Guwahati: Two plant species, new to science have been discovered from Sikkim, Chlorophytum sikkimense and Peperomia mangalbaria in a research led by Pramod Rai (Namchi, Sikkim), assisted by Professor Guido Mathieu (Belgium).
Rai is a botany scholar studying regional flora for the past 7 years. He has explored several regions of the state for floristic studies.
Chlorophytum sikkimense belongs to the botanical family Asparagaceae and the plant is related to some renowned plants such as the common spider plant, safed musli, etc. The species name sikkimense denotes the name of the state that the author named with pride.
Chlorophytum sikkimense is currently known only from the type locality-Sirisay forest in Namchi. The plant was predominantly growing under bamboo ( Dendrocalamus hamiltonii ) thickets on a well-drained loam of tropical mixed deciduous forest at an elevation of 656 m. Some individuals were growing in complete shade while others were in partial shade and some in open areas. Higher plants were observed mostly in open or less shaded areas. Growing in a home garden with relatively less shade resulted in bigger plants with branched scapes
Another one is Peperomia mangalbaria, from the Piperaceae family which is commonly called ‘Piper family’ and consists of common plants such as ‘black pepper’ and ornamental ‘peperomias’. The species name mangalbaria denotes a town in the Soreng district of the state, where the plant was first encountered.
Mangalbaria is a beautiful town with Mt Kanchenjunga in the background and is a cosy place to live.
India is one of the 12th megadiverse countries on Earth and Eastern Himalaya(EH) is one of the four biodiversity hotspots present in the country. Sikkim Himalaya(a part of EH is characterized by its unique topography with the presence of a wide range of biomes (tropics to alpine or approx. 300m to 8848m elevation) within the area of 7096 sq. km. Such features make the region biologically interesting. It is worth mentioning here that biologists still have not discovered all the species on Earth. Some are still waiting to be discovered and there is also a good chance for many to go extinct prior to their description. Biologist, Robert May argues that only 22% of biological species have been discovered and if we go with it, then India still has around 1,00,000 plants undiscovered.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
With the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) as its apex botanical institution for plant taxonomy, India has already kept pace with contemporaries in the study and classification of plants, including discoveries. A recent BSI report shows India is adding 300 new plant taxa annually and 4.4/annum from Sikkim (between 2018-22).
“While discoveries are necessary their conservation is even more important as a sustainable approach. More focus is needed in the tropics, which are biologically rich and developmentally active regions”, says Pramod Rai.
Also Read | EastMojo investigation: Submerged Sikkim dam was doomed from start