In a discovery that reads like a chapter from a botanical mystery, scientists from Mizoram and Tamil Nadu have rediscovered Strobilanthes parryorum — a flowering plant last seen nearly a century ago in the lush hills of Mizoram.
The finding, published this week in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, marks the fi rst record of the species in 96 years and adds a vital piece to the puzzle of India’s vanishing fl ora.
The plant, first collected in 1927 by British botanist Mrs. Annie Dunnet Parry in what was then the Lushai Hills, had never been spotted again in India — until now. Mrs. Parry was the wife of Neville Edward Parry, Superintendent of the Lushai Hills under the British Empire.
The research team, led by Lucy Lalawmpuii and Kholhring Lalchhandama from Pachhunga University College in Aizawl, located the plant in November 2024 near Ailawng village, about 200 kilometers north of Darzo, the species’ original discovery site.
The team confirmed its identity after meticulous comparison with herbarium specimens preserved at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and further documented it with scanning electron microscopy and detailed morphological analysis.
Strobilanthes parryorum is a tall shrub, growing up to 2.5 meters, with pale yellow tubular flowers that bloom from October to January. It belongs to the genus Strobilanthes, known for its rare and gregarious flowering cycles — where entire populations bloom once after many years and then die.
This phenomenon, called plietesial flowering, makes these plants particularly elusive and diffi cult to document. For scientists, the rediscovery of S. parryorum is a remarkable event. “This is the first confirmed record of the species in almost a century,” the study notes, adding that fewer than 35 mature individuals were found in the wild.
The plant is endemic to Mizoram and its neighboring Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, indicating a highly restricted range and extreme rarity.
The researchers have proposed that the species be listed as ‘Data Deficient’ under the IUCN Red List, citing the lack of current population data and limited known localities.
However, they warn that habitat loss, deforestation, and shifting cultivation in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot — where Mizoram lies — may further threaten its survival.
Botanically, Mizoram’s landscapes are part of the Arakan-Yoma mountain system that connects India and Southeast Asia. The rediscovery of S. parryorum underscores this region’s vital ecological role as a bridge for species exchange between the Indian and Myanmar floras.
The study also pays homage to early botanical explorers like Cecil Ernest Claude Fischer, who first described the plant in 1928 based on Parry’s collections, crediting the scientific name to the discoverer.
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For nearly a century, her discovery remained a historical footnote — until modern-day field botanists retraced her steps through the misty forests of Ailawng.
Now, with new specimens safely preserved at the Madras Christian College Herbarium and fresh photographs added to scientific archives, S. parryorum stands as a living symbol of hope — proof that even species long thought lost can reappear when science, patience, and persistence meet in the wild.
According to Lalchhandama, because of the rarity and unusual reproduction habit of the plant, “This could be the last time we see the real live specimens of S. parryorum on Earth.”
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