About Heptapleurum assamicum:
- It is a new plant species.
- A lush, evergreen shrub, Heptapleurum assamicum was discovered in Assam’s Dima Hasao and West Karbi Anglong districts.
- It belongs to the family Araliaceae, which also includes the familiar ornamental “umbrella plant” (H. arboricola).
- However, this wild Assamese relative carries several distinctive traits:
- Its leaflets are narrow and lance-shaped, never more than 1.2 cm wide.
- Its flowers are a striking purple rather than the greenish-yellow of its ornamental cousin.
- Its compact inflorescences bear up to 15 flowers per umbel.
- The fruit, when ripe, turns a deep reddish-purple and is speckled with orange-red glands — an unusual feature even within the genus.
- The plant flowers between January and March, with fruits ripening by May.
- Its current known population is tiny and highly localised, making it potentially vulnerable to environmental changes.
- For now, it has been categorised as “Data Deficient” under IUCN criteria.
