New plant species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: Researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered a new plant species from a wildlife sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said.

‘Phlogacanthus Sudhansusekharii’, the plant species recently discovered from Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Papum Pare district, belongs to the family ‘Acanthaceae’ and the ‘Phlogacanthus’ genus, they said.

The species is named to honor Dr Sudhansu Sekhar Dash, a scientist at the BSI, for his “significant contribution” to plant and ecological research in the Indian Himalayan region, the BSI officials said.

The detailed research paper on the new species has been published by the authors Samrat Goswami and Rohan Maity in the Indian Journal of Forestry.

The genus ‘Phlogacanthus’ comprises 13 species in India and is spread over mainly the northeastern and eastern Himalayan states, they said.

“The newly described species is closely allied to Phlogacanthus Guttatus (Wall) Nees, but differ in various morphological characters, mainly in its shape and size of calyx, staminodes and strikingly different corona colour,” a BSI official said.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has expressed delight over the development.

“The biodiversity of Arunachal Pradesh is wide & varied. In addition to the findings of new flora, researchers from @bsi_moefcc have identified a new plant species, named Phlogacanthus sudhansusekharii, in the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary,” Khandu said in a post in X.

“This discovery reminds us of our rich natural heritage & our responsibility to preserve it for future generations,” he added.