Globba Andersonii

Globba Andersonii is a plant species that was thought to be distinct for over 135 years but was rediscovered from the Sikkim Himalayas by botanists from Kerala and Pune. It was found in the area around the Teesta river valley region.

It was first uncovered around 1862-70 by Scottish botanist Thomas Anderson from Sikkim and Darjeeling. After that, in 1875, it was again gathered from the Sikkim Himalayas by the British botanist Sir George King.

Top Things About The Globba Andersonii

• This plant is also known as dancing ladies or swan flowers, it was last seen in 1875, and after that, it was never seen, so people assumed that it had become extinct.
• This plant comes with small white flowers and non-attached anthers (they contain the pollen, which is part of the stamen).
• In the IUCN Red List of Threatened List, Globba Andersonii was also mentioned as an extinct species before 2020.

Globba Andersonii Habitat

• This plant is now called critically endangered or narrowly endemic because you will find it near the adjoining areas of the Teesta river between the Darjeeling hill ranges and the Sikkim Himalayas.
• It usually grows in the lush colony's outer areas of evergreen forests as lithophytes on rocky pitches.
• You will be able to see the Globba Andersonii around small waterfalls near the roadside that takes you to the hill forests approximately 400 to 800 m above sea level.

How can you grow Globba Andersonii?

As mentioned by the experts, the key to its survival is micropropagation. Its re-introduction to the culture, multiplication and tissue culture of this taxon in the natural habitat could help it thrive in the future.

Who found the Globba Andersonii after 135 years?

After its extinction, the Globba Andersonii was rediscovered by Sachin Punekar in July 2011. He is the creator of the city-based environmental NGO Biospheres. He was doing a field trip to Sevoke in Darjeeling, where he noticed this extinct plant species.

A few members helped him do the research, and their names were published in the international journal, 'Botany Letters'. Here they are:

• Jayakrishnan Thachat from the University of Calicut, who works in the Botany Department
• Mamiyil Sabu in Kozhikode, who works in the Institute for Plant Sciences
• Vadakkoot Sankaran Hareesh of the Malabar Botanical Garden, who works in the plant taxonomy division.

The rediscovery of the Globba Andersonii has caused a ripple of excitement in the scientific community. The efforts taken by Sachin Punekar and the team have been rewarded, and their names are now duly recognized in the context of this event. Occasions like these are an important reminder that nothing in science is immune to change. Even a plant once thought dead can be suddenly discovered to have been alive all along.

FAQs on Globba Andersonii

Q1) Where was Globba Andersonii discovered?

The Globba Andersonii was rediscovered in Sikkim Himalayas in 2011 by a team of researchers from Pune and Kerala.

Q2) What is the advice of the researchers who found the Globba Andersonii?

As per the researchers, to save the Globba Andersonii plant for the future, it is recommended to give total protection to the natural habitat of this taxon. If it is not kept under observation or proper attention, you never know it might become extinct again.

Q3) Was it Sachin Punekar alone who confirmed that the plant he discovered was Globba Andersonii?

Sachin Punekar stated that it took around nine years for him and the other three botanists from Kozhikode to perfect their findings and ensure that the discovered taxon was definitely the Globba Andersonii. In a nutshell: he was the one who found it, but further research was done by other botanists as well.

Q4) What are the different names of the Globba Andersonii?

The Globba Andersonii is also called Swan Flowers and Dancing Ladies.