In Manipur, a new species of cherry blossom has been discovered and named after a scientist
Manipur scientists have discovered a new Cherry Blossom species. They named it “Prunus Dinabandhuana” in honour of Dr. Dinabandhu Sahoo’s contributions to science. Sakura, or cherry blossom, is Japan’s national flower. India became the world’s 28th country to be added to the Sakura map.
According to scientists, Dr. Sahoo, a professor at the University of Delhi’s Department of Botany, planned and organised India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong in November 2016, which drew lakhs of people and has since grown into an international event that has been held for the past six years.
Unlike Japanese Cherry Blossom, which blooms in March-April, this new species blooms in November and grows to a height of 25-30 metres in dense mixed evergreen forest.
The new findings were recently published in the Annales Botanici Fennici, an international scientific journal.
Dr. Sahoo saw a Cherry Blossom tree in full bloom in Shillong in 2014 while visiting the city. After that, he considered starting a Cherry Blossom Festival in India.
Cherry Blossom is native to the Himalayas, according to Dr. Sahoo, who was the first Indian student to visit Antarctica in 1987.
Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright
