In a remarkable botanical breakthrough, Hymenidium amabile, a rare plant species from the Apiaceae family, has been rediscovered in India after more than a century. A team of researchers from the Divisional Forest Office, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, in collaboration with the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), made the discovery near Lagong Tso Lake in Tawang district at an altitude of 4,654 meters.
The plant was last recorded from a specimen collected in Sikkim between 1906 and 1910. It was identified by researchers Dr. Manas Bhaumik, Mr. Suman Halder, and Dr. Anand Kumar, following initial observations by Mr. Tage Haniya, Mr. Abhijeet Das, and Mr. Lishi Tossu, under the leadership of Mr. Piyush A. Gaikwad, Divisional Forest Officer, Tawang. Their findings have been published in Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation by Cambridge University Press.
Originally described in 1912 from Chumbi Valley, Tibet, Hymenidium amabile—formerly known as Pleurospermum amabile—is known to occur in Bhutan, China, and India. The rediscovery not only confirms its presence in India but also highlights the immense floral diversity of the region. The plant was observed growing on rocky alpine slopes, with a small population of four to five mature individuals and a few immature ones. It is characterized by hollow, aromatic stems, pinnately compound leaves, white petiole wings with purple veins, dark purple petals, and a solitary umbel inflorescence.
