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Western Ghats Yam Species Named After Kerala Cop
The New Indian Express Kannur
|September 02, 2025
A team of researchers from the state have named a new species of yam they discovered in the Western Ghats — Dioscorea balakrishnanii — after a police officer with the Kerala Police.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time a plant species is being named after Additional DySP V Balakrishnan.
In 2019, a species discovered in the Shola forests of Wayanad was also named after him — Tylophora balakrishnanii. And with good reason.
Before joining the police force, Balakrishnan, belonging to Aravath in Kasaragod district, was a researcher with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and was stationed at its Wayanad unit.
He went on to acquire a doctorate in 'Genetic Diversity of Wild Edible Yams of Southern Western Ghats' from Madras University after donning the police uniform. Currently, Balakrishnan is on deputation as the member-secretary of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.
The researchers who named the plant species after him said Balakrishnan was a pioneer in studying the tuber plant species in Wayanad.
This story is from the September 02, 2025 edition of The New Indian Express Kannur.
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