Rare Himalayan flower rediscovered in Arunachal after 158 years

Itanagar: Botanists found a rare purple-blue flower in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh. The plant, Cyananthus hookeri, had been missing from Indian records for over a century. The last sighting happened in Sikkim back in 1867. Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India stumbled upon the find while trekking near Mago village in the Tawang district. They spotted the species growing on rocky slopes at 3,600 metres.

The team counted fewer than 50 mature plants. This tiny number prompted researchers to push for an endangered classification under international guidelines. The discovery appears in the latest issue of the journal Oryx. British botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker first documented the species during his own mountain travels long ago.

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein praised the field work. He said the event "highlights the state's extraordinary biodiversity and reinforces the need to conserve its fragile Himalayan ecosystems." The plant exists in China, Bhutan, and Nepal, but remains exceptionally hard to find on Indian soil.

This patch of the Eastern Himalaya serves as a major hub for plant life. Officials hope the find draws more attention to the need for protecting these remote, high-altitude habitats. Researchers Subhajit Lahiri, Monalisa Das, and Sudhansu Sekhar Dash led the survey that finally put the flower back on the map.