Scientists left stunned after discovering a 'Giant' in Arunachal

Guwahati: Deep in the lush, mist-draped forests of Arunachal Pradesh, a towering botanical marvel has come to light—a plant so extraordinary that it challenges what we know about its genus. Strobilanthes gigantea, newly described by scientists of the Botanical Survey of India, is no ordinary flower. It is a giant among its relatives, a shrub that reaches up to six meters, sometimes as a small tree.

For Dr Krishna Chowlu and his team—Rohan Maity, Ajit Ray, Kadher Althaf Ahamed Kabeer, and Sudhansu Sekhar Dash from the Botanical Survey of India—the discovery was nothing short of thrilling. Found in the Lower Dibang Valley district, this new species belongs to Strobilanthes, a group of plants known for their unpredictable and sometimes rare flowering cycles. The species name gigantea was chosen to reflect its enormous size, which sets it apart from its closest relatives in the Western Ghats.

It all happened during botanical explorations to document the floristic diversity of Arunachal Pradesh, when the team encountered an intriguing population of unusually tall Strobilanthes. The scientists consulted the relevant literature in comparison with the species found in India and neighbouring regions and found it to be still an undescribed species.

Krishna Chowulu who is associated with the study says she came across and collected it in flowering condition from Hunli in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Rohan Maity saw the same species in vegetative condition repeatedly in Papum Pare district, en route to Lal Ane Community Reserve Forest near Tapo village during his PhD studies in 2020 and 2021.

Unlike the common flora that blooms predictably each year, Strobilanthes gigantea plays by its own rules.

Observations suggest that it flowers only once every 3–4 years, making it one of nature’s rare spectacles. But even that remains a mystery, as scientists have only seen it flower once, in 2024. Such infrequent flowering means that botanists must be in the right place at the right time to witness it—a challenge in the remote, rugged terrain of Arunachal Pradesh.

The species is found on hilly open slopes with ample sunlight, in the subtropical forests of Arunachal Pradesh between 1000 and 1800 metres at sea level. The plants show gregariously habit but in very restricted and localised populations.

Its unique floral structure makes S. gigantea an unmistakable sight in the wild. Unlike its relatives, it has densely packed, overlapping bracts on an uninterrupted inflorescence. The corolla, with its slightly curved tube and recurved lobes, gives it an almost otherworldly beauty. Most strikingly, its staminal curtain has wings—a feature rarely seen in other species.

But while this giant has managed to stay hidden for centuries, its survival is now under threat. The species is known from only two locations—Hunli in the Lower Dibang Valley and a site near the Lal Ane Community Reserve Forest in Papum Pare district, where it was observed in vegetative form during PhD studies in 2020 and 2021.

Human activities, including road expansion, forest clearings, and jhum cultivation, have altered its habitat. However, due to a lack of data, Strobilanthes gigantea has been placed in the “Data Deficient” (DD) category of the IUCN Red List.

The discovery of Strobilanthes gigantea is a testament to the unexplored botanical richness of Northeast India. Arunachal Pradesh, already home to 41 species of Strobilanthes, continues to surprise scientists with new finds, reinforcing its status as a biodiversity hotspot.

For now, this hidden giant remains an enigmatic jewel of the Himalayas—rare, fleeting, and a reminder of the delicate balance between nature’s wonders and human impact. The challenge is to study it further before its secretive blooms fade into oblivion.

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