Botanical Survey of India Rediscovers "Lipstick Plant" In Arunachal Pradesh After A Century

"Lipstick Plant" (Aeschynanthus monetaria Dunn), a rare plant from a remote district of Anjaw in Arunachal Pradesh was discovered by researchers at the Botanical Survey of India. First identified by British botanist Stephen Troyte Dunn in 1912, it is based on plant samples collected in Arunachal Pradesh by another English botanist, Isaac Henry Burkill, as per PTI reports.

BSI scientist Krishna Chowlu in an article published in the journal called Current Science on the discovery said, “Some of the species in the genus Aeschynanthus are known as lipstick plants because of their tubular red corollas.”

The Aeschynanthus Jack (Gesne-riaceae) journal stated that one can find an epiphytic evergreen tropical Asian genus with 174 species, from southern China to tropical Asia. In India, the plant’s genus is represented by twenty-six taxa, a catch-all term for the classification rankings; i.e. domain, kingdom, phylum, etc. 

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Reportedly, from a stringent inspection of the fresh samples, as well as a review of the pertinent records, it was found that they were Aeschynanthus monetaria, a species that had not been assembled from India since Burkill in 1912. The genus name Aeschynanthus is emanated from the Greek aischyne or aischyn, which signifies “shame” or “embarrassment,” and anthos, which means flower. 

The corpulent spherical leaves of Aeschynanthus monetaria Dunn are fundamentally exceptional and uncommon among other Aeschynanthus species known from India. It has a greenish top surface and a purplish green below the surface. The term monetaria in its name directs at the semblance of the plant's leaves, which are fresh like mint leaves. 

A lot of rediscoveries of different species in Arunachal speak of the rich biodiversity of the state and experts say that more dedicated explorations are needed to unravel further.

The plant grows in moist and evergreen forests, ranging from 543 to 1134 m elevations. The flowering and fruiting time is between October and January.

In India, the plant species has been categorised as 'endangered', following the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard the discovery. "Landslides are frequent in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. Developmental activities such as broadening of roads, construction of schools, new settlements and markets, and jhum cultivation are some of the major threats to this species in Arunachal Pradesh," Chowlu said in the abstract section of the fortnightly journal of research, Current Science. 

Feature Image Credit: NDTV.