Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Releases Plant Discoveries 2025 at ZSI’s 111th Foundation Day Celebration
353 New Plant Taxa Added to India’s Flora; Arunachal Pradesh Tops the List of Botanical Discoveries
By Suman Munshi | Chief Editor, IBG NEWS
Kolkata, June 30, 2026: Reinforcing India’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and scientific research, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday released Plant Discoveries 2025, the nineteenth volume of the Botanical Survey of India’s (BSI) prestigious annual publication series, during the inaugural session of the 111th Foundation Day celebrations of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata.
The publication was unveiled in the presence of Shri Swapan Dasgupta, Finance Minister of West Bengal, Shri Manoj Kumar Oraon, West Bengal’s Minister for Environment, Dr. Kanad Das, Director of the Botanical Survey of India, and Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of the Zoological Survey of India. The event was attended by eminent scientists, academicians, researchers, forest officials and biodiversity experts from across the country.
India’s Botanical Wealth Continues to Expand
The latest edition of Plant Discoveries 2025 documents remarkable progress in botanical exploration across India during the calendar year 2025. The publication records the addition of 353 taxa to the country’s floral inventory, comprising 339 species and 14 infraspecific taxa.
Of these, 221 taxa have been described as new to science, while 132 taxa represent new distributional records for India, significantly expanding the known geographical range of several plant groups and enriching the nation’s botanical database.
Diverse Plant Groups Documented
The publication highlights discoveries across a broad spectrum of plant and allied groups, including:
- 154 Angiosperms
- 3 Pteridophytes
- 13 Bryophytes
- 62 Lichens
- 93 Fungi
- 22 Algae
- 6 Microbes
According to the report, nearly 43 per cent of the newly described taxa belong to vascular plants, while the remaining discoveries include various non-vascular organisms, reflecting growing scientific interest in these ecologically important groups.
Biodiversity Hotspots Lead Discoveries
India’s globally recognised biodiversity hotspots continue to dominate botanical discoveries. Nearly 64 per cent of all newly documented taxa were recorded from the Himalayan region, the Western Ghats, and the North-Eastern states, reaffirming their immense ecological significance and rich biological heritage.
Among the states, Arunachal Pradesh emerged as the leading contributor with 49 discoveries, followed by Uttarakhand (39) and Kerala (37).
Scientists believe these findings underline the need for continued botanical exploration, habitat protection and long-term ecological research in these biodiversity-rich regions.
Significant Scientific and Economic Value
The publication also documents several wild relatives of economically valuable plant groups, including Begonia, Impatiens (balsams), legumes, and orchids.
Researchers noted that these newly identified taxa hold immense potential for applications in horticulture, agriculture, medicine and ornamental cultivation. They also represent valuable genetic resources that could contribute to crop improvement, climate resilience, pharmaceutical research and the sustainable utilisation of biological resources.
Strengthening Biodiversity Conservation
Plant Discoveries 2025 reflects the collaborative efforts of scientists from the Botanical Survey of India, universities, research institutions and independent taxonomists across the country. The publication provides an important scientific foundation for biodiversity conservation, environmental planning, ecosystem restoration and evidence-based policy formulation.
Releasing the volume during the 111th Foundation Day of the Zoological Survey of India, Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav reiterated India’s commitment to strengthening biodiversity documentation and conserving the country’s unparalleled natural heritage for future generations.
The release of Plant Discoveries 2025 marks another milestone in India’s ongoing efforts to document and protect its rich biological diversity while reinforcing the role of the country’s premier taxonomic institutions in advancing scientific knowledge and conservation.
Source: Botanical Survey of India (BSI) | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
