Guwahati: A team of botanists has discovered and described a new species of flowering plant from Northeast India, further highlighting the region’s rich and still underexplored biodiversity.
The species, named Impatiens nagorum, was discovered in Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagaland’s Kiphire district and formally described in the international journal Phytotaxa.
The research was carried out by Moaakum of Kohima Science College, Santanu Dey of Nagaland University, Wojciech Adamowski of the University of Warsaw, and Rajib Gogoi of the Botanical Survey of India.
Impatiens — commonly known as balsams or “touch-me-nots” — are flowering plants famous for their brightly coloured blooms and seed pods that burst open when touched. The Eastern Himalayas and Northeast India are among the world’s richest regions for this group of plants.
Found at an elevation of 2,336 metres in moist temperate broadleaf forests, the newly described species is currently known only from its type locality. Researchers recorded a population of around 20 individuals, suggesting that it may be rare and potentially vulnerable.
The plant grows up to 35 cm tall and bears distinctive purple flowers. It differs from closely related species in having serrated leaves, slightly hairy lateral sepals, and a deeper lower sepal that gradually tapers into a hooked spur.
Detailed scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies of its pollen and seeds further confirmed it as a distinct species.
The species name “nagorum” honours the Naga tribes of Nagaland, the indigenous communities of the region where the plant was discovered.
Nagaland, despite covering just over 16,500 sq km, is estimated to harbour around 2,250 plant species. Discoveries like Impatiens nagorum underline how much of Northeast India’s biodiversity remains undocumented — and how many species may still be waiting to be found under its forest canopy.
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