Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana)

​Why in News?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has requested the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to direct Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to submit an annual plan of operation incorporating a conservation action plan for Neelakurinji.

​About Neelakurinji

Neelakurinji is a purplish-flowering shrub that blooms once every 12 years. It belongs to the Acanthaceae family and was first scientifically described in the nineteenth century by Nees von Esenbeck.

Flowering Characteristics

Neelakurinji is semelparous, meaning that it flowers and produces fruits at the end of its life cycle before dying. Its flowering and fruiting occur synchronously at intervals of approximately 12 years, a phenomenon reported since 1832.

Habitat and Distribution

Neelakurinji grows in the high-altitude shola-grassland ecosystems of southwestern India, at elevations ranging from 1,340 to 2,600 metres.

Its distribution is restricted to India, where it occurs across five mountain landscapes of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Its population distribution comprises 34 subpopulations across 14 ecoregions, including 33 in the Western Ghats and one in the Eastern Ghats.

Conservation Status

Neelakurinji is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List under criterion A2c, owing to approximately 40% habitat loss.

Cultural Significance

The Nilgiri Hills, whose name literally means Blue Mountains, are associated with the blue appearance created by Neelakurinji flowers during mass blooming.

The Paliyan tribes of Tamil Nadu traditionally use the flowering cycle of Neelakurinji as a reference for calculating their age.

Major Threats

Neelakurinji is threatened by the degradation of its fragile, high-altitude montane grassland habitat. The conversion of these grasslands into tea plantations and softwood plantations, along with urbanisation, places additional pressure on its survival.