About Didymocarpus nautiyalii:
- It is a new plant species.
- It was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Shi-Yomi district.
- It belongs to the Gesneriaceae, a family of flowering plants.
- The small herb grows on moist rock surfaces, including roadside walls and areas near waterfalls, in subtropical evergreen forests at elevations above 1,000 metres.
- It grows to only around 8 cm and has leathery leaves and distinctive bluish-purple flowers.
- The plant resembles Didymocarpus albiflorus but differs in several characteristics, including its much shorter stem, very short or absent leaf stalks, leathery leaf blades, smaller calyx, shorter bluish-purple corolla, and a hairless ovary.
- The researchers have currently assessed D. nautiyalii as ‘Data Deficient’ under the IUCN Red List criteria.
