Current Context : A group of phycologists from the Department of Botany at Catholicate College in Pathanamthitta has discovered a new algal species  in the natural forests of Kumbhavurutty region in Kollam in Western Ghats.

• This discovery has been published in Taiwania, an International Journal of Biodiversity.
• This is the first time a species in the Oedocladium category has been recorded in

ABOUT :

• The name ‘sahyadricum’ refers to the Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri, which is rich in plant diversity.
• Features : dioecious and terrestrial, having a superior operculum, and possessing ellipsoid oogonium and oospore.
• The alga was found as a thin mat of elongated strands on damp soil. The species, which looks like moss protonema, is velvety green but turns yellowish-green as it matures.
• Rainy weather is likely needed for its abundant growth.

Algae play a significant role in ecosystems and have enormous economic importance in the world market, from high-value products to wastewater treatment.