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Nilgiri Pearly Everlasting
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Nilgiri Pearly Everlasting
P Native Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Nilgiri Pearly Everlasting
Botanical name: Anaphalis beddomei    Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)

Nilgiri Pearly Everlasting is a beautiful species of Pearly Everlasting, easily recognised by the elliptic lanceshaped 5-ribbed leaves. Flower-heads are borne in corymbs up to 13 cm wide, carried on flower-cluster-stalks up to 6 cm. Flower-heads are white with yellow center, 4 mm wide; stalk 3 mm; receptacle less than 2 mm wide. Phyllaries, occuring in 3-5-series, are white; outer ones oblong-elliptic, 4 mm; inner ones oblong-lanceshaped, 3.5 mm. Pappus 15-20, bristly, 2.5 mm long. Bisexual florets are 15-20 in 3 or 4-series. Flower are yellowish, glanded; tube 2 mm; lobes 5. Stamens are 5. Female florets are 20-25 in 2 or 3-series. Flower tube 2 mm; lobes 5. It is a stout, somewhat shrubby plant covered with grey wool. Leaves are elliptic to lanceshaped, 10 x 2 cm, papery, densely woolly, prominently 5-ribbed, base narrow, semi-stem-clasping, tip pointed. Achenes are less than 1 mm, faintly ribbed, spinulose. Nilgiri Pearly Everlasting is endemic to Southern Western Ghats. Flowering: June-October.

Identification credit: J.M. Garg, Hussain Barbhuiya, Saroj Kasaju Photographed near Mullayanagiri peak , Karnataka.

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