Guwahati: In a remarkable botanical rediscovery from the Eastern Himalaya, scientists have found Vaccinium piliferum — a rare and endangered wild relative of blueberry — in Arunachal Pradesh nearly 188 years after it was first documented during the colonial era.
The species was rediscovered during field surveys conducted in Vijoynagar in Changlang district by researchers from the Society for Education and Environmental Development (SEED), CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), and collaborating institutions.
The findings were recently published in the international journal Feddes Repertorium.
Researchers said the plant was first collected in November 1836 by British botanist William Griffith from the Mishmi Hills of present-day Arunachal Pradesh. Another collection was later made from Meghalaya’s Khasi Hills in 1850 by renowned botanists Joseph Dalton Hooker and T. Thomson. However, no confirmed record of the species existed after that, making the latest discovery one of the rarest botanical rediscoveries from Northeast India in recent years.
The newly discovered population was found growing along tributaries of the Noa-Dihing river near Vijoynagar at altitudes ranging between 1,150 and 1,280 metres. Scientists documented only 16 individual plants spread across a roughly 2 sq km area, with most of them occurring far apart from each other.
Already classified as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List, the species faces serious threats because of its extremely restricted population and fragile habitat. Researchers have now provided GPS coordinates of all the identified plants to support future monitoring and conservation efforts.
The plant belongs to the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and cranberries. Scientists described it as a climbing shrub that can grow up to 4.5 metres tall, often attaching itself to trees in forested landscapes. It produces pale green, bell-shaped flowers and dark purple berry-like fruits covered with a whitish-blue waxy coating similar to blueberries.
According to the study, the rediscovered population also revealed several previously undocumented characteristics, including its epiphytic growth habit, reddish leaf margins, glaucous floral structures, and blueberry-like fruits.
The rediscovery once again highlights the ecological richness of Arunachal Pradesh and the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, a region known for harbouring rare and poorly studied species.
Scientists said the finding underlines the urgent need for stronger conservation measures and continued botanical exploration in remote Himalayan forests before such species disappear unnoticed.
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