Kozhikode: S B Rithuparna, a research student from Koyilandy, has identified a new plant species in the Himalayas. Collaborating with Associate Professor Dr Vinita Gowda, they named the newly discovered plant ‘Didymocarpus janakiae’ in honour of Dr E Janaki Ammal, India's pioneering woman botanist from Thalassery.

The plant belongs to the genus Didymocarpus within the African violet family and was located in the tropical forests of West Kameng district, situated on the border between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh. Typically found among rocks, only a small population of approximately twenty plants has been observed.

Rithuparna and Dr Vinita Gowda recommend classifying this plant under the Critically Endangered category in the IUCN Red List to safeguard it from potential threats posed by road construction and tourism development.

Their findings were detailed in a paper published in the Nordic Journal of Botany. Rithuparna's achievement has garnered international recognition, earning her an invitation to present her research at the World Botany Conference in Madrid, Spain on July 16.

Rithuparna, daughter of NV Balakrishnan and K Shantha, former chairperson of Koyilandy Municipal Corporation, currently pursues her research studies at IISER, Bhopal.