JODHPUR, July 15 -- A plant species that had vanished from scientific records for more than a century has been rediscovered on the rocky plateaus of Mount Abu. Strobilanthes hallbergii, an endemic flowering shrub previously known only from a single collection in 1916, has now been located again in its original habitat by researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI). The species was first discovered by E Blatter, a pioneering botanist in British India who conducted extensive plant explorations in Rajasthan and across the Indian subcontinent. Dr CS Purohit, deputy director at the Botanical Survey of India's Arid Zone Regional Centre in Jodhpur, who led the recent research, said, "After Blatter, no one could locate or collect this rare plant. It remained unknown for the last 100 years, and scientists had declared it critically endangered or possibly extinct. The genus Strobilanthes comprises 400 species worldwide, of which 170 are reported from India. In Rajasthan, only two species occur - Strobilanthes hallbergii and S. callosus - and among these, Strobilanthes hallbergii is endemic to Rajasthan." During plant exploration, the studies conducted by Purohit along with researchers Ramesh Kumar and RN Kulloli, a small population of 40-50 individual plants was recorded from the Palanpur trek in the Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan. This rediscovery marks the first documented sig- hting of the species in over a century and underscores the ecological importance of the finding. "Its occurrence in a very small population and in a typical rocky, moist habitat indicates that this species is at risk of extinction. Further studies are required to assess its IUCN conservation status," said Purohit. According to Purohit and his team, this shrub grows up to 3 metres high and bears broadly ovate bracts and vibrant purple flowers. The calyx segments are linear but slightly thickened in the fruiting stage. The corolla throat has yellow hairs, the longer stamens are bearded, the ovary is sub-glabrous, and the seeds are small, rectangular, obliquely positioned, and glabrous. The plant was found growing alongside species such as Ceropegia hirsuta, Impatiens balsamina, and Swertia minor on exposed hill slopes. The researchers have called for urgent conservation efforts to ensure that this critically rare species does not vanish again. The rediscovery of Strobilanthes hallbergii has been recently published in the journal Phytotaxonomy in Dehradun, Uttarakhand....