Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Itanagar: A team of researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has successfully rediscovered the rare flowering plant Geum macrosepalum in the alpine regions of Arunachal Pradesh. This significant botanical finding marks the first time the species has been scientifically documented in India in over 120 years, with the last reliable records dating back to 1905 in Sikkim.
The research team, consisting of botanists Subhajit Lahiri, Monalisa Das, and Sudhansu Sekhar Dash, located the plant near the strategically significant Sela Pass. Situated at an altitude of approximately 4,200 meters between the Tawang and West Kameng districts, the discovery occurred during an extensive study focused on climate change, plant migration, and floristic diversity within the eastern Himalayas. The team's findings have since been detailed in the international journal Phytotaxa.
Belonging to the rose family, Geum macrosepalum is distinguished by its unique pale yellow to ivory-colored, drooping blossoms, which are specially adapted to thrive in harsh, high-altitude environments. The plant typically inhabits alpine meadows and marshy terrain, areas that remain among the least explored landscapes in the Indian Himalayas. Due to its limited distribution and the environmental pressures facing these fragile mountain ecosystems, the researchers have classified the species as "Vulnerable" according to IUCN assessment parameters.
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