Emblica chakrabartyi

●The species belongs to the gooseberry (Phyllanthaceae) family.

●It has been named after Tapas Chakrabarty, former scientist at the Botanical Survey of India, for his contribution to the study on Phyllanthaceae.

●Features

○Tree height: approximately 2 metres. Leaves: large with a shiny elongated oval shape of up to 13 cm.

○The flowering and fruiting occur during December to June. Male flowers are found in inflorescence whereas females ones are in single, on the leaf axils.

○Each flower bears yellowish green coloured six petals. The fruits are brown to black when they ripen and the seeds are black about 8-9 mm diameter.

○Generally grown as shrubs in tropical rainforests.

○55 species of the genus Emblica have been recorded all around the world.

○The new plant is the eleventh from India.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Which of the following statements about Emblica chakrabartyi, a newly discovered plant species, is correct?

a) It belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae).
b) It was named after a scientist from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
c) Only 2 species of the genus Emblica have been recorded all around the world.

d) It is the eleventh species of the genus Emblica found in India.

Answer: d)