ITANAGAR, 14 Oct: A team of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has discovered Impatiens rajibiana, a new species of balsam flower found in the natural forests of Shergaon in West Kameng district, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Tuesday.
The BSI has identified many balsam species in India, including newly discovered ones from states like Arunachal Pradesh, such as Impatiens godfreyi and Impatiens sashinborthakurii.
While the total number of Indian species is around 230, well-known examples like Impatiens balsamina (garden balsam or touch-me-not) are also native to India and are widely cultivated.
“Heartiest congratulations to Dr Krishna Chowlu and her dedicated research team from the Botanical Survey of India for their remarkable discovery of Impatiens rajibiana – a new species of balsam found in the natural forests of Shergaon, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh,” Khandu wrote on X.
He said this scientific milestone not only enriches India’s floral diversity but also highlights the unmatched biodiversity of Arunachal, a true treasure of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
“Such achievements reaffirm the importance of continued scientific exploration and conservation of our pristine natural heritage. Kudos to the entire team for bringing this new discovery from Arunachal to the world of science!” Khandu said.
Scientists at the BSI have been actively involved in discovering and documenting new balsam species, particularly in Northeastern region.
Many of these species are endemic, meaning they are found only in the Northeast and often exist in very small numbers in their natural habitat.
India has about 230 known balsam species, with over 16 new ones discovered between 2013 and 2017 in Arunachal alone.
New orchid species discovered
Meanwhile, a team from the forest department discovered three new orchid species in Tawang district.
The discovery marks a significant addition to the state’s already rich orchid diversity.
The finding of the three orchid species – Agrostophyllum flavidum, Hemipilia calcicola, and Neottia listeroides – is of considerable botanical importance, as they include species previously known only from other regions of India and the Himalayas.
Agrostophyllum flavidum, an epiphytic orchid endemic to India, was first described in 1990 from the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Since then, no further records of the species had been reported. After a gap of 34 years, the orchid has now been rediscovered from the Mukto circle in Tawang district, marking its first known occurrence outside Meghalaya.
The second species, Neottia listeroides, earlier known from west to central Himalaya, is a leafless terrestrial orchid that cannot perform photosynthesis and relies on a symbiotic relationship with fungi to obtain nutrients. It was collected from a dense conifer forest in the Taktsang area of Tawang.
The third species, Hemipilia calcicola, is a small terrestrial orchid that grows in alpine meadows. The species was found at an altitude of 14,960 feet above sea level, during a botanical survey to Lunge (near the India-China border), conducted under the National Mission for a Green India. Earlier, the species had been reported from Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India.
Tipi (W/Kameng)-based Orchid Research Centre scientist-in-charge Dr Jambey Tsering said that these discoveries further cement Arunachal’s reputation as the ‘Orchid State of India’.
“Arunachal Pradesh is home to over 60% of India’s orchid species, representing one of the richest orchid floras in the world,” said Dr Tsering. “This latest finding highlights the ecological richness and unexplored floral diversity of the state’s high-altitude regions, which emphasizes the need for continued floristic studies in these less-explored Himalayan habitats.” (With PTI input)
