Extinct grass species rediscovered at Jog Falls

KARWAR: A rare grass species, which is considered endemic only to Sharavati Valley and also found on the rocks near Jog Falls, and which was assumed to be extinct, has been rediscovered by Prof Yadav.Prof Yadav is a botanical scientist working in Shivaji University, Kolhapur, and he has published his findings in the science journal, Current Science.“This grass (botanical name Hubbardia heptaneuron) grows on wet rocks, so the rocks near Jog Falls provide favourable conditions for its growth,” says Jaykar Bhandari, a botanist.It was first noticed by British botanist Sedwick in 1919. Two other Brits, Halberg and Mecon, had also documented the presence of Hubbardia grass at the same spot in the same year.But later, all efforts to trace the grass proved futile and it could not be traced for almost nine decades.This forced the researchers to conclude that the species had become extinctHowever, a team of researchers headed by Prof Yadav visited the Jog Valley a few months ago and rediscovered the grass.According to scientists, nature has its own was of recuperating — the rediscovery of Hubbardia being a concrete example.The Department of Bio Diversity in association with Kolhapur University and ‘ATREE’, a research institution in Bangalore, has taken up a project to develop and protect the grass species in 16 places along the Western Ghats, including the Jog Valley.