Current Affairs

New pink-flowering shrub species 'Osbeckia assamensis' discovered in Assam's Manas National Park

30 October 2026 · English Environment & Ecology

New pink-flowering shrub species 'Osbeckia assamensis' discovered in Assam's Manas National Park

Topics: States, Tax, Environment, Culture & Awards · 30 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

A new flowering plant species, 'Osbeckia assamensis', has been found in the grasslands of Manas National Park, Assam. The paper by researchers Barnali Das and Namita Nath was published in the journal 'Phytotaxa' on 22 Oct 2026, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced it on 26 Oct. It was found during field surveys in 2021–2025; the first specimen was collected on 8 Oct 2022. It is a perennial shrub (2–2.5 m) of the family Melastomataceae, with pink flowers (3–3.5 cm), 30–35 per cluster, flowering from September to February.

Key facts

SpeciesOsbeckia assamensis – family Melastomataceae
LocationGrasslands of Manas National Park, Assam
StudyBarnali Das, Namita Nath; 'Phytotaxa', 22 Oct 2026
FeaturesPerennial shrub, 2–2.5 m; pink flowers 3–3.5 cm; 30–35 per cluster
DifferenceDiffers from the related O. nayarii in stem, leaves, flower arrangement, hairy calyx margins and seed size
Flowering / statusSept–Feb; assessed 'Data Deficient' under IUCN criteria

Background

  • Manas National Park lies in the Himalayan foothills of Assam. It became a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site in 1985 and was on the 'In Danger' list from 1992 to 2011. In 1973 it was among the first tiger reserves under Project Tiger.
  • Geography: the park is named after the Manas River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra, and borders Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park to the north.
  • Wildlife: tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, the pygmy hog (the world's smallest wild pig), Bengal florican, Asian elephant and gaur.
  • Botany: Melastomataceae is one of the ten largest families of flowering plants (order Myrtales). 'Kaya' (Memecylon umbellatum) of the same family grows in South India and Sri Lanka; its leaves contain a yellow dye.

Tamil Nadu link: the Southern Regional Centre (Southern Circle, 1955) of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) is at Coimbatore; the old 'Madras Herbarium' was moved from Chennai to Coimbatore and handed over to it. 'Kaya' (Memecylon umbellatum), a member of Melastomataceae, also grows in Tamil Nadu.

Source: ThePrint, Telangana Today (26 Oct 2026); UNESCO World Heritage listing; BSI website

Join our UPSC classroom or online batch: UPSC coaching in Coimbatore · Fees · Call 99941 46662.

Get daily current affairs & exam alerts – follow us YouTube WhatsApp Channel Telegram Channel Facebook Page Instagram
Share with friends & study groups
Link to this page from your website / blog (HTML code)
More news from the same day
› Chidambaram Nataraja temple: Madras High Court sets up retired judges-led committee to oversee administration › ₹38,000 crore Thoothukudi shipyard: talks with HD Hyundai – Detailed Project Report within six months › Direct recruitment to TN Government posts: upper age limit raised by 5 years – CM Vijay's order; 37 years for Group-I general category › CM Vijay to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at Davos, Switzerland (18–22 Jan 2027) › TN Cabinet approves incentives for eight industrial projects worth ₹3,767 crore; 4,853 jobs › India's green hydrogen offtake contracts cross 5.5 lakh tonnes a year – world's largest, says MNRE › Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia named Vice Chief of the Air Staff; takes over on 1 Nov › CCS clears 8 Next Generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy at over ₹40,000 crore All news of this day → All current affairs →

BANK Achievers

  • New pink-flowering shrub species 'Osbeckia assamensis' discovered…

    P. VIVEK KUMAR

    BANK BANK