Hoya nagaensis
Lumami, January 12 (MExN): Researchers from Nagaland University have discovered a new plant species during systematic field surveys conducted between 2023 and 2025 in the Kavünhou Community Reserved Forest at Khezhakeno village in Phek district of Nagaland.
The research team comprising Vieneite-o Koza and co-researcher Joynath Pegu, led by Dr Gyati Yam, identified the new species during botanical exploration of the high-altitude forests of the district. The study was supported by Nagaland University through the Start-Up Project for Young Faculty (SUPYF).
The discovery has been formally published in the internationally reputed scientific journal Kew Bulletin.
The newly identified species has been named Hoya nagaensis (family Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae). The finding further underscores Nagaland’s significance as a biodiversity hotspot in Northeast India.
According to the researchers, the specific epithet “nagaensis” is derived from “Nagaland,” the state where the species was discovered, and honours both the cultural heritage of the Naga community and the ecological importance of the state’s forest ecosystems.
The discovery also highlights the conservation value of community-protected forests in Nagaland and underscores the need for continued botanical exploration and habitat-based conservation efforts in the region.
The formal description of Hoya nagaensis strengthens the taxonomy of the genus Hoya and reinforces Nagaland’s importance as a centre of under-documented plant diversity in Northeast India, the researchers noted.
