Arunachal Pradesh: New Tree Species ‘Meiogyne arunachalensis’ of Custard Apple Family Discovered in Arunachal

ITANAGAR: According to researchers, rare tree species ‘Meiogyne arunachalensis’, that belongs to Custard Apple Family discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. Researcher Navendu Page noted this in a study that was published in the Edinburgh Journal of Botany's 19 May issue.

According to a report, this is the first species from the eastern Himalayan and Northeast India region and the third species to originate from India.

According to 19 May edition of the Edinburgh Journal of Botany,” The genus Meiogyne is distributed throughout South and Southeast Asia and includes approximately 33 described taxa. A new species, Meiogyne arunachalensis, is here described from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. This is the third species from India and the first from the Eastern Himalayan and Northeast Indian region. This species shows morphological similarity with Meiogyne maxiflora, a species distributed in Thailand, but it differs in a number of vegetative and reproductive characters. Meiogyne arunachalensis is the largest species of the genus described so far in terms of tree height and girth of the tree trunk. Detailed colour photographs are provided to highlight its morphological distinctness and facilitate identification in the field.”

Taking on twitter, Arunachal CM Pema Khandu wrote, “Discovery of Meiogyne Arunachalensis by scientists of @wii_india in associated with @ArunForests

& Hem Chandra Mahindra Foundation in the Adi Hills of East Siang district is yet another precious addition to the rich floral diversity of Arunachal Pradesh. The flower grows on the tree belonging to the family of custard apple.

Congratulations to the team.”

Additionally, it mentions that the species has only been discovered in Changlang district's Namdapha National Park and East Siang district's East Siang district. It was noted that it was also "likely to be found" in the intervening Lower Dibang Valley and Lohit districts, as well as in northern Myanmar's regions close to the Namdapha National Park.

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