Blooming of Alappuzha's Neelakurinji attracts motorists

ALAPPUZHA: The sight of the mystical Neelakurinji flowers with their purple foliage in AC Canal at Manakkachira in Kottayam is attracting motorists to head for the Alappuzha-Changanassery Road these days.
The breathtaking view of the blue flowers carpeting the canal is being widely shared on online platforms with titles like 'Blooming of Alappuzha's Neelakurinji'.
Shafeek Mohammed, a youth hailing from Thiruvalla, said: After the blooming of the water weeds, all the people arriving here are now busy taking pictures.
"I am a regular traveler through AC Road and I am seeing this view for the fist time. Due to the footfall of hundreds of motorists on a daily basis, locals have set up temporary shops and eateries near the canal to make some quick bucks," Shafeek says.
"The blooming is seasonal and is influenced by local environmental factors such as nutrient availability and sunlight. The blooming of one plant will induce the nearby plants to bloom in a synchronised manner. They will last for a few days before withering away. Once taken out of water, they wither very fast," said G Nagendra Prabhu, principal investigator, PG Department of Zoology and Research Centre, SD College, Alappuzha.
"Some farmers spray weedicides to kill the flowers as they attract insects which in turn will affect paddy. The flowers are a good source of natural pigments which should be explored. Our lab has recently isolated a pigment from these flowers for use in the dyeing industry and it secured the Best Paper Award in the 27th Swadeshi Science Congress held during November 7-9 at Amrita University, Kollam," he said.
Water hyacinth is an exotic plant which reached India from South America. It reproduces by producing seeds and by vegetative propagation.