A rare flowering sighted for the first time in Manipur

Our Correspondent
Imphal, March 3 (EMN): A rare small flowering shrub has been photographed for the first time at Barak Waterfall, a well known tourist destination in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

The small flowering shrub, identified as East-Himalayan Eranthemum (Eranthemum strictum), was photographed recently by this reporter at Barak Waterfall.

The identification credit of the small shrub also known as Neel vasooka goes to Tabish Qureshi of one of India’s most popular flower websites www.flowersofindia.net. Tabish claimed that this plant has never been reported from Manipur. It was only known from Assam, Meghalaya, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

On report of sighting similar photos of the flowering shrub on the web, he said that they are different. But not easy to distinguish. 

East-Himalayan Eranthemum is about 3-4 feet in height, slightly covered with short hair. Flowers-spikes are solitary, erect from one to two feet long, branch sharply 4-sided and almost 4-winged. Flowers are large, dark-blue, opposite in alternate pairs, which become remote as the spike elongates, according to the flowers of India website.

Leaves are about 10 cm long, pointed at each end, their margins somewhat curled and rounded-toothed, smooth and shining with a peculiar greyish-green colour above, very pale with prominent, hairy and net veined nerves and veins below.

East-Himalayan Eranthemum is a native plant of East Himalayan, Bangladesh and Burma. It flowers during January-March, the website stated.

Recently, a flower documented only as a dried specimen in India has been photographed for the first time in Manipur’s Bishnupur district. The flower was identified as Smooth Uncaria (Uncaria laevigata) and it was photographed at Nambol.