A team of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has discovered a new balsam species, Impatiens rajibiana, in the forests of Shergaon in West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated Dr. Krishna Chowlu and her team for the discovery, stating that it enhances India’s floral diversity and reinforces Arunachal Pradesh’s status as a key biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas.
The BSI has recorded several balsam species in Arunachal Pradesh, including Impatiens godfreyi and Impatiens sashinborthakurii. India hosts around 230 species of balsam, with the widely known garden variety being Impatiens balsamina.
According to experts, many balsam species in the Northeast are endemic and survive in small, localized populations. Between 2013 and 2017, more than 16 new species were documented in Arunachal Pradesh, highlighting the region’s rich yet fragile plant diversity.
