A tiny flowering plant found at Shirui Kashung peak, the natural habitat of Manipur’s state flower Shirui Lily (Lilium Mackliniae) under Ukhrul district turned out to be a carnivorous plant.
However, this tiny carnivorous plant is not going to do anything to the biodiversity of the Shirui Kashung peak, according to experts.
It only helps the plant to survive in situation where soil nutrients are insufficient.
The plant which grows up to 32 cm from nine cm from the ground and having finger-nail size five-petal white flower was spotted by a team comprising of flower and nature lovers during their recent visit to Shirui peak, 2835 m above sea level, to witness the real beauty of Shirui Lily last month.
Later, the identity of the flower has been established as Shield sundew (Drosera peltata), a carnivorous plant.
It is popularly known as Paamgaa in Nepali and Kitas in Hindi.
The flower is also available in other places including valley of flowers in Uttarakhand.
Basal leaves are densely whorled, which can be absent in many cases.
Upper leaves are the strangest leaves one would get to see.
They are shaped like shields, which probably is the origin of its common name, according to one of the visitor who incidentally happens to be the curator of popular website- www.flowersofindia.net.
Ten years plus old exclusive website (www.flowersofindia.net), meant for flower lovers, is aimed at having the local names, pictures and descriptions of all the flowers found in India.
These shield shaped leaves have hundreds of tentacles which hold a glad that produces the dew.
The dew is very thick and sticky. When an insect gets stuck to some dew, more tentacles move to get there dew covered glands against the insect to keep it from escaping.
The glands atop the tentacles then secrete acids and enzymes which dissolve the insect, the website said.
The glands then reabsorb the nutrient rich fluid.
The leaf stalk attaches to the center of the shield.
Generally each short stem has one or two leaves and a terminal single flower, which is flat, it added.
In May 2018, Khamatek Trekkers, a Ukhrul based trekkers team led by Mungchan ZimiK had also spotted a pale bluish pink lily which resembles Shirui Lily at the mountainous peak of Ngarei and Ngami Kaphung under Khamasom village in Ukhrul.