10 July,2026 09:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
Rashmi Thackeray with a much younger Tejas Thackeray. Pics/Thackeray Wildlife Foundation
In a significant botanical discovery, researchers from Mumbai's Thackeray Wildlife Foundation have identified a new species of flowering tree in the remote forests of Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district.
The species, named Mitrephora rashmiae in honour of Rashmi Thackeray, wife of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, belongs to the custard apple family and is currently the only single tree in the wild.
The tree belongs to the custard apple family
The species was discovered during a floristic diversity survey near Daporijo by researchers Tejas U Thackeray, Navendu V Page, and Shivam Kishwan. Wildlife researcher Tejas - son of Rashmi and Uddhav - told mid-day that the discovery is important as it is the only second species of the Mitrephora genus ever recorded from the Eastern Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot. It is also the first known species in the genus to bear both male and bisexual flowers on the same tree, making it unique from a scientific perspective.
The tree was named in recognition of Rashmi's role in nurturing Tejas's early interest in nature and taxonomy, as well as her support for the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation. Researchers said Mitrephora rashmiae can be identified by its pale-yellow flowers marked with purple stripes and a unique dome-shaped floral structure formed by the inner petals.
Only one seven-metre-tall tree has been located, growing beside a stream in a degraded forest patch. As no additional specimens have been found, scientists have classified the species as "Data Deficient" and have called for extensive surveys across Arunachal Pradesh's undisturbed forests to determine its distribution and conservation status. The findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Feddes Repertorium, highlighting the rich yet largely unexplored plant diversity of of Arunachal Pradesh and North-East India.
