Western Ghat is one of UNESCO World Heritage Centre and also biodiversity hotspot in India. It traverse the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
JNTBGRI Research team spotted the wild nutmeg in the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, Southern Western ghats and given the name Myristica trobogarii
Nutmeg traces its origins to the Mollucas (Maluku Islands) in Indonesia. Myristica fragrans, widely cultivated in Kerala, with the reddish mace (aril, or the seed covering) of the nutmeg.
Myristica trobogarii has yellow mace & fruit is egg-shaped rather than round and bigger.
The discovery of new species of nutmerg is reported in Phytotaxa, an international plant taxonomic journal.
For more:
Govind, M.G., Dan, M. and Rameshkumar, K.B., 2020. Myristica trobogarii (Myristicaceae), a new species from southern Western Ghats, India. Phytotaxa, 437(4), pp.206-212.
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