Once thought extinct, a plant stars at Kerala’s Parambikulam Tiger Reserve during Wildlife Week
The exhibition as part of Wildlife Week at Parambikulam has been named after Haplothismia exannulata, a tiny plant that was found again in the forest 26 years ago after more than a century without a trace
Source: The Hindu Feed · October 5, 2026 at 4:32 AM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 5 OCTOBER 2026 —
The Wildlife Week exhibition at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve has been named after Haplothismia exannulata, a tiny plant that was rediscovered in the forest 26 years ago after more than a century without a recorded sighting, according to the source.
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The exhibition, titled ‘Haplothismia’, was inaugurated by Uma T., field director of the reserve, on Friday (October 2, 2026) and remained open to visitors through Sunday (October 4, 2026) with plans to continue until October 8, the source noted.
The choice of the plant as the exhibition’s name matters because it highlights a lesser‑known form of life that underscores the reserve’s broader biological diversity, the source explained. By focusing on a species that vanished from view for over a hundred years before being found again, the exhibition aims to shift attention from the reserve’s well‑known megafauna to the small organisms that form part of the forest’s ecological web, according to the source.
The exhibition opened on Sunday (October 4, 2026) and featured photographs of Parambikulam’s wildlife, landscapes and natural heritage, the source said. Its theme was described as “small wonders, wild landscapes, a shared tomorrow,” the source added. Uma T., field director of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, inaugurated the event on Friday (October 2, 2026), according to the source. The source noted that the exhibition would continue to beckon plant and wildlife enthusiasts to Parambikulam until October 8.
According to the source, Haplothismia exannulata was first collected in 1851 from the Parambikulam region. Subsequent searches failed to locate the plant, leading to doubts about its continued existence, and it was declared extinct in the 1990s, the source stated. The plant was rediscovered during a study in Parambikulam 26 years ago, which corresponds to the year 2000, the source explained. Botanists N. Sasidharan and P.
Sujanapal documented the find in a paper published in Rheedea in 2000, and their study recorded specimens collected in Parambikulam in October that year, the source said.
The source described Haplothismia exannulata as the only known species of its genus, a small, slender, pale‑cream plant that grows in shady forest areas on dark, humus‑rich soil. It appears during the monsoon season and flowers and fruits around October, the source noted. Parambikulam lists the plant among its rare species, reflecting the reserve’s wider biological diversity, according to the source.
The source quoted Parambikulam Tiger Reserve deputy director Nitish Kumar as saying, “Wildlife Week is an opportunity to celebrate not just individual species, but the entire ecosystem and the diversity of life that it supports,” and added that he continued, “Haplothismia reminds us that every component of the forest has a story and a role in the ecosystem.” Parambikulam Range forest officer Geo Basil Paul was also quoted by the source, stating, “When we think of Parambikulam, we naturally think of its tiger, elephant, hornbill and magnificent landscapes.