Guwahati: A plant last seen during the British era has been rediscovered in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh after 95 years, offering both hope and a stark reminder of the Eastern Himalaya’s fragile biodiversity.
Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have confirmed the recollection of Rhinacanthus grandiflorus, an exceptionally rare shrub endemic to the Abor Hills of Arunachal Pradesh.
Their findings, published in Phytotaxa, mark the first confirmed sighting of the species since 1928—making it one of the most significant botanical rediscoveries in the region. The species was originally collected by botanist I.H. Burkill in 1911 and later by the renowned plant explorer Francis Kingdon-Ward in 1928. Since then, it had essentially vanished from scientific records—until December 2023.
Akshath Shenoy, Senior Preservation Assistant at the Botanical Survey of India, stumbled upon a small cluster of this long-lost shrub near Sirki Waterfall in Siang district—the first time any botanist had encountered the species in nearly a century.
“We located barely 10 to 12 mature individuals in the wild. The population is hanging by a thread,” the authors report, urging immediate conservation measures.
Described in 1920, Rhinacanthus grandiflorus is distinguished by its long cylindrical corolla and delicate white-to-lilac flowers.
Taxonomists from BSI working on this group of plants examined the newly collected specimens through field photographs, high-resolution microscopy, and comparisons with type materials housed at the Central National Herbarium (Kolkata) and Kew Herbarium (London). Their analysis confirmed that the species—long thought possibly extinct—does survive, though perilously.
The plant is known from only three historical localities—Janakmukh, Ramidambang and Nizamghat—and now the newly recorded site near Sirki Waterfall. However, these habitats have been heavily altered due to agricultural expansion, jhum cultivation, road construction and recurring landslides and floods along the Siang and Dibang river systems.
The study also presents the first detailed threat assessment using IUCN Red List criteria, categorising the species as Critically Endangered.
Compounding concerns, the researchers found no verified herbarium specimens supporting earlier claims of its presence in Nagaland, confirming that the species is strictly endemic to Arunachal Pradesh, making its future even more precarious.
The authors warn that without urgent conservation steps—habitat protection, controlled propagation and sustained monitoring—Rhinacanthus grandiflorus may be lost forever.
They specifically call for authorities to launch site-based conservation efforts across the Siang and Lower Dibang Valley landscapes, which are already facing ecological strain from anthropogenic pressures.
For now, the sighting of these delicate, century-elusive flowers offers a rare but sobering reminder of the Eastern Himalaya’s hidden botanical wealth and its profound vulnerability.
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