A medicinal plant growing in different Himalayan ranges shows different potency and concentration of the active chemical (reserpine) that the plant produces. Identify the plant:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Rauwolfia vomitoria
Option (1) Papaver somniferum — Incorrect. This is the poppy plant. Opioids such as morphine are obtained from its latex. It does not produce reserpine.
Option (2) Rauwolfia vomitoria — Correct. This medicinal plant produces reserpine. Plants of the one species growing in different Himalayan ranges differ in the strength and amount of reserpine they make. This is an example of genetic diversity: variation inside a single species.
Option (3) Erythroxylum coca — Incorrect. This is the coca plant, native to South America. It is the source of the drug cocaine, not reserpine.
Option (4) Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Incorrect. This is yeast, a fungus and not a plant. It is used to make bread and ethanol.
NCERT Extract:
Biodiversity – …
