Itanagar: A team of botanists has discovered a new species of Berberis in the high-altitude forests of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
The new species, named Berberis myriovula, boasts up to 17 ovules in a single ovary—the highest count ever recorded among the 400-500 known Berberis species globally.
This finding was made during an ongoing floristic survey by research scholar Bipankar Hajong and scientist Dr. Pankaj Bharali from CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, alongside UK scientist Dr. Julian Harber.
“This biodiversity-rich Eastern Himalaya has emerged as a hotspot for Berberisspecies, many of which remain unrecognised by science,” Dr Bharali said.
“Previously, most Berberis species recorded in Asia bore fewer than 15 ovules per ovary. A limited number, including B calliantha and B tsangpoensis, have been known to reach this number, primarily among single-flowered or few-flowered fascicled species from Tibet and Nepal. The new species, B myriovula, surpasses them with up to 17 ovules in its solitary flower, making it unique within the genus,” he added.
According to Harber (2020), ovaries with high ovule counts are rare and generally found only in a handful of Asian species,” it said.
“Our findings not only add to this rare group but also push the known boundary of ovule number in Berberis, hinting at a potentially adaptive feature in this Himalayan lineage” the researchers said.
The genus Berberis, belonging to the family Berberidaceae, is the largest in the group and predominantly found in Asia, with about 285 species in China and 22 in Nepal.
“Despite such diversity, areas like western Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh remain poorly explored,” they said.
This new discovery, along with the team’s earlier reclassification of Berberis setifolia from the same region (which has up to 13 ovules), underscores the distinctiveness of Himalayan Berberis. Globally, only two species from South America have been documented with more than 10 ovules, further emphasizing the significance of B. myriovula.
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This discovery not only enriches our understanding of Himalayan plant diversity but also reinforces Tawang’s ecological importance as a center of endemism. “With continued research, we may yet uncover more botanical treasures from these unexplored valleys,” the researchers noted.
