267 New Plant Species Discovered In India, 202 Completely New To Science

India's botanical authority recently added 267 new plant species to the country's local flora. In 2020, the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) had discovered a total of 267 plant species, out of which 202 species are entirely new to science. At the same time, 65 other species had never been reported from India before.

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Which plant species were discovered?

The new discoveries were unveiled in BSI's report titled "Plant Discoveries 2020", released by India's environment ministry on Monday. The new discoveries include 119 species of seed plants, 57 species of fungi, 44 belonging to lichens, 21 algae species, 18 species of microbes, five plant species of bryophytes along with three species of fern and its relatives.

Also read: Meat And Dairy Cause 57% Carbon Emissions, Twice As Much As Plant-Based Food

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Every year, the BSI compiles new discoveries in the world of fauna from India as part of its documentation exercise. India is signatory of the "Convention on Biological Diversity" envisioned to conserve pants globally.

India's plant species account for 7 per cent of all species in the world. So far, 45,000 species have been identified in India. Out of these, 28 per cent are only found in India.

Where are the new plant species found?

According to the BSI, flora in India is mainly found in three regions - the Himalayas, the Western Ghats and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands situated in the Bay of Bengal. These three regions are considered "global biodiversity hotspots". In the previous year, 350 plant species were discovered and documented by BSI officials.

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Also read: This Plant-Based Air Purifier Made By Indian Scientists Lowers Pollution In 15 Minutes

TOI cited officials as claiming that COVID-19 has restricted the ability of scientists to keep up with research and field trips. These astounding numbers coming in on a yearly basis indicate how vast and diverse India's flora is. In fact, known species of plants could by outstripped by those we haven't found yet.

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