A team of Indian botanists has discovered a new plant species, Ophiorrhiza mizoramensis, from Murlen National Park in Champhai District, Mizoram — a discovery that further cements the state’s reputation as a biodiversity hotspot in Northeast India. The species, belonging to the Rubiaceae family, was described by Renthlei Lalnunfeli of the Department of Botany, Madras Christian College (Chennai), and Lucy Lalawmpuii of the Department of Life Sciences, Pachhunga University College (Aizawl), along with co-researchers Pochamoni Bharath Simha Yadav, Subbiah Karuppusamy, and Paulraj Selva Singh Richard.
Distinguished by its unique floral structure, leaf arrangement, and seed morphology, Ophiorrhiza mizoramensis differs markedly from its closely related species such as O. gajureliana, O. ripicola, and O. ochroleuca. The plant bears dark purplish-pink tubular flowers and grows in the dense, shaded understory of Murlen’s montane forest ecosystem. Through extensive fieldwork and comparison with global herbarium specimens, the team confirmed it as a species new to science.
Their findings, published in Feddes Repertorium, also classify Ophiorrhiza mizoramensis as “Critically Endangered (CR–D)” under IUCN Red List criteria, owing to its very limited distribution and habitat vulnerability. Researchers from Pachhunga University College played a vital role in the discovery, combining field expertise and local ecological knowledge to document and study the species. The discovery underscores the growing contributions of Mizoram-based scientists to international botanical research and the urgent need to preserve the region’s fragile forest ecosystems.
