Context
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Recently, scientists have found two new species of ginger from northeast.
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The Mahabharatha epic describes Bhima, the second among the five pandava brothers, going in search of the Kalyanasaugandhika, a flower with a heavenly fragrance, to satisfy Panchali’s desire.
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Scientists have deduced that the mythological plant described by Vyasa is Hedychium coronarium, also known as white ginger lily.
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Now researchers from the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute of Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, have discovered a close relative of Hedychium coronarium and Amomum arunachalense from the northeastern region.
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The new species is distinguished from others in the genus mainly by a white rhizome with a pale brown centre.
Key Details
Hedychium mechukanum
- It was during a floristic expedition in the eastern Himalayas that the team came across the new species Hedychium mechukanum from a location at Quing and Tato near the Mechuka valley in Shi-Yomi district, Arunachal Pradesh, at an altitude of 1,400 m.
Source: The Hindu - It was found to be largely similar to other plants of the Hedychium genus found in northeast India and China, but different in several attributes.
- The species was named after the small town Mechuka bordering China.
- The scientists observed that Hedychium mechukanum could be widespread in the region.
- IUCN: Data Deficient.
Amomum arunachalense
- Collected from Nirjuli in Papum Pare district, Arunachal Pradesh
- As many as 11 species of the Amomum genus are distributed in the northeastern and southern regions of India and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.