News: Ophiopogon japonicus recorded in India for the first time in West Kameng, Arunachal Pradeshà Documented by WII and Uluberia Botanical Institute Herbarium during a survey in May 2025.

Key Features

• Common names: Dwarf lilyturf / Mondo grass.
• Evergreen perennial herb with grass-like leaves, small white–pale purple flowers and blue berries.
• Found at 2,185 m in moist, shaded temperate broadleaf forest.

Distribution & Uses

• Native to China, Japan, Korea and Nepal.
• Elevation range: 200–2,800 m.
• Tuberous roots (Maidong/Ophiopogonis Radix) used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• Reported properties: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and cardioprotective.

Significance

• Adds a new formally documented species to India’s flora.
• Genus Ophiopogon has ~85 species globally; India previously had 7 recorded species.

Conservation Concerns

• Road construction and landslides threaten its roadside habitat.
• Need for further surveys and long-term monitoring in Arunachal Pradesh and Northeast India