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Contents
What is the News?
Scientists from Manipur have found a new plant species of ‘Cherry Blossom’. They have named the plant species as ‘Prunus dinabandhuana’ as a mark of respect and for the outstanding contributions of scientist Dr Dinabandhu Sahoo.
What is Cherry Blossom?
The Cherry Blossom or ‘Sakura’ is the national flower of Japan. India has become the 28th country in the world to be part of the Sakura plantations.
About Prunus dinabandhuana
It is a new plant species of ‘Cherry Blossom’. It grows up to 25-30 meters in dense mixed evergreen forest and unlike the Japanese Cherry Blossom which blooms during March-April, this new species blooms in November.
Why was this plant species named after Scientist Dr Dinabandhu Sahoo?
Due to Dr Sahoo’s efforts, Cherry Blossom is now available in six of the eight Northeastern States, excluding Assam and Tripura.
Moreover, in 2016, Dr Sahoo organized India’s first ‘Cherry Blossom Festival’ in Shillong which attracted lakhs of people, and subsequently, it became an international event for the past six years.
Source: This post is based on the article “New plant species of ‘Cherry Blossom’ found in Manipur” published in Deccan Herald on 11th April 2022.
