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Context

• Researchers in Manipur have discovered a new flowering plant species in Kakching district.
• It was found dwelling along the bank of the Sekmai River of Kakching district.
• They have named the new plant species Curcuma kakchingense.

Curcuma kakchingense

• Curcuma kakchingense belongs to the angiospermic family Zingiberaceae which includes Curcuma, Gingers and Cardamom.
• The new flowering plant species is a robust plant, as tall as eight feet, having large terminal inflorescence.
• The species has close resemblance to Curcuma phrayawan, a species reported from Thailand.
• Its conservation status remains Data Deficient under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List category.

According to IUCN, Data Deficient (DD) is a condition applied to species in which the amount of available data related to its risk of extinction is lacking in some way. Consequently, a complete assessment cannot be performed.

• Curcuma is important for its use in cuisines, traditional medicines, spices, dyes, perfumes, cosmetics, and as ornamental plants.
• Therefore, the discovery of a new species of Curcuma will definitely open up new vistas for investigation of their phytochemistry, biological activity, and application in the development of new nutraceuticals or pharmaceutical novelties.

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