It has a tuberous root and climbs by utilising surrounding vegetation for support | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Two Botany students from Annamalai University in Chidambaram and their guide have discovered a new plant species in the grape family.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)
| Photo Credit: File photo
Manipal Academy of Higher Institution of Eminence (MAHE) in collaboration with Griffith University, Australia has launched a ‘Dual Award Doctoral Programme’ and formalised a joint commitment to establish the Griffith-MAHE Centre of Research Excellence at the MAHE Bengaluru campus.This initiative aims at addressing the growing need for globally connected and interdisciplinary doctoral training.The dual doctoral programme provides Ph.D scholars with access to academic supervisors from both MAHE and Griffith University. They will be enrolled in both the institutions simultaneously and will be awarded with doctoral degrees from both institutions upon completion. Scholars pursuing research will also earn a stipend ranging from ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 per month.Commenting on the partnership, Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, South Asia, Trade and Investment Queensland, said, “Queensland and India share a strong and growing relationship across education, research and innovation. Partnerships such as this demonstrate long-term institutional collaboration.”Both institutions will also establish a collaborative seed funding scheme, which is supported by an initial investment by Griffin University of AUD 1,00,000, which will be matched by MAHE, to support joint research projects over the next three years.On commenting on safety of Indian students studying in Australia Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice-Chancellor and President at Griffith University, said, “We at Griffith take issues such as safety extremely seriously. We provide foreign students all possible support required to stay and study comfortably at Griffith.”To enroll into the programme, students need to pass the entrance test conducted by MAHE. On the basis of the scores, interested students will get admission into the programme. MAHE also provides scholarships to the academicians pursuing research under the programme, “We, at MAHE, make sure that researchers get access to top quality facilities, irrespective of their economic background,” said Dr. Sharath K. Rao, Vice-Chancellor, MAHE.The programme launched with a focus on health and transdisciplinary research with further plans to expand into other fields, including engineering, information technology, digital health, sports science, and other emerging fields. Published - May 15, 2026 08:57 am IST
It has a tuberous root and climbs by utilising surrounding vegetation for support
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Two Botany students from Annamalai University in Chidambaram and their guide have discovered a new plant species in the grape family. Found in the southern Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, in Villupuram district, during a climb up the 290-foot-tall Sanjeevi hill for documenting plants, the species has been named Cyphostemma annamalaii after the founder of the university, Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiyar.“It has a different morphology from others in allied species. For instance, Cyphostemma setosum, an allied species, starts with a single leaf and ends with three leaves, and has an ovate-shaped fruit that is red. The petals are greenish-white on the top half, then becoming reddish brown. It also has medicinal properties and is used to treat stomach ulcers, and is antidiabetic and antimicrobial. Whereas Cyphostemma annamalaii is a climber with a round fruit that is yellow. The petals of the flowers are white or yellow. It starts with three leaves and ends with three leaves. The phytochemical analysis of the plant is nearing completion,” explained S. Akash, who, along with another PhD scholar, K. Manikandan, found the climber with its distinct leaves and fruit. They are presently pursuing their PhDs under A. Rajesh of the Department of Medicinal Botany, Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai.L. Mullainathan, a professor and HOD of Botany at Annamalai University, explained that the family Vitaceae Juss, commonly known as the grape family, comprises over 1,000 species belonging to 20 genera, of which Cyphostemma is the second largest genus, consisting of nearly 250 species. It is found in tropical and subtropical regions. “The students found the plant at an elevation of 86 m in that tropical dry forest in Panaimalaipettai,” he added.Mr. Manikandan said that the plant was growing in open, scrubby vegetation. It had a tuberous root and climbed by utilising surrounding vegetation for support. “Over a period of one year, we documented 287 species found on the hill. Locals use a lot of these plants. Some are used for fodder and others for medicinal purposes. They also collect wood for fuel and honey from the tall trees inside the dense forest area. It is also a sacred grove and has two temples — one attributed to Perumal, which is located inside a cave, and another, a Shivan temple. We saw animals including snakes such as the king cobra, porcupines, garden lizards, butterflies, and eagles. There are no steps leading to the temples,” he added.Mr. Rajesh explained that the species was officially published in the journal Phytotaxa in March 2026. “The herbarium with the dried plants has been submitted to St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchi and to the Botanical Survey of India in Coimbatore. This find has been reviewed by experts in Vitaceae, which means Cyphostemma annamalaii is indeed a new species. Even locals do not have a name for it.” Published - May 07, 2026 04:08 pm IST
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