Rare Fruit Rediscovered

byStaff Reporter

The Vaccinium piliferum, a rare fruit species, which is part of the Ericaceae family, has been rediscovered.

The Vaccinium piliferum, a rare fruit species, which is part of the Ericaceae family, has been rediscovered. A relative of the popular blueberry, Vaccinium piliferum has a purple hue.
As this species had not been recorded since the 1800s, scientists believed it could have vanished.
A group of researchers from institutes including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Northeast Institute of Science and Technology, Assam, and Society for Education and Environmental Development rediscovered the species in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
However, they came across only a few such plants in the region, highlighting the urgency for conservation.