Mention amaranthus and the first thing that pops to mind is the leafy red veggie ideal for making ‘thoran.’ Now, a team of researchers from two government colleges in the State, the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram, and the Sapienza University of Rome have reported a new edible plant species from Kerala which could be a cousin to the ubiquitous ‘chuvanna cheera.’
The team led by V. S. Anil Kumar, Government College, Kasaragod, included Arya S., University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Vishnu Walsan K. of the RCC and Duilio Iamonico of the Sapienza University of Rome. The new species Amaranthus rajasekharii was discovered on the forest fringes of Palode in Thiruvananthapuram around eight months ago. Mr. Iamonico is an internationally known expert on amaranthus.
Amaranthus rajasekharii, incidentally, is named after Ms. Arya’s father N. Rajasekhar, a traditional medicine practitioner who has an avid interest in local plants and their uses.
Dry wastelands
The researchers found patches of the plant in Palode, which lies in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Thiruvananthapuram district. “The local people use it to make ‘thoran.’ But it is found in the wild and not put under cultivation,” Ms. Arya, who is a PhD scholar at the Department of Botany, University College, said.
The species occurs in dry wastelands and the forest fringes of the Palode-Kulathupuzha-Thenkasi range. The team has come across patches of it in a number of other places in the State as well.
Their finding has made it to the latest volume of Phytotaxa, an international journal on plant taxonomy. The flora of Kerala includes 15 amaranthus species, mostly ‘aliens.’ A comparison prompted the team to conclude that Amaranthus rajasekharii cannot be ascribed to any known species.
Endemic to Kerala
Morphologically similar to Amaranthus dubius, it stands 100-130 cm tall with a reddish to purple stem and yellowish-green flowers. As regards the origin of this plant, the researchers feel that it could be endemic to Kerala.
Generally, amaranthus offers researchers a stiff challenge as it is extremely difficult to differentiate between species. “It is indeed known as a difficult taxa,” Ms. Arya said. Last year, the team had reported another new species which was christened Amaranthus saradhiana.
