PLANTS THAT INDIA GAVE THE WORLD

Abstract

Prof. Panchanan Maheshwari was one of the world’s leading botanists. He is recognised for his research in the field of embryology and tissue culture. Prof. Maheshwari established embryology as a distinct discipline of study in India. He also had a significant role in bringing out the very first textbooks of Biology for Higher Secondary Schools published by NCERT in 1964. In this review, Prof. Maheshwari highlights several significant plants that originated in the Indo-Malayan region and spread globally—sugarcane, rice, cotton, tea, mango, banana and pepper. He also discusses remarks about these plants in ancient texts and gives brief historical accounts of the discovery and spread of these plants to the world.