Botanists Find New Flowering Plant Species in Manas National Park

Guwahati: Botanists identified a new flowering shrub in Manas National Park. The discovery adds to the botanical record of Assam. Researchers published the findings on October 22 in the journal Phytotaxa.

Barnali Das of Pragjyotish College and Gauhati University, alongside Professor Namita Nath, described the plant as Osbeckia assamensis. It belongs to the Melastomataceae family. The team found the plant during surveys in the Himalayan foothills conducted between 2021 and 2025.

The perennial shrub stands 2 to 2.5 metres tall. It features large, opposite leaves and pink flowers on an unbranched stem. The plant blooms and fruits from September to February. "The discovery adds another species to the growing list of plants documented from Assam," the researchers noted in the study.

Scientists separated the new species from Osbeckia nayarii by comparing stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds. This plant carries 30 to 35 flowers per inflorescence, while O. nayarii holds only five to 12. It also possesses distinct stem hairs and longer seeds.

The plant currently only exists in its type locality within the park. Experts classify its status as Data Deficient under IUCN criteria. It grows near Alpinia, Maesa indica, and Dillenia pentagyna. Barnali Das previously worked with Namita Nath and Prashob Pulpra to find another species in the park named Osbeckia zubeengargiana.