Researchers discover new species of genus Curcuma in Nagaland

New species of Curcuma discovered in Nagaland, named Curcuma ungmensis, ideal for gardens, with attractive yellow flowers.

Researchers have identified a new ‘cousin’ of the turmeric, thanks to a serendipitous discovery during a field trip in Nagaland.

Belonging to the genus Curcuma (the ginger family Zingiberaceae), the plant, which stands 65-90-cm high with prominent yellow flowers at full growth, has been given the name Curcuma ungmensis after Ungma, the village in Mokokchung district where it was found.

The international journal Phytotaxa has published a paper on the discovery by Mamiyil Sabu and V.S. Hareesh of the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences, Kozhikode, Kerala, and P. Tiatemsu of the Department of Botany, Fazl Ali College, Nagaland.

The plant was spotted during a field trip in Nagaland as part of the INSA Senior Scientist programme in September 2023. An examination of the Checklist of Flora of Nagaland published by the Botanical Survey of India showed that it did not match any of the recorded Curcuma species. “After a thorough examination of original descriptions of all Asian species so far known and consulting others working on the genus in China, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore, we concluded that this is a new species of the genus,” the authors stated in the paper.

The family Zingiberaceae has 21 genera and about 200 taxa in India. Curcuma is one of the most important and largest genera of this plant family, the best known being turmeric (Curcuma longa), black turmeric (Curcumacaesia) and mango ginger (Curcuma amada). Curcuma is widely distributed in south and southeast Asia and south China. A few species are also found in northern Australia and the south Pacific. In India, the genus is represented by about 40 species, found mainly in northeast and southern States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Botanically, Curcuma ungmensis is a rhizomatous herb. The rhizome (subterranean stem) part is branched and found deeply buried in the soil. The species could be ideal for gardens, according to the researchers.

“The attractive colour of the inflorescence makes this a good candidate as cut flower. It can be introduced in gardens as an ornamental plant for ground cover after proper domestication,” the paper said.