A rare plant, which is often called as the “Indian lipstick plant”, has been rediscovered by the researchers of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) recently in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh after over 100 years.
The Indian lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus Monetaria Dunn) was first identified by British botanist Stephen Troyte Dunn in 1912, based on the plant samples gathered from Arunachal Pradesh by another English botanist, Isaac Henry Burkill.
Word is derived from Greek word which means embarrassment
According to the summary of the Current Science Journal, the genus Aeschynanthus is derived from the Greek words aischynanthus or aischynanthus, which means embarrassment or embarrassment, respectively, and anthos means flower, generally implying a corolla of red flowers increase.
“Due to the appearance of tubular red corolla, some of the species under the genus Aeschynanthus are called lipstick plants,” BSI scientist Krishna Chowlu said.
A review of the documents and critical study of fresh specimens confirmed that the specimens were Aeschynanthus monetaria, which had never been obtained from India since 1912.
“Landslides are common in the Anjau district of Arunachal Pradesh. Development activities such as road widening, school construction, new settlements and markets, and shifting cultivation are the largest for this species in Arunachal Pradesh. It’s part of the threat, “Chowlu said in a summary of the Current Science report.
The plant grows in moist and evergreen forests, at elevations ranging from 543 to 1134 m.
Aeschynanthus monetaria Dunn is unique and distinct species
Aeschynanthus monetaria Dunn is morphologically unique, unlike all Aeschynanthus species known in India, with greenish-green leaves on the top and purplish-green leaves on the bottom. The specific adjective monetaria means “mint” and hints at the appearance of its leaves.
