THRISSUR: Noted botanist Kattungal Subrahmanyan Manilal known as K S Manilal passed away. He was 86. He died following age-related ailments. He died at a private hospital in Thrissur. He was the former head of the Department of Botany in the University of Calicut. Manilal translated the ancient botanical treasure Hortus Malabaricus to the modern world, into Malayalam and English through research.

He was born on September 17, 1938, in Paravur, Vadakkekkara, to A Subrahmanyan and K K Devaki. After his graduation from Maharaja's College in Ernakulam, he did his PhD in Botany from Sagar University, Madhya Pradesh in 1964. He then joined Calicut Centre as a lecturer in the Department of Botany. He later became the head of the department of Botany in the University of Calicut. Manilal was promoted to Professor in 1976. He became senior professor and head of the department in 1986.

His books include Flora of Calicut (1982), Flora of Silent Valley (1988), Botany and History of Hortus Malabaricus (1980), An Interpretation of Van Reed's Hortus Malabaricus (1988), and Hortus Malabaricus and the Socio-Cultural Heritage of India (2012). Manilal is a researcher who has introduced 19 new plant species to the scientific world. Four plant species are named after him.