ITANAGAR, 9 Nov: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday praised the team from the Itanagar Regional Centre of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) for discovering a new plant species, Crassicaulis middletonii, in West Siang district.
The CM described it as a remarkable discovery that once again underscores the rich and unexplored floristic wealth of the state.
Sharing the news on social media, Khandu said the species, belonging to the family Gesneriaceae, has been recorded as a new generic record for India and published in the international journal Taiwania.
“Arunachal Pradesh continues to surprise the world with its unmatched biodiversity. Every such discovery strengthens our resolve to conserve and celebrate our natural heritage,” the chief minister said in a post on X, congratulating researchers Krishna Chowlu, Akshath Shenoy and Althaf Ahamed Kabeer on their achievement.
Khandu said that such findings highlight the importance of continued scientific exploration and reaffirm the state’s position as a treasure trove of flora and fauna.
The new finding follows the recent reporting of Hoya chinghungensis and Hoya acuminata, two species recorded for the first time in India and Arunachal, respectively, during explorations in East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang and Longding districts of the northeastern state.
These back-to-back discoveries have drawn attention to Arunachal’s growing role in botanical research and conservation, BSI officials here said.
The Gesneriaceae family, known for its ornamental and ecologically valuable flowering plants, thrives in humid, forested habitats. In the Eastern Himalayas, several species are unique to the region, playing a key role in pollination and ecosystem stability.
The discovery of Crassicaulis middletonii further expands India’s botanical map and underlines the need for sustained conservation efforts in the biodiversity-rich mountains of Arunachal, they added. (PTI)
