A rare flowering plant discovered in the remote Jatinga Hills of Assam's Dima Hasao district has opened up fresh scientific evidence of a possible biodiversity link between northeast India and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, researchers said.
Discovery and Significance
The species, Heliotropium ovatum of the Heliotropiaceae family, was identified during a joint field study by researchers from Assam University and the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya. The finding marks the first confirmed record of the species from mainland India, significantly extending its known distribution range, Assam University sources said on Monday.
The research was conducted by Assam University researcher Kankan Kumar Das and Selim Mehmud of USTM under the guidance of Prof Debajyoti Bhattacharyya of the department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University. Their findings have been published in the journal National Academy Science Letters.
Botanical Connection
What has drawn particular attention among botanists is the species' previously known presence in India only in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The discovery in Assam now suggests an intriguing botanical connection between the geographically distant regions, offering new clues about historical plant dispersal and evolutionary patterns across the Indo-Burma and island ecosystems. Although older reports had mentioned the species from Arunachal Pradesh, later taxonomic reviews failed to validate those records. Outside India, the plant is known from Myanmar and Thailand.
Researchers said an extensive review of digital herbarium records of the Botanical Survey of India and major northeastern and Kolkata-based herbaria revealed no authenticated specimen of Heliotropium ovatum from mainland India before the Assam discovery.
Habitat and Characteristics
The plant was found growing among large rocks near a stream in the Jatinga Hills under direct sunlight exposure. Only five to six mature individuals were located at the site, raising concerns about its rarity and conservation status in the region.
The shrub can grow up to two metres tall and bears clusters of greenish-white flowers arranged in branched inflorescences. Flowering has been recorded between November and December.
Apart from confirming the plant's mainland occurrence, the researchers also documented a previously unreported morphological characteristic, which they believe could aid future taxonomic and ecological studies.
Conservation Implications
Scientists say the discovery reinforces the ecological significance of the hill ecosystems of Assam and underlines the need for more detailed biodiversity surveys in the northeast, a region considered one of the world's major biodiversity hotspots.
