It is possible that flowers may have bloomed five years earlier in the sub-patches near Ebbanad, says S Gautam, Nilgiri division forest officer. “We cannot say with certainty that Neelakurinji follows a strict 12-year blooming cycle. We are not tracking the cycle closely, and do not have close enough data to predict deviations in bloom patterns.
He says the department is documenting it whenever it happens in the Nilgiris. “In 2012, there were reports of blooms in the same area where we now see massive blooms across two hectares.”
Visitors are not allowed to visit the place as it is a reserved forest area.
