‘Lost’ blueberry cousin found in Arunachal forest after 188 years
Vijoynagar: A wild relative of the blueberry, missing from scientific records for nearly two centuries, has been rediscovered in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh.
Researchers have located Vaccinium piliferum, a rare climbing shrub with blueberry-like fruits, in Vijoynagar in Changlang district. The species was last documented by British botanists in 1836 and had not been sighted since.
The team from the Society for Education and Environmental Development (SEED), CSIR-North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST), and partner institutions found only 16 surviving plants near tributaries of the Noa-Dihing River, at elevations between 1,150 and 1,280 metres.
Unlike regular blueberry bushes, V. piliferum is a tree-twining shrub that grows up to 4.5 metres tall. It produces pale green, bell-shaped flowers and dark purple berries coated with a whitish-blue waxy layer.
The species belongs to the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and cranberries. Wild relatives like V. piliferum are considered valuable for research because they often carry resilient genetic traits lost in commercial crops.
The IUCN currently lists the plant as endangered. Researchers warn the find is fragile, with surviving plants spread across just two square kilometres.
Arunachal Pradesh is one of India’s richest biodiversity hotspots, but its ecosystems face pressure from changing land use, infrastructure expansion, and climate instability.
