Globba Andersonii

A critically endangered plant species, named ‘Globba Andersonii’ has been rediscovered by a team of researchers from Pune and Kerala in the Sikkim Himalayas. The species of this plant has been found near the Teesta river valley region and that too after almost 136 years. 

In this article, we shall discuss in detail the characteristics of this plant species. It is also an important topic from the IAS Exam perspective. 

Globba Andersonii – Rediscovered Plant Species [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

About Globba Andersonii Plant

• The plant is also known as dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers’ and was last been observed by researchers in the year 1875
• One of the main characteristic features of this plant is that it has white flowers, non-attached anthers (the part of a stamen that contains the pollen) and a yellowish lip
• The earliest records of the existence of Globba Andersonii date back to 1862-70 by Scottish botanist Thomas Anderson when it was found in regions of Darjeeling and Sikkim
• Before 2020, the plant species were last seen more than a century ago and is listed as Endangered in the  IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
• In 1875, the British botanist Sir George King, had collected parts of this plant from the Sikkim Himalayas and in the same region, the plant has been rediscovered, centuries later

Learn more about the objectives and functioning of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the linked article. 

Habitat for Globba Andersonii Plant

• Mostly found in the Teesta River Valley region in the areas around Sikkim Himalayas and Darjeeling 
• It is also referred to as narrowly endemic
• The plant usually grows in a dense colony as a lithophyte (plant growing on bare rock or stone) on rocky slopes in the outskirts of evergreen forests
• It is especially prevalent near small waterfalls along the roadside leading to these hill forests, which are 400-800 m above sea level

Globba Andersonii – Method To Grow

Micro-propagation, tissue culture of this taxon and multiplication of this species; and its re-introduction in the natural habitat could be the key for it to survive and thrive in the future. 

Globba Andersonii – Rediscovered Plant Species [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

IAS exam aspirants must also go through the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the prelims and mains examination and accordingly start their preparation. 

All government exam aspirants can get the best Preparation Strategy for Competitive Exams at the linked article.

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