Researchers report new variety belonging to ginger family

• Researchers from Mizoram and Kerala have identified a new plant variety, a wild relative of the edible ginger from Mizoram.
• The plant is of the species Zingiber neotruncatum but has unique traits which has prompted the researchers to report it as a distinct variety.

About Zingiber neotruncatum var. ramsawmii.

• Spotted in Aizawl and Mamit districts, it has been named Zingiber neotruncatum var. ramsawmii.
• In taxonomy, ‘variety’ ranks below species and subspecies and denotes singular traits that develop in plants of the same species, often due to geographical isolation, mutation, and breeding.
• Zingiber neotruncatum, which belongs to the family Zingiberaceae, was first collected and described by S.Q. Tong in 1987 from Jinghong, China.
• The new variety spotted in Mizoram has narrowly ovate, bright red inflorescence with white/creamy yellow flowers.
• The plant differs from the ‘parent’ species in a number of characteristics, including the colour and shape of the flowers, bracts, and bracteoles.

About Botanical Survey of India

• It is the country's top research institution, working under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEFCC), and
• It is responsible for conducting taxonomic and floristic studies on the country's wild plant resources.
• It was founded in the year 1890.
• It is divided into nine regional circles, each located in a distinct part of the nation. However, the organisation's headquarters are in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Functions of Botanical Survey of India

• Phytodiversity exploration, inventorying, and documenting in general, and protected areas, hotspots, and vulnerable ecosystems in particular.
• National, State, and District Floras are published.
• Identification of endangered and red-listed species, as well as species-rich habitats that require protection.
• Critically endangered species protection in botanical gardens.
• Survey and recording of plant-related traditional knowledge (ethnobotany).
• Creation of national database of Indian plants, complete with herbarium and live specimens, botanical drawings and images, and other resources.