A rare flowering plant species believed to have disappeared from India for more than a century has been rediscovered in the alpine region of Arunachal Pradesh, bringing renewed attention to the ecological importance of the eastern Himalaya.
Researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) recently rediscovered Geum macrosepalum, a rare and vulnerable plant species, during a botanical survey near the strategically important Sela Pass in western Arunachal Pradesh. Officials said the species was last officially recorded in India in 1905 from Sikkim.
The plant, which is endemic to the eastern Himalayan region, was found growing in alpine meadows and marshy terrain at an altitude of around 4,200 metres between Tawang and West Kameng districts.
The rediscovery was made during a field study carried out under a project examining the impact of climate change on floristic diversity and the migration of vascular plants in alpine and subalpine regions of western Arunachal Pradesh.
The research team comprised botanists Subhajit Lahiri, Monalisa Das and Sudhansu Sekhar Dash. According to scientists involved in the study, the rediscovery is significant because only limited historical records of the species were available after its collection from Sikkim more than a century ago.
The findings have been documented in the international scientific journal Phytotaxa, which described the rediscovery as an important contribution to the understanding of the fragile eastern Himalayan ecosystem.
Scientists said Geum macrosepalum belongs to the rose family and is known for its pale yellow to ivory-yellow flowers with reddish tinges. The plant also has drooping blossoms, a characteristic considered an adaptation to the harsh climatic conditions of high-altitude alpine regions.
Researchers noted that the species survives in one of the least explored landscapes of the Indian Himalaya, where difficult terrain and weather conditions have limited extensive scientific exploration for decades.
Using assessment guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the research team classified the species as “vulnerable” in India due to its restricted distribution and increasing threats to its habitat. Scientists pointed to developmental activities and ecological disturbances in fragile mountain ecosystems as major concerns affecting the survival of such rare species.
The researchers said the rediscovery highlights the urgent need for more intensive floristic studies and long-term conservation measures in Arunachal Pradesh, which forms part of the globally recognised eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.
The eastern Himalayan region is known for its rich biodiversity and is home to several endemic and rare species of plants and animals, many of which remain undocumented because of the remoteness of the terrain.
