Researchers Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have found a rare plant which is sometimes called “The Indian Lipstick Plant” from the remote Anjaw district in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Indian Lipstick plant was first identified by British Botanist Stephen Troyte Dunn based on the samples collected by Botanist Issac Burkill, the plant (Aeschynanthus monetaria Dunn)is called the Lipstick plant due to its appearance of tubular red corolla, which some of its species possess.
The plant etmoglogically means shameful or feel embarrassed as it is derived from the Greek word “aischyne”.
The lipstick plant is found in damp and evergreen forests, at elevations ranging from 543 to 1134 m. The blossoming period is between October and January.
Chowlu gathered a few specimens of Aeschynanthus from Hyuliang and Chipru of Anjaw district in December 2021 during floristic studies in Arunachal Pradesh.
A recent review of the documents as well as a critical study of the fresh specimens confirmed that the specimens were Aeschynanthus monetaria, which had never been seen in India since 1912.
The species has been provisionally stated as “endangered” following the guidelines of IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature.
This is not the only achievement of Arunchal Pradesh, as it has a hub for many other discoveries evidencing its rich biodiversity. Though the state also faces some threats from the developmental activities taking place that can inadvertently harm the biodiversity of the State.
